Habits & Customs
Referring to routine activities
Easter, in my country, is the most sacred and celebrated of all the Greek holidays. The Gregorian calendar determines the date. This year, we are celebrating Orthodox Easter a month later than Western Easter. Orthodox Easter begins with a 40-day fast. We only eat foods found in nature (grains, greens, beans, vegetables, snails, and seafood without backbones), no meat from red-blooded animals. On Palm Sunday, we serve only fish courses.
On Saturday before Easter, we take the food we will serve on Easter to the church where the priest blesses it. On Easter Sunday, roast lamb is the centerpiece of the table. In the early morning, the spits turn in backyards and courtyards as the lamb is slowly cooked. We color eggs bright red and bake them into bread, "tsoureki". This tradition bonds one generation to the next and always is the highlight of the year.
Present vs. Present Progressive
| PRESENT |
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We use the present tense for an activity, celebration, habit or custom that is habitually repeated, existed in the past and will probably exist in the future, relatively permanent. |
We eat locally produced food. |
The priest blesses the food. |
We color eggs bright red. |
This tradition bonds one generation to the next. |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE |
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Use the present progressive for an activity that is short-term, not the usual state, a temporary change, happening just for the present (which may be this moment, day, week, or year.) |
This week, I am not eating fish, olive oil or dairy products. |
This year, we are celebrating Orthodox Easter a month later. |
Today, we are dying eggs red. |
This morning, we are preparing special dishes. |
bonds (v.) – holds together tightly
dye (v.) – color
Present (habitual) Tense
Adverbs and Word Order
Adverbs with Present vs. Present Progressive
| PRESENT – (MORE) PERMANENT | |
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Adverbs for the present tense indicate a more permanent state or how often an activity occurs or is repeated. Note that we very rarely include an adverb with statement of fact or general truth. |
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| GENERAL TRUTH | FREQUENCY |
general truth (none) |
always (routinely, customarily, normally) |
EVERY ... every moment (minute) |
usually (in general. as a rule, most of the time) |
every day (night, week, month, year, etc.) |
often (frequently, half of the time) |
each day (night, week, month, year, etc.) |
sometimes (occasionally, on occasion) |
every other day (night, week, year, etc.) |
rarely (seldom, hardly ever) |
most weekends (nights, days, weeks, months, etc.) |
never (not ever) |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE – TEMPORARY | |
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Adverbs for the present progressive indicate more temporary states, at the moment of speaking. With a larger amount of time, such as this month, the focus is still on the present time period and not any amount of time that has passed. |
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| NOW | THIS ... |
at the moment (at this time, at this second) |
today / tonight ( this day, this night) |
now (for now, just now, right now) |
this moment (second) |
currently |
this morning (afternoon, evening) |
presently |
this week (weekend) |
for a little while (for the time being) |
this month (period, semester, year) |
as we speak |
this decade (century, era) |
*Also see Adverbs of Frequency
Word Order
Adverb Placement
Word Order & Emphasis
- INITIAL: Usually, my family eats dinner together. Emphasis position
- MEDIAL: My family usually eats dinner together. Normal word order
- FINAL: My family eats dinner together usually. No particular emphasis
Three positions:
Normal Placement — pre-verb vs. mid- verb
| MEDIAL — BEFORE VERB | ||
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Normally, an adverb for frequency is placed before the verb. No particular emphasis is placed on the timing of the activity. |
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| SUBJECT | FREQ. ADVERB | VERB + |
My family |
always |
eats together. |
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usually |
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sometimes |
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often |
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frequently |
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occasionally |
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rarely |
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seldom |
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hardly ever |
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never |
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*most of the time |
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*on occasion |
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| MEDIAL —BETWEEN AUXILIARY AND VERB | ||
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When an auxiliary verb is used, the adverb is placed after the auxiliary and before the verb. |
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| SUBJ + AUX | FREQ. ADVERB | VERB + |
My family will |
always |
eat together. |
My family shall |
usually |
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My family can |
sometimes |
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often |
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frequently |
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occasionally |
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rarely |
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seldom |
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hardly ever |
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never |
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*most of the time |
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*on occasion |
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*expressions are rarely used in mid-sentence position.
aux – auxilary verb (do, be, can, may, might, etc.)
Also see Splitting Verbs.
Emphasis Change — pre-clausal vs. post clausal
| INITIAL — BEFORE CLAUSE | ||
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For emphasis on the timing, an adverb for frequency is placed before the clause and separated with a comma. Time expressions are usually pre- or post- clausal. |
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FREQ. ADVERB Most of the time, |
SUBJECT my family |
VERB + eats together. |
Usually, |
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Often, |
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Sometimes, |
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Half of the time, |
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Frequently, |
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Occasionally, |
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On occasion, |
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†Rarely, |
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†Seldom, |
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†Hardly ever, |
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†Never, |
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*Always, |
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| FINAL — END OF CLAUSE | ||
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When no particular emphasis is desired or when the an adverbial phrase is used (two- or three-word prepositional phrase), the adverb is placed at the end of the clause. |
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SUBJECT My family |
VERB + eats together |
FREQ. ADVERB most of the time. |
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usually. |
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often. |
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sometimes. |
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half of the time. |
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frequently. |
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occasionally. |
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on occasion. |
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rarely. |
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seldom. |
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hardly ever. |
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never. |
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† See negative adverbs of frequency below.
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect placement.
together (adverb / preposition) – previously categorized as an adverb, now is categorized as a preposition (CaGEL 614)
Also see Adverbs of Frequency for sentence examples.
Negative Adverbs
Word Order Change
Negative Adverbs in Initial Position
| NORMAL SUBJECT–VERB ORDER |
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When a negative adverb – never, rarely, seldom, hardly ever – is placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, the auxiliary of the verb is moved in front of the subject. |
*Seldom we are home in the day time. We seldom are at home in the daytime. |
*Never we have much time together. We never have much time together. |
| INVERTED SUBJECT–VERB ORDER |
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After a negative adverb, place the auxiliary verb (do, does, is, are, am, have, has) before the subject and main verb. Initial placement of the adverb is for emphasis. |
Seldom are we ___ home in the day time. |
Never do we have much time together. |
Pop-Q "Never"
Practice 1
Habits & Temporary Changes
- Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.
Practice 2
Adverb Placement
Does the verb take a direct object?
- Is the verb intransitive, transitive, or both?
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.
Additional practice: Present vs. Present Progressive