ACTIVITY N° 01

ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY

We use some adverbs to describe how frequently we do an activity.

These are called adverbs of frequency and include:

Frequency Adverb of Frequency Example Sentence

100% always I always go to bed before 11pm.
90% usually I usually have cereal for breakfast.
80% normally / generally I normally go to the gym.
70% often* / frequently I often surf the internet.
50% sometimes I sometimes forget my wife's birthday.
30% occasionally I occasionally eat junk food.
10% seldom I seldom read the newspaper.
5% hardly ever / rarely I hardly ever drink alcohol.
0% never I never swim in the sea.

The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence

An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To Be).

Subject + adverb + main verb

I always remember to do my homework.
He normally gets good marks in exams.

An adverb of frequency goes after the verb To Be.

Subject + to be + adverb
They are never pleased to see me.
She isn't usually bad tempered.

When we use an auxiliary verb (have, will, must, might, could, would, can, etc.), the
adverb is placed between the auxiliary and the main verb. This is also true for to be.

Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb

She can sometimes beat me in a race.
I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
They might never see each other again.
They could occasionally be heard laughing.

We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:

Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally
 Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a sentence:

Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly ever and never with positive, not negative verbs:

 She hardly ever comes to my parties.

 They never say 'thank you'.

We use ever in questions and negative statements:

 Have you ever been to New Zealand?

 I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have never been
Switzerland').

We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about
the frequency:
- every day - once a month - twice a year - four times a day - every other week.

EXERCISES

1. Put the adverbs of frequency in the correct position.

1. A: Do you travel abroad? (often).

 Do you often travel abroad?
B: Yes, I do.

2. A: Do you wake up early on Saturdays? (always).

 Do you always wake up on Saturdays?
B: No, I wake up quite late. (usually).
 No, I usually wake up quite late.

3. A: Do you buy CDs? (often).

 Do you often buy CDs?
B: Yes, I love listening to music.

4. A: Do you read science fiction books?

B: Yes, I do. (sometimes).
 Yes, I sometimes do.

5. A: Tony is late again!

B: I know. He’s at work on time. (never).
 I know. He’s never at work on time.
 6. A: When do you play tennis?
B: I play at the weekends. (usually).
 I usually play at the weekends.

7. A: I go shopping alone. (rarely).

 I rarely go shopping alone.
B: Me, too. It’s boring.

8. A: My parents work at the weekends. (never).

 My parents never work at the weekends.
B: So, that means that you can spend time together.

9. A: How often do you see your sister?

B: I see her because she lives abroad. (rarely)
 I rarely see her because she lives abroad.

2. Form questions and answer them about yourself.

1. You/ always/ play football on Saturdays?

 Do you always play football on Saturdays?
Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.

2. Your family/ often/ visit your grandparents?

 Does your family often visit your grandparents?
No, they don’t.

3. Your teacher/ ever/ get angry?

 Does your teacher ever get angry?
No, she doesn’t.

4. You usually/ eat dinner at 7 pm?

 Do you usually eat dinner at 7 pm?
Yes, I do.

5. You / often/ go out/ with your friends?

 Do you often go out with your friends?
Yes, I do.

6. Your father/ usually/ cook dinner?

 Does your father usually cook dinner?
No, He doesn’t.
3. Read about Rebecca’s daily routine and make sentences, as in the
example. Use adverbs of frequency (always, often, sometimes, rarely,
never).

Rebecca’s daily routine.

 Work 9-5 Monday – Friday

 Go to work by car Monday – Thursday, go to work
by train on Friday.
 Have lunch at work every day.
 Cook dinner Monday to Thursday.
 Have ice cream after dinner Monday to
Wednesday.

1. Rebecca always works from 9 to 5.

2. She rarely goes to work by train.
3. She never has lunch at home.
4. She often cooks dinner at home.
5. The family sometimes has ice cream after dinner.

PRESENT SIMPLE

The simple present tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular,
true or normal.

We use the present tense:

 For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.

 I take the train to the office.

