Adverbs of time are words/phrases that tell us when things happen. In another way, they are words/phrases that often describe when a certain action happened. The most commonly used adverbs of time are: when, while, after, yesterday, tomorrow, now, last week/ month, year, soon, ago, etc.

Adverbs of frequency, however, denote the time length of an action or an event. The most commonly known adverbs of frequency are how long, how often, always, often, regularly, frequently, occasionally, sometimes, etc.

Study the following examples:

Tenkir:  How often  (1) do you visit the historical and cultural heritages in Ethiopia?

Dendir: Eh….I visit such places very seldom (2 )as I am always busy with different activities; moreover, I don’t have money for transportation and accommodations.

Tenkir: The same is true with me. I visited Sof Umer Cave about ten years ago (3).

Dendir: You   see, I lived in the town nearby this cave for a long time (4) ; however, I had not attempted to visit it. Now, I am regretting seriously.

Tenkir: I always think to visit different places after (5) I finish my work. Of course, sometimes I plan to visit especially religious places before (6) I engage myself into the day’s work. As I have already told you, my most serious problem is shortage of time I have had.

Dendir: Last week, one foreigner came to me and asked me the places I have visited while  ( 7) I was sitting and relaxing in a park. For the time being, I could not say a word to him until (8) he finishes his idea.

Tenkir: This is a question that foreign tourists often (9) ask Ethiopians when (10) they come to this country. The main reason is they have strong appreciation for different attractions in Ethiopia.

      Adverbs of Manner

An adverb of manner tells us how something happens, that is, whether it has happened quickly or slowly. They are usually placed after the main verb or after the object. They are usually formed from adjectives by adding – ly. If an adjective already ends in -ly, we use the phrase “in a …. way” or “In…manner” to express manner: A few adverbs of manner such as, ‘early’, ‘late’, ‘fast’, ‘hard’, ‘low’, have the same form as their adjectives.

Study the following examples:

1. The artist’s lovely speech that he delivered in a lovely manner in the new stadium  inspired  many  citizens  to join the army and protect the country from humiliation and fragmentation.
2. I was to punish him but I changed my mind when he approached me in a friendly way.
3. He speaks English like  native  speakers.  Has  he  ever lived in English speaking countries?
4. It is good to listen  to  them patiently  when people speak to you angrily.
5. Yesterday I was not happy  with  your  work  but  today you have done it well.
6. His report reached me late, so I could not read it deeply
7. Though Kolcha gave me his brotherly advice in a brotherly way, there are things  that  he  has  not  taken into consideration.
8. Ribka studied all the  subjects  so  hard  that  she  stood first among all grade ten students.

      Prepositions