Adverbs of frequency and strong collocations with 'and' - AIRC57

I'm Craig. This is Reza. If you are a new listener, If this is your first time here, welcome! 

We are going to help you improve your English, grow your grammar, vocalize your vocabulary and perfect your pronunciation!

In this episode: Adverbs of frequency and strong collocations

 

Listener Feedback: 

Hello my friends, I am from Argentina and, of course, you are my friends because you travel in my car every day when I go to my work, 15 minutes each time (each way / there and back)), 4 times a day. 

I really like you and I enjoy your podcasts. I listen (TO) them again and again. 

I have got them in my mp3 player and I laugh with your laughings (with your laughter/I laugh when you laugh/I laugh aloud with you). 

I am trying to listen and listen because it is very difficult to me to understand conversations, I read English good enough (quite well/well enough) and my interest is for traveling to other countries. 

Please correct this and I send a big hug to both of you.

 

A question from Pau (the question king!)

You look very much happier today, David! (is it correct?), I am telling you that (asking you this) because I have found that it is possible to use "very much" with the comparative, 

but I don't see the particle "than" anywhere, so I'm a bit confused...

 

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Grammar: Adverbs of Frequency

siempre - always 

casi siempre - almost always 

normalmente - usually, normally 

a menudo - often 

a veces - sometimes 

raramente - rarely 

casi nunca - hardly ever 

nunca - never

We usually put adverbs of frequency BEFORE the main verb (antes del verbo principal): "I usually get up at 8." - Usualmente me levanto a las 8.

 

This is also true if there is an auxiliary verb: "I have often thought of emigrating." - He pensado muchas veces en emigrar.

But, we put adverbs of frequency AFTER the verb TO BE: (después del verbo "to be"): "Reza is never late" - Reza nunca llega tarde. (Reza is occasionally late - occasionally = ocasionalmente)

Sometimes, adverbs of frequency can be put at the beginning or at the end (en posición final o inicial): "Normally, I get up at 8." - "I get up at 8, normally."

 

Expressions of frequency:

una vez a la semana - once a week 

dos veces al día - twice a day 

tres o cuatro veces al mes - three or four times a month 

todos los viernes - every Friday 

cada dos horas - every two hours

todos los días - every day

 

How often do you.....

go back to Belfast? - 3 or 4 times a year

How often do you visit your family in Moraira? - about twice a month / every 2 weeks

have a fried English breakfast? - I hardly ever have on these days

drink Guinness? - I often drink Guinness when I'm in Ireland, but I almost never drink Guinness when I'm in Spain

speak Valencian? - rarely, 3 times a year

Watch football - very rarely

go to bed before 11pm - not often, about once a week

wear socks with sandles - now, never!

swear (decir palabrotas, soltar tacos) - once or twice a day

record a podcast - about once a fortnight, once overy 2 or 3 weeks

get your haircut - about once every 2 or 3 months

 

Vocabulary: Strong collocations

Sometimes in English you might come across two words joined together with "and".

The order of these words is a very strong collocation and it's usually fixed. For example,

fish and chips (no se dice Xchips and fishX).

Here are some more examples:

neat and tidy

pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages)

gin and tonic

rock and roll

trial and error

peace and quiet

toast and marmalade

stocks and shares

black and white

thunder and lightening

Ladies and gentlemen 

boys and girls

life and death

right and wrong

black and blue 

thick and thin

in sickness and in health

for better and for worse

 

Craig and Reza's Weekly wind-ups (to wind up = annoy, irritate, bother: fastidiar, disgustar, molestar)

Reza: People who ask a question and then don't listen to what you say

Craig: The number of messages, alerts or "things you have to deal with" on apps - Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, always that small number, in a circle, on your phone (more than your PC) it signifies "there's something I haven't done." 

 

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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called 'See You Later'