 The train to Berlin leaves every hour.

 For facts.

 The President of The USA lives in The White House.

 A dog has four legs.

 For habits.

 I get up early every day.

 Carol brushes her teeth twice a day.
 For things that are always / generally true.

 It rains a lot in winter.

 The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.

EXERCISES

1. Match the sentences (1-6) to the correct descriptions (a-f).

1 e Brown misses the penalty and Chelsea a A repeated action

lose 1-0.
2 d Water boils at 100°C. b A timetable / programme
3 f The prince rescues the princess and c A permanent state
they live happily ever after.
4 c Mark works as an accountant. d A general truth / law of
nature
5 a We have a check-up every year. e A soports commentary
6 b The aeroplane arrives at 9 o’clock f A narrative

2. Put the following verbs into the correct box in the 3rd person singular.

 Rise  Watch  Play  Study  Lay

 Think  Do  Dress  Fly  Pay
 Catch  Build  Buy  Carry  Draw
 Learn  Enjoy  Fax  Try  Brush

 Rises, thinks, builds,

+s draws, learns.

 Watches, does, dresses,

-ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o +es catches, faxes, brushes.

 Plays, lays, pays, buys,

Vowel +y +s enjoys.

Consonant +y ies  Studies, flies, carries,

tries.

3. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple.

1. He is a computer expert. He knows (know) everything about them.

2. Mr. Earl mows (mow) his lawn every week and then does (do) some
gardening.
 3. A young actress plays (play) the leading role in Spielberg’s new film.
4. Do you speak (you/speak) any foreign languages?
5. Amy doesn’t talk (not/talk) about herself a lot because she is shy.
6. Do you play (you/play) any sports?
7. My mother doesn’t like (not/like) chocolate but she loves (love) ice cream.

4. Put the verbs into the present simple.

1. A: I really like (like) homemade food.

B: Me too. I believe that nothing taste (taste).

2. A: How often do you go (you/go) shopping?

B: I usually do (do) my shopping on Fridays.

3. A: What time does the play start (the play/start) tonight?

B: At seven, I think. Do you want (you/want) me to call the theatre and
check?

4. A: Stelton takes (take) the ball from Berns and shoots (shoot).
B: But, once again, he doesn’t score (not/score). What is wrong with him
today?

5. A: Kate hopes (hope) to become a famous actress one day.

B: Is that why she practises (practise) so hard every day?

6. A: Does your brother exercise (your brother/exercise)?

B: Yes, he goes (go) swimming three times a week.

7. A: Leonardo DiCaprio stars (star) in the new film by Jackson.

B: Really? He is my favourite. Do you know (you/know) the tittle of the
film?

8. A: My dad doesn’t like (not/like) excercising.

B: Really? Mine loves (love) jogging.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of the verb be and
the present participle (-ing form) of a verb:

Use

1. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present:

 for something that is happening at the moment of speaking:
  for something which is happening before and after a given time:
 for something which we think is temporary:
 for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:
 to show that something is changing, growing or developing:
 for something which happens again and again:

2. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the future:

 for something which has been arranged or planned:

3. We can use the present continuous to talk about the past:

 When we are telling a story:
 When we are summarising the story from a book, film or play etc.:

EXERCISES

1. Add –ing to the following verbs and put them into the correct box.

 Drink  Lie  Take  Sit  Smell  Tie

 Bite  Eat  Freeze  Get  Leave  Die
 Cut  Run  Study  Dig  Change  develop

 Drinking, smelling, eating,

+ -ing studying, developing.

 Lying, tying, dying.

-ie y + -ing

 Taking, biting, freezing,

-e + -ing leaving, changing.

double consonant + -ing  Sitting, getting, cutting,

running, digging.

2. Answer the questions about yourself.

1. Are you watching TV now?

 No, I’m not.

2. Are your friends playing basketball now?

 No, they aren’t. They are studying.

3. Is your mother working at the moment?

 Yes, she is.
 4. Are you and your classmates preparing for exams right now?
 Yes, we are.

