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REFERENCE

sometimes

adv. freq.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈsəmˌtaɪmz// UK //sˈʌmtaɪmz// some·times Archaic General-service

adv. on some occasions but not all the time. You use this when something happens more than never, but less than often.

adv. at occasional intervals; not consistently or constantly.


SIMPLE

I sometimes walk to work when the weather is nice.

CONTEXTUAL

Even though he enjoys his job, he sometimes feels overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork he has to finish.

COMPLEX

While the software is generally reliable, it sometimes experiences minor glitches when processing large datasets during peak usage hours.

Origin

From Middle English sumtymes, somtymes, som tymes, equivalent to sometime + -s (adverbial suffix). Compare West Frisian somstiden (“sometimes”), Dutch somtijds, somwijlen (“sometimes”).

Usage

Frequency adverb — typically placed before the main verb, but can also appear at the beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis.

Pitfall

I sometimes am late.I am sometimes late.When using the verb 'to be', the frequency adverb should be placed after the verb rather than before it.

Idioms1 entry

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