Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time can be divided into two main categories: those that tell us when something happens (like “yesterday,” “today,” “tomorrow”) and those that describe duration or how long something happens for (like “temporarily,” “forever,” “shortly”). These adverbs help us organize events in time and describe their length.

Types of Time Expressions#

Adverbs of When#

These tell us when something happens and are typically placed at the end of a sentence:

• She will return tomorrow from her business trip.
• The new restaurant opens today at noon.
• They finished the project last week.

Adverbs of Duration#

These describe the length of time something happens for:

• The substitute teacher will stay temporarily.
• We waited briefly at the station.
• The effects of this medicine will last permanently.

Adverbial Phrases#

Phrases that function as time adverbs:

• In a minute (I’ll be ready in a minute)
• In a moment (She’ll arrive in a moment)
• At once (We must leave at once)
• Right away (He responded right away)
• After a while (You’ll feel better after a while)
• For the time being (Let’s stay here for the time being)
• In the meantime ( Practice these exercises in the meantime)

Position in Sentences#

Adverbs of time follow specific placement rules that help create clear and grammatical sentences.

End Position#

Most commonly, adverbs of time appear at the end of a sentence:

• The train arrives soon
• She finished her homework earlier
• I’ll finish this task in a minute
• They moved to Paris last year

Front Position#

However, we can place them at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis:

• Soon, the flowers will bloom
• In a moment, the curtain will rise
• Next week, the new policy takes effect
• Eventually, everyone left the party

Using ‘For’ and ‘Since’#

When describing duration, we use two important prepositions with distinct rules:

‘For’ with Periods of Time#

“For” is used with periods or lengths of time:

• The meeting lasted for three hours
• We’ve been traveling for days
• This tradition has existed for centuries

‘Since’ with Specific Points#

“Since” is used with specific points in time:

• The shop has been closed since Monday
• They’ve been together since college
• I’ve lived here since 2019

Common Examples#

When Something Happens:#

These adverbs help us place events at specific moments in time:

Present Time:#

• Now (The show starts now)
• Today (The package will be delivered today)
• Tonight (The concert begins tonight)

Future Time:#

• Soon (The bus will arrive soon)
• Tomorrow (The results will be announced tomorrow)
• Later (We can discuss this later)
• Next month (The construction will start next month)

Past Time:#

• Yesterday (The team won the match yesterday)
• Last year (We visited Rome last year)

Immediate Time:#

• In a moment (The server will be back in a moment)
• Right away (The doctor will see you right away)
• At once (The lights went out at once)

Duration of Actions:#

These adverbs describe how long actions continue:

Short Duration:#

• Briefly (The sun appeared briefly)
• Shortly (The meeting will end shortly)
• Temporarily (The road is temporarily closed)

Long Duration:#

• Forever (These diamonds will last forever)
• Long (The movie runs long)
• For a while (Let’s stay here for a while)

Specific Duration:#

• All night (The party continued all night)
• Throughout winter (Bears hibernate throughout winter)
• In the meantime ( Keep practicing in the meantime)

Practice Exercises#

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks#

Complete these sentences with appropriate time expressions from the box:

tomorrow    temporarily    since    shortly    for a while    last week

1. The concert starts _____.
2. Please wait _____, the doctor will see you soon.
3. The museum will be closed _____ due to renovations.
4. She has been studying French _____ January.
5. _____, we received the test results from the lab.
6. The children played in the park _____.

Exercise 2: Sentence Position#

Rewrite these sentences by placing the time expression in a different position (beginning or end) to create emphasis:

1. The flowers bloom in spring. (Use: Every year)
2. She completed her assignment yesterday.
3. The movie starts in ten minutes.
4. They will announce the results tomorrow.

Exercise 3: For vs. Since#

Choose the correct preposition (for/since) in these sentences:

1. I have lived in this city _____ 2015.
2. They’ve been married _____ twenty years.
3. He’s been working here _____ last summer.
4. We’ve been waiting _____ two hours.
5. The shop has been closed _____ Monday.

Exercise 4: Duration vs. Point in Time#

Identify whether each time expression indicates duration (D) or a point in time (P):

1. ___ briefly
2. ___ next week
3. ___ for ages
4. ___ yesterday
5. ___ permanently
6. ___ at once