often

of|ten

W1S1 [ˈɔfən, ˈɔftən US ˈo:f-] adv

[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: oft]

1.) if something happens often, it happens regularly or many times

= ↑frequently

▪ She often works at the weekend.

▪ If you wash your hair too often, it can get too dry.

▪ How often do you see your parents?

quite/very often

▪ I quite often go to Paris on business.

▪ Robin is a difficult child; you've said so yourself often enough (=a lot of times) .

it is not often (that)

▪ It's not often that a government minister will admit to being wrong.

2.) if something happens often, it happens in many situations or cases

▪ It's often difficult to translate poetry.

very/quite often

▪ Very often children who behave badly at school have problems at home.

3.) all too often also only too often

used to say that something sad, disappointing, or annoying happens too much

▪ All too often doctors are too busy to explain the treatment to their patients.

▪ This type of accident happens only too often.

4.) every so often

sometimes

▪ An inspector comes round every so often to check the safety equipment.

5.) as often as not also more often than not

spoken usually

▪ More often than not the train is late.