ESL Connect - Everyday Routines

Start

Everyday routines

Practise talking about what you do every day and how often you do it.

Warm-up questions

What time do you get up?
What do you do before school or work?
Do you have breakfast every day?
What do you usually do in the evening?

Key language

I always get up at 7:00.

She usually has breakfast.

We sometimes walk to school.

He is never late.

Vocabulary

Daily activities

Match each routine with its meaning.

go to bed have breakfast get dressed get up go to work brush your teeth

1. Leave your bed in the morning.

2. Eat your first meal of the day.

3. Put on your clothes.

4. Clean your teeth.

5. Travel to your workplace.

6. Get into bed to sleep.

Reading

Marta’s weekday

Read the text and answer the questions.

Marta is a student. She usually gets up at 7:00. She always has breakfast at home and then she goes to school by bus. She often has lunch with her friends. After school, she sometimes goes to the gym. In the evening, she usually does her homework and watches television. She never goes to bed after midnight on school nights.

1. What time does Marta usually get up?

6:00 7:00 8:00

2. Where does she have breakfast?

at school on the bus at home

3. How often does she go to the gym?

always sometimes never

4. How often does she go to bed after midnight on school nights?

often usually never

Dialogue

Morning routines

Read the conversation and complete the missing words.

Tom: What time do you usually get up?

Ana: I usually get up at 6:30.

Tom: Do you always have breakfast?

Ana: No, I don’t. I sometimes have coffee only.

Tom: Are you ever late for work?

Ana: No, I’m never late.

1. “What time do you ______ get up?”

2. “Do you ______ have breakfast?”

3. “I ______ have coffee only.”

4. “I’m ______ late.”

Grammar

Adverbs of frequency

Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens.

Adverb	Approximate frequency	Example
always	100%	I always have breakfast.
usually	about 80%	She usually walks to school.
often	about 60%	We often eat together.
sometimes	about 40%	They sometimes watch films.
never	0%	He never drinks coffee.

1. I eat breakfast every day. I ______ eat breakfast.

never always sometimes

2. Ben does not drink tea. He ______ drinks tea.

usually often never

3. Sara goes by bus on most days. She ______ goes by bus.

usually never always

4. We cook at home on some days. We ______ cook at home.

always sometimes never

5. They go to the park many times. They ______ go to the park.

never often sometimes

Grammar

Where does the adverb go?

Usually put the adverb before the main verb, but after the verb to be.

I always get up early.

She sometimes walks to school.

He is usually tired.

They are never late.

1. Choose the correct sentence.

I walk usually to school. I usually walk to school. Usually I walk to school always.

2. Choose the correct sentence.

She often is busy. She is busy often. She is often busy.

3. Choose the correct sentence.

They eat never meat. They never eat meat. Never they eat meat.

4. Choose the correct sentence.

We always are ready. We are always ready. We are ready always.

Functional Language

How often...?

Use How often to ask about frequency.

Question	Answer
How often do you exercise?	I often exercise.
How often does she cook?	She sometimes cooks.
Are you ever late?	No, I’m never late.

1. ______ do you go to the gym?

What time How often Where

2. How often ______ she cook?

do is does

3. I go swimming many times. I ______ go swimming.

never often always

4. No, I am ______ late.

never often usually

Speaking

Routine interview

Ask and answer questions about daily habits.

Student A

What time do you usually get up?
How often do you have breakfast?
Do you ever walk to school or work?
What do you usually do in the evening?
Are you ever late?

Student B

I usually get up at...
I always / usually / sometimes...
Yes, I sometimes do. / No, I never do.
In the evening, I usually...
I am never / sometimes late.

Write about your partner’s routine

Review

Final check

Drag the jumbled adverbs into the correct gaps.

never often always sometimes usually

1. I have breakfast every day. I ______ have breakfast.

2. Mia takes the bus on most days. She ______ takes the bus.

3. We visit our grandparents many times. We ______ visit them.

4. Tom cooks on some evenings. He ______ cooks.

5. Ana does not drink coffee. She ______ drinks coffee.

Can you do these things?

Name common daily activities.
Use always, usually, often, sometimes and never.
Put frequency adverbs in the correct position.
Ask and answer “How often...?” questions.
Describe your daily routine.

Talk about your daily routine