Christmas- Adverbs of Frequency

Xmas traditions adverbs of frequency practice

Choose a sentence and guess the missing adverb of frequency. You get five points if you guess correctly without a hint, two points if you guess correctly after a hint, or one point if you can guess another team’s sentence correctly after they have failed.

In Britain, Xmas pudding is ______________________________________ served hot.

Japanese shopping malls ______________ take Xmas decorations down on Xmas Day.

British people ________________________________________ cook turkey for Xmas.

Australians _______________________________________ eat outside on Xmas Day.

British children ______________________ put out sherry and a mince pie on Xmas Eve.

British people ________________________________ put a coin in the Xmas pudding.

British people __________________________________ go to church on Christmas day.

British people _________________________ listen to the Queen’s speech on Xmas Day

British people ________________________ use the expression “Santa” or “Santa Claus”.

British people _______________________________________ put presents in stockings.

British kids ____________________________________ go carolling from door to door.

British people _________________________ invite their friends round for Xmas dinner.

It ___________________________________________ snows in London on Xmas Day.

British people ___________________________________________ eat out on Xmas Day.

British people ______________ decorate the roofs with decorations like life-sized Santas.

British people _____________________________________ have fireworks on Xmas Day.

There is __________________________________________ fog in London on Xmas Day.

British people ___________________ leave their Xmas decorations up until 12^th January.

British Xmas trees _______________________ have a Santa Claus on the top.

Trains _________________________________ run on Xmas Day in the UK.

It ___________________ snows on Xmas Day in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia.

British people _________________________________ have a fresh cream Xmas cake.

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Hints and suggested answers

The parts in brackets after each sentence are possible hints to give if people ask for them.

In Britain, Xmas pudding is almost always served hot (It is steamed and served with hot brandy sauce) (A few people might not have the time or the equipment to heat it up)

Japanese shopping malls almost always take Xmas decorations down on Xmas Day. (They want to put their traditional New Year decorations up as soon as possible)

British people usually cook turkey for Xmas (There are quite a few vegetarians, but few families are all vegetarian)

Australians usually eat outside on Xmas Day. (December is the Australian summer) (Some parts of Australia are not always warm enough to eat outside in December)

British children often put out a glass of sherry and mince pie on Xmas Eve. (This is for Father Christmas to eat and drink when he arrives)

British people sometimes put a coin in the Xmas pudding (This is a traditional practice that gives good luck to the person who finds it) (It is only possible with a homemade pudding)

British people sometimes go to church on Christmas day (Going to church is not very common in the UK nowadays) (Xmas is one of the most popular times to go to church)

British people sometimes listen to the Queen’s speech on Xmas Day (Most people want to know what the Queen says) (The highlights are also played on the evening news)

British people sometimes use the expression “Santa” or “Santa Claus” (It’s the American name) (“Father Christmas” is the traditional British name for this character) (The American name is becoming more popular)

British people sometimes put presents in stockings (This is usually only used for some smaller presents for children) (All the other big presents and presents for adults go under the Xmas tree)

British kids don’t often go carolling from door to door. (Nowadays it’s considered too dangerous for kids to go out in the evening on their own)

British people don’t often invite their friends round for Xmas dinner. (Xmas is usually just a family affair, but long-term boyfriends and girlfriends who are considered part of the family are often invited.)

It hardly ever snows in London on Xmas Day. (The weather is much warmer now than it used to be in the winter)

British people hardly ever eat out on Xmas day. (Xmas is generally considered a day for staying at home with your family)

British people hardly ever decorate the roofs with decorations like life-sized Santas. (This is an American tradition) (A few lights in the window is much more common)

British people almost never have fireworks on Xmas Day. (November the 5^th is the most popular time for fireworks, with some cities having fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve too).

There is almost never fog in London on Xmas Day. (The Victorian fog that you see in Jack the Ripper films and Sherlock Holmes was actually smog from the factories in London)

British people almost never leave their Xmas decorations up until 12^th January (It is considered bad luck to leave your decorations up after the 6^th January)

British Xmas trees almost never have a Santa Claus on the top. (A star or an angel are traditional on the top of Xmas trees)

Trains never run on Xmas Day in the UK. (Xmas is the most important holiday of the year)

It never snows on Xmas Day in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia. (It is summer in December in those countries).

British people never have a fresh cream Xmas cake. (Fresh cream and fresh fruits are summer foods in the UK)

Additional hints to give if people are getting very stuck:

• The sentences are