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Grammar - Level 1

Adverbs of Frequency and Adverbs of Manner

In English we often use words called adverbs to describe frequency, manner, place and time.

Adverbs of Frequency:

Always		 I always go to the beach on Sundays. 
Usually		 We usually eat breakfast. or Usually we eat breakfast. 
Often		 He often goes to church. or He goes to church often. 
 Frequently		 Tania frequently visits her parents. or Tania visits her parents frequently. 
 Occasionally		 I have a beer occasionally. or I occasionally have a beer. 
 Sometimes		 Lee and Jay go out sometimes. or Sometimes Lee and Jay go out. 
Hardly Ever		 They hardly ever finish their reports on time. 
Rarely		 We rarely see them anymore. or Rarely do we see them anymore. 
Never		 I never do anything wrong. 

With the adverbs “always“, “hardly ever“, and “never” the subject is always placed before the adverb.
When forming questions using adverbs of frequency we use the auxiliary verb “do” or “does”. Below are some examples using adverbs of frequency:

Question:		 Does she always go to the movies? 
Affirmative Answer:		 Yes, she does. 
Negative Answer:		 No, she doesn’t. 
Question:		 Do you often work overtime?
Affirmative Answer:		 Yes, I do. 
Negative Answer:		 No, I don’t. 
Question:		 Does she travel occasionally?
Affirmative Answer:		 Yes, she does. 
Negative Answer:		 No, she doesn’t. 

When forming questions with adverbs of frequency we often use the word “ever“.  Here are some examples:

Question:		 Do you ever go to the beach? 
Affirmative Answer:		 Yes, sometimes. 
Negative Answer:		 No, never. 
Question:		 Does she ever finish her work on time? 
Affirmative Answer:		 Yes, she always finishes her work on time. 
Negative Answer:		 No, she never finishes her work on time. 
Question:		 Does Juan Carlos ever get to work on time? 
Affirmative Answer:		 Yes, he’s always on time. 
Negative Answer:		 No, he’s never on time. 

When making a statement with an adverb of frequency the main verb of the statement must be conjugated according to the person.

  •  
         I always go to the beach.
  •  
    You never do your homework.
  •  
         She goes dancing sometimes.
  • He never drinks and drives.
  •  
    It always rains in Quito.
  •  
         They never forget to file their reports.
  •  
    We occassionaly eat out for dinner.

ADVERBS OF MANNER

Adverbs of manner usually answer questions of how. Adverbs of manner are adverbs with “ly” endings. Some examples are:

ADJECTIVE + ly = ADVERB

 bad  + ly  = badly
 busy  + ly  = busily
 slow  + ly  = slowly
 easy  + ly  = easily
 careful  + ly  = carefully
 angry  + ly  = angrily
 quick  + ly  = quickly
 swift  + ly  = swiftly
 sad  + ly  = sadly
 sweet  + ly  = sweetly
 happy  + ly  = happily
 certain  + ly  = certainly

Some adverbs do not take the “ly” endings. Words such as fast, good and wrong cannot take “ly” endings.

They must stay the same or another adverb must substitute them.

  • He drives very fast.
  • She cooks very well. 
  • He answered the question incorrectly. 
  • Come here quickly! We need your help. 
  • He is a very good driver. He always drives carefully. 
  • At the end of the movie, they got married and lived happily ever after. 
  • This job can be done easily. 
  • The changes were made swiftly.
  • Go up the stairs carefully they are being repaired. 
  • My friend speaks very fast. Many people have trouble understanding him. 
  • The team played very badly and ended up losing the match. 
  • She dances gracefully because she is a valet dancer.
  • People responded enthusiastically to the new TV show.