Welcome to your English grammar lesson on adverbs of frequency and manner! If you’re just starting to learn English (A1+ level), understanding these adverbs will really boost your speaking and help you express yourself more clearly. This lesson will make it easy to learn how to use them correctly in everyday conversations. We’ll focus on practical usage, so you can start using these adverbs right away to improve your spoken English.

What are Adverbs of Frequency?

Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. Think of them as answering the question “How often?” They help us describe routines, habits, and how regularly we do things.

Here are some common adverbs of frequency, from happening most often to least often:

• Always (100% of the time) – This means something happens every time.
• Usually / Normally / Generally (Very often) – This means something happens very often, most of the time.
• Often / Frequently (Many times) – This means something happens a lot.
• Sometimes (Sometimes yes, sometimes no) – This means something happens occasionally, not all the time.
• Occasionally (Less often than sometimes) – This is similar to ‘sometimes’ but a bit less frequent.
• Rarely / Seldom (Not often) – This means something happens very few times.
• Hardly ever / Almost never (Very rarely) – This means something almost never happens.
• Never (0% of the time) – This means something does not happen at all.

How to Use Adverbs of Frequency in Sentences

The position of adverbs of frequency in a sentence is important. Here are the basic rules for learn English grammar:

1. Before the main verb (but after ‘be’):
   For most verbs, put the adverb before the main verb.
   • Subject + Adverb + Main Verb + …
   • Example: I always drink coffee in the morning.
   • Example: They usually go to the park on Sundays.
   • Example: She often reads books before bed.
   • Example: We sometimes eat pizza for dinner.
   • Example: He rarely watches television.
   • Example: I never smoke.

   But, when the main verb is ‘be’ (am, is, are, was, were), put the adverb after ‘be’.

   • Subject + Be + Adverb + …
   • Example: She is always happy.
   • Example: They are usually late.
   • Example: He is often tired after work.
   • Example: We are sometimes bored.
   • Example: It is rarely cold in July.
   • Example: I am never angry.
2. At the beginning or end of a sentence (sometimes):
   Some adverbs of frequency can also go at the beginning or end of a sentence, especially: usually, normally, often, sometimes, occasionally.
   • Sometimes I go to the cinema. / I go to the cinema sometimes.
   • Usually we have breakfast at 7 am. / We have breakfast at 7 am usually.
   • Often they visit their grandparents. / They visit their grandparents often.

   Note: Adverbs like always, never, rarely, seldom, hardly ever are generally not used at the beginning or end of sentences.

What are Adverbs of Manner?

Adverbs of manner tell us how someone does something. They describe the way an action is performed. They answer the question “How?”

Many adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. For example:

• Quick (adjective) -> Quickly (adverb of manner)
• Slow (adjective) -> Slowly (adverb of manner)
• Careful (adjective) -> Carefully (adverb of manner)
• Loud (adjective) -> Loudly (adverb of manner)
• Quiet (adjective) -> Quietly (adverb of manner)
• Happy (adjective) -> Happily (adverb of manner)
• Sad (adjective) -> Sadly (adverb of manner)

However, there are also some adverbs of manner that don’t end in -ly, like well, fast, hard.

Examples of Adverbs of Manner

• He speaks English fluently. (How does he speak? Fluently.)
• She sings beautifully. (How does she sing? Beautifully.)
• They walked slowly down the street. (How did they walk? Slowly.)
• Please speak quietly in the library. (How should you speak? Quietly.)
• The children played happily in the garden. (How did they play? Happily.)
• He drives carefully. (How does he drive? Carefully.)
• She did well on the exam. (How did she do? Well.)
• The car is going fast. (How is the car going? Fast.)

How to Use Adverbs of Manner in Sentences

Adverbs of manner usually come after the main verb or after the object of the verb.

1. After the verb (if there is no object):
   • Subject + Verb + Adverb of Manner
   • Example: He ran quickly.
   • Example: She smiled happily.
   • Example: They spoke quietly.
2. After the object (if there is an object):
   • Subject + Verb + Object + Adverb of Manner
   • Example: She ate her dinner quickly.
   • Example: He speaks English fluently.
   • Example: They played the music loudly.

Using Adverbs of Frequency and Manner Together

You can often use both adverbs of frequency and manner in the same sentence to give more detail! Usually, the adverb of frequency comes before the adverb of manner.

Typical Sentence Structure: Subject + Adverb of Frequency + Verb + Adverb of Manner (or Object + Adverb of Manner)

Examples:

• She always sings beautifully. (Frequency: always, Manner: beautifully)
• They usually walk slowly. (Frequency: usually, Manner: slowly)
• He sometimes speaks English fluently. (Frequency: sometimes, Manner: fluently)
• We often eat dinner quickly. (Frequency: often, Manner: quickly)
• I never drive carefully. (Frequency: never, Manner: carefully – This means I drive dangerously!)

Let’s Practice!

Fill in the blanks with the correct adverb of frequency or manner from the words in the box.

Words: usually, carefully, never, quickly, often, happily, always, slowly

1. She ___________ arrives on time for class. (frequency)
2. He drives very ___________. (manner)
3. They ___________ go to the beach in the summer. (frequency)
4. The children played ___________ in the park. (manner)
5. I ___________ eat fast food. It’s not healthy. (frequency)
6. Please speak ___________, I can’t hear you. (manner – opposite of quickly)
7. We ___________ have pizza on Friday nights. (frequency)
8. She finished the exam very ___________. (manner)

Answers:

1. She always arrives on time for class.
2. He drives very carefully.
3. They often go to the beach in the summer.
4. The children played happily in the park.
5. I never eat fast food. It’s not healthy.
6. Please speak slowly, I can’t hear you.
7. We usually have pizza on Friday nights.
8. She finished the exam very quickly.

Keep Practicing Spoken English!

Great job! You’ve learned about adverbs of frequency and manner. The best way to improve your spoken English practice is to use these adverbs in your own sentences. Try to describe your daily routine using adverbs of frequency. For example:

• “I always wake up at 7 am.”
• “I usually have coffee for breakfast.”
• “I sometimes walk to work.”
• “I never go to bed late on weekdays.”

And think about how people do things around you and describe them using adverbs of manner. For example:

• “My teacher speaks clearly.”
• “My friend walks fast.”
• “The music is playing loudly.”

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Keep learning and keep practicing! You’re doing great!