5. Are you going out tonight?

 No, I’m not.

6. Is your father cooking tomorrow?

 No, he isn’t.

7. Is your mother tidying your room now?

 No, she isn´t.

8. Are you having an English lesson now?

 Yes, I am.

3. Look at the pictures and find the differences. Use the present continuous
and the ideas given.

 Sit by the pool  Swim in the  Feed the cat.  Water flowers
pool
 Play in the  Run after the  Stand by the  Read a book
pool dog pool
 Play with her  Feed the  Sleep  Plant flowers
doll dog

1. John in picture A, John is sleeping. In picture B he isn’t sleeping, he is

reading a book.
 2. Jeff and Tom in picture A, Jeff and Tom are swimming in the pool. In
picture B, they aren’t swimming, they are playing in the pool.

3. Helen in picture A, Helen is feeding the dog. In picture B, she isn’t

feeding the dog, she is feeding the cat.

4. Ben and Bob in picture A, Ben and Bob are watering flowers. In picture
B, they aren’t watering flowers, they are planting flowers.

5. Sky in picture A, Sky is playing with her doll. In picture B, she isn’t
playing with her doll, she is running after de dog.

6. Jenny in picture A, Jenny is standing by the pool. In picture B, she isn’t

standing by the pool, she is sitting by the pool.

PRESENT SIMPLE Vs PRESENT CONTINUOUS

EXERCISES

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or present continuous.

1. A: I see (see) you’re still not feeling any better.

B: Not really. I’m actually seeing (actually/see) my doctor tonight.

2. A: Why do you smell (you/smell) the milk?

B: Because it is smelling (smell) off. I think I’ll throw it away.

3. A: Jane told me that you have (have) a new computer.

B: That’s right, but I am having (have) a hard time understanding how
it works.

4. A: Does the opera singer appear (the opera singer/appear) tonight?

B: Unfortunately not. It appears (appear) that she hasn’t recovered
from her operation yet.

5. A: Why do you look (you/look) at that man over there?

B: because he looks (look) so much like Philip.

6. A: Do you enjoy (you/enjoy) reading Stephen King novels?

B: Not really, but I am enjoying (enjoy) this particular one.

7. A: Why is Nick being (Nick/be) so angry today?

B: I don’t know (not/know). He is (be) usually so easy-going.
 8. A: I am thinking (think) of going round to Martha’s tonight.
B: I wouldn’t bother. I think (think) she’s gone on a business trip.

9. A: Tara is tasting (taste) the beef stew to see if she needs (need) to
add any more spices.
B: I think it tastes (taste) delicious just as it is.

10. A: Ted fits the old blinds from our bedroom in the study.
B: Really? Do they fit (they/fit) the windows?

2. Use the verbs to complete the sentences. Use the present simple or present
continuous.

 Leave  Not/like  Eat  See  Cost

 Look  Not/belong  Smell  Have  Think

1. Julie doesn’t like Mexican food. It’s too spicy.

2. This dress costs a lot. It’s not worth the money.
3. He is eating breakfast now.
4. They are leaving for Lisbon tomorrow.
5. She looks very tired.
6. I see what you mean.
7. This cake smells delicious.
8. I am thinking of going out after school today. Fancy joining me?
9. The party’s brilliant. I have a great time.
10. This isn’t Mary’s bag. It doesn’t belong to her.

3. Underline the correct item.

1. Hannah is looking/looks for a new job at the moment.

2. Jack is thinking/thinks about going on holiday to Hawaii this year.
3. Jeff is feeling/feels tired as he is working really hard these days.
4. Scientists are still trying/still try to find a cure for many diseases at
present.
5. The film is starting/starts with a thief robbing a bank.
6. This dress is fitting/fits you perfectly. You should buy it.
7. This new ice cream flavor is tasting/tastes like banana mixed with
strawberry.
8. The children are having/have so much fun at the funfair!
9. I am seeing/ see you are feeling better today.
10. The young actress is appearing/appears to be really confident.