1. The present simple
Habitual actions: I often eat organic food
Permanent situations: She works as a photographer
2. Adverbs of frequency
a) The present simple is often used with adverbs of frequency
e.g. normally, often, usually, never, hardly ever, always etc.
These adverbs go before the main verb: She never arrives late
and after the verb “to be”: They are always at that pub
b) Normally, sometimes, frequently, often and occasionally can be
put at the beginning or the end of a sentence:
Sometimes she recycles her rubbish.
They met in secret frequently .
c) Seldom, hardly ever, never and rarely (negative adverbials) can
also be used at the front of a sentence. However, they need to be
followed by an inversion of the verb:
Seldom does he make a mistake like that
3. Other ways of referring to present habitual behaviour
a) Tend to + infinitive
My mother tends to listen to the radio while she is cooking
b) The present continuous + always (to talk about something which
often happens, and that the speaker finds annoying)
My sister is always borrowing my clothes without asking
c) Will + infinitive (can be used with adverbs of frequency too)
My brother will sometimes spend the whole afternoon on the phone to
his girlfriend
d) Rare, normal, and usual can be used instead of rarely, normally and usually
e.g. She rarely drives her car / It is rare for her to drive her car
Notice the pattern: It is + adjective + for + noun + to + infinitive
e) Keep (on) + gerund (to talk about something which often happens,
and that the speaker finds annoying)
I keep on losing my keys
1. The past simple
This is often used with a frequency adverb (see “the Present” for more information on these)
I rarely wrote to my family while I lived in London
2. Used to
Used to + infinitive (to refer to habitual actions and states in the past which (normally) do not happen / exist in the present)
This is often used with a frequency adverb (see “the Present” for more information on these)
My friends and I often used to meet up at the telephone box after dinner
She didn't use to worry about animal welfare, but now she is a vegetarian
Did you use to live in England?
Notice how “used to” loses its “D” in the negative and question form
Remember that “used to” cannot refer to present habitual behaviour. To do that you can use the present simple + usually.
3. Would
Would + infinitive (to refer to past habits, but not past states)
This is often used with a frequency adverb (see “the Present” for more information on these)
My granny would always send me a postcard when she went on holiday
I wouldn't didn't use to like bananas when I was young (“like” is a stative verb and therefore cannot be used with “would”)