An “adverb” describes an action, and gives us additional information about it. And
different types of adverbs describe different types of actions.
An adverb of time describes the relation of an action with time. It tells us when the action took place, how frequently it took place, and for how long it took place.
You must have used lots of adverbs of time in your writing. But if you haven’t clearly learned about them yet, this article will help you.
In this brief article, we will take a look at adverbs of time, their examples, and some tips on how to use them effectively.
What are Adverbs of Time?
Adverbs of time are adverbs that tell us the relation of an action with time.
These answer:
- When an action happens. Did the action happen today? Did it happen 2 years ago? Or has the action yet to happen today or tomorrow?
Example: “She cleaned the house yesterday.” “She will clean the house again tomorrow.” - How often an action takes place.
Example: “She cleaned the house twice.” “She didn’t rest once.” - For how long an action happens.
Example: “She cleaned the house for three hours.” “She was mopping the floors half the time.”
How to Identify Adverbs of Time
Adverbs modify verbs, which are action words or phrases within sentences.
To identify an
adverb of time, you first need to examine a given sentence and break it down into its components, such as subject, object, verb, and adverb. For example:
- “The fan will turn on every day for an hour.”
In this sentence, there’s a subject (fan), and an action phrase/verb (turn on). Also, there are two more expressions: “every day” and “an hour,” which are describing the action. Since these phrases are describing the action, these must be adverbs.
Now, ask yourself: Are any of the adverbs in the sentence describing the three time-related qualities of the action? Consider if any adverb is describing:
- A point in time (when the action happens)
- Frequency of the action (how often the action happens)
- Duration of the action (for how long the action happens)
If you examine, the adverb “every day” describes the frequency of the action (i.e., how many times/how often) and “for an hour” describes the duration, as to how long the fan will stay turned on.
Likewise, you can identify adverbs of time in any sentence.
Mixing Adverbs of Time with Similar Expressions
Sometimes, learners confuse adverbs of time with other word groups that look “time-related” but don’t function as adverbs.
Remember, an adverb modifies an action word/phrase. If a time-related expression isn’t describing the action being done, it is not an adverb, let alone an adverb of time.
Let’s take a look at some common confusions below.
1. Mixing with Noun Phrases of Time
These act as the subject or object, not as modifiers.
- Incorrect: “Last year was difficult.” (Here, “last year” is a noun phrase acting as the subject and not as an adverb).
- Correct: “I traveled a lot last year.” (Here, “last year” is an adverb of time).
- Incorrect: “Half of the time went into planning.” (Here, “half of the time” is acting as the subject and not as an adverb).
- Correct: “She was planning half the time.” (Now, it’s an adverbial).
- Incorrect: “Tomorrow will be exciting.” (Here, tomorrow is acting as the subject).
- Correct: “I’ll see you tomorrow.” (“See you when?” “Tomrrow.” It is now answering when the speaker will meet the person again.).
Rule of thumb: if the time word is doing something in the sentence (subject/object), it’s a noun phrase, not an adverbial.
2. Mixing with Other Kinds of Adverbs
Some adverbial phrases look time-related but don’t function as adverbs of time.
- Incorrect: “In the morning light, the room glowed.” (The phrase “In the morning light” is not describing when the action happened. It is describing the conditions or environment in which the room glowed. You can make it clearer by omitting “morning.” The phrase becomes “In the light…” which is not an adverb of time but an adverb of manner.)
- Correct: “The room glowed in the morning.” (Now, “in the morning” is describing the time when the room glowed. It is a clear adverbial phrase of time).
3. Mixing with Idiomatic Expressions
Some look like time adverbs but have figurative meanings.
- Incorrect: “For once, he agreed with me.” (Here, “For once” is an idiom that means “surprisingly this time.” It is not a frequency adverb.).
- Correct: “He agreed with me only but once.” (Here “once” is talking about frequency, so it is an adverb of time.).
- Incorrect: “At the end of the day, we all want peace.” (“At the end of the day” is an idiom that means “when everything is considered.” In this particular sentence, it is not a time adverb. The sentence is making a philosophical statement about what's most important in life, not about a specific time on a clock.).
- Correct: “I finally felt peaceful at the end of the day.” (Here, the same phrase is instead used literally—to express the time when the action happened.)
- Incorrect: “From time to time, she calls.” (“From time to time” is an idiom, which means occasionally. Although, technically, it is an adverb of time expressing frequency as an idiom, but here it’s not a literal adverb of time. The difference is that idioms carry a figurative meaning, but an adverb of time is supposed to be literal.).
- Correct: “She calls occasionally.” (Straightforward adverb of frequency).
Time-related idioms can be easily confused with adverbs of time. Some function as adverbials (e.g., from time to time), but others can carry completely different meanings. If you doubt whether a sentence is an idiom or an adverb of time, consider looking up the individual phrase online to clear the confusion.
Examples of Adverbs of Time
Here are some clear and simple examples of adverbs of time:
- She arrived yesterday.
- He will call tomorrow.
- They meet every week.
- We waited for two hours.
- I have never seen that movie before.
- The store is open now.
Tips for Clarity
Follow these simple tips for clarity when using adverbs of time to avoid getting confused and confusing your readers.
- Place adverbs of time at the beginning or end of a sentence for clearer emphasis.
- Avoid stacking too many time adverbs in one sentence, which can make it confusing.
- Don’t use idiomatic expressions as literal adverbials. If you’re confused about an expression, look it up on the internet.
- When in doubt, ask: “Does this phrase answer when, how often, or for how long the action happens?” If it does, it’s an adverb of time.
Conclusion
An adverb of time is a word or phrase that describes when an action takes place, how frequently it takes place, and for how long it takes place. Adverbs of time can easily be confused with similar expressions, like time-related noun phrases, idioms, and other adverbs. You can avoid this confusion by identifying adverbs in a sentence: Break the sentence down into its components (subject, verb, object, adverb etc.), identify the adverbs, and examine if any adverb describes the three time-related qualities of the action: A point in time (When does the action occur?), frequency (How often does it occur?), and duration (And for how long does it occur?).
