An inspector comes round every so often to check the safety equipment.
偶尔有检查员来检查安全设备。
Examples from the Corpus
every so often• I come and visit him every so often.• It looked as though it weighed a ton and seemed to quiverevery so often.• And every so often a transvestite would swagger past, some more obvious than others.• I followed Mundin into the shed, turning every so often and glowering at Fifi, who trailed behind us.• The silence was broken every so often by the sound of guns in the distance.• Every so often, Frank looked up at me and smiled.• The every so often it was mopped, the every so often sprayed.• It will do that every so often on your birthday.• Every so often we go down to the beach.• They talked in a close huddle and every so often would both turn round and look at me.
5as often as not (also more often than not) spokenUSUALLY usually 通常,往往,一贯
More often than not the train is late.
这趟火车常常晚点。
Examples from the Corpus
as often as not• Hits us below the belt as often as not.• Lies, as often as not.• Instead, I follow my country's footballprogress as often as notalone.• The farm worker has himself contributed, though as often as not by leaving the industry rather than by joining a trade union.• In fact, as often as not, customers were more interested in the software than the hardware.• In the small coalcommunities, the pit was as often as not the solesource of wage-earning incomes.• It's the men now, as often as not, who hear the biologicalclocktickingloudest.• Young people do not want to live in them, when as often as not work means agriculture or nothing.
nTHESAURUS
often used when saying that something happens many times
Gary was often bad-tempered in the morning.
We often meet up for a drink after work.
a lot informal often
I think she likes him – she talks about him a lot.
His wife goes abroad on business a lot.
frequently especially written often – used especially in writing or more formal English
Passengers complain that trains are frequently late.
Older patients frequently forget to take their medicine.
again and again used to emphasize that someone does something many times, or the same thing happens many times
She told herself again and again that everything would be all right.
Gunfire rang out across the city again and again.
repeatedly especially written used to emphasize that someone does something many times
His doctor had repeatedly warned him not to work so hard.
constantly/continually often over a long period of time – used especially about something that is annoying or causes problems
They seem to be continually arguing.
It’s hard to keep up with technology when it’s constantly changing.
time and time again many times – used when this is annoying or does not have any effect
He forgets his keys time and time again.
I tell students time and time again to keep careful notes.
to often happen or do something
tend to do something to often do a particular thing and be likely to do it
Dave tends to arrive late so don’t worry.
Girls tend to be better at languages than boys.
have a tendency to do something to often do something, especially something that is not good, and be more likely to do it than other people or things
Some people have a tendency to put on weight.
This type of cloth has a tendency to shrink.
be inclined to do something to do something fairly often or be fairly likely to do it, especially because this is part of your character
Teenage boys are inclined to take risks.
She was inclined to giggle in class.
have a habit of doing something used when saying that something has happened many times before and is likely to happen again
Ben had a habit of coming home drunk.
Life has a habit of surprising people.
be prone to something to be more likely to have problems
Some older computer systems were prone to go wrong.
The fitter you are, the less you are prone to injury.
plants that are prone to disease
nGRAMMAR: Word order
Often usually comes before a verb:
I often go to bed late.
Often usually comes after the verb ‘be’:
She is often late.
Often usually comes after an auxiliary verb such as ‘do’ or ‘have’:
I have often wondered what happened to him.
Often is used at the beginning of a sentence, especially when something seems surprising:
Often I don’t go to bed until 2 a.m.
Often is also used at the end of a sentence:
Do you go to bed late often?
Examples from the Corpus
often• "Have you ever been to the ChinaMoon Café?" "Yes -- we go there quite often."• I have a cellphone, but I don't use it very often.• Dad wasn't oftenangry so I knew something terrible must have happened.• Book publishers have createdInternetsites before, but they often are heavily promotional, resembling order catalogs.• I oftencaught myself staring into a mirror, wondering who that was staring back.• The information is all there, but it's oftendifficult to find it.• He often got me out of bed, late on an evening, to run an errand.• Institutionsoften have their own expectations, and provided all are agreed within an institution the teacher may draw on them.• It's not often I get the chance to go to the movies.• The veins are often only a metre or two wide.• Investorsoften repurchase those shares during the first few days of the new year.• I often see her walkingpast with the children on the way to school.• In modernmills, grain is stored in silos which are oftenseparate from the mill and near to a bulkintake point.• They serve this function probably more often than the one they were created for.• It's not often that you see a grasssnake these days -- they've become quite rare.• Rosi often works till 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening.