Unit 1: English In A Minute
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Session 66
Welcome to English In A Minute. Give us a minute and we'll give you a hot tip about English. Grammar, vocabulary... there's so much to learn! And all taught by your favourite BBC Learning English staff!
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Activity 1
Adverbs of frequency
Do you have a minute to spare to learn some English? Sam's going to show us how to use adverbs of frequency in a sentence. Give us 60 seconds and we'll give you the English!
Watch the video and complete the activity

Sam
Welcome to BBC Learning English. I'm Sam and today we're going to look at adverbs of frequency. You know these! Always, sometimes, never. But where do they go in a sentence?
Look at always in this sentence. Does it come before or after the verb?
Helen always starts work at seven.
The verb is 'starts' and always comes before – rule number one.
Next sentence: Helen isn't always happy about this.
The verb is 'is' and always was after – rule number two
Last sentence: Helen has always hated early starts.
Trick question! There was an auxiliary verb 'has' and a main verb 'hated' and always went after the auxiliary verb – rule number three
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Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of frequency are words like: always, often, sometimes, rarely, never. They answer the question 'how often...?'
- How often do you go to the gym?
- I always go to the gym.
- I often go to the gym.
- I sometimes go to the gym.
- I rarely go to the gym.
- I never go to the gym.
Where do they go in a sentence?
Adverbs of frequency generally occupy three positions in a sentence - all in relation to the verb.
1. Before the main verb
In the majority of cases, the adverb of frequency goes before the main verb.
- Helen always starts work at seven.
- She usually went to school by bus.
2. After the verb when the main verb is 'be'
If the main verb is a form of 'be' (am, are, is, was, were), the adverb of frequency comes after.
- Helen isn't always happy with this.
- They are never late for anything!
3. Between the auxiliary verb and the main verb
If the sentence has two verbs - an auxiliary verb and a main verb - the adverb of frequency goes between them.
- Helen has always hated early starts.
- She doesn't often go to school by bus.
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To do
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Adverbs of frequency answer the question 'How often'Question 1 of 3
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Where does an adverb of frequency go in relation to a 'be' verb?Question 2 of 3
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How do we use adverbs of frequency when a sentence has an auxiliary verb and a main verbQuestion 3 of 3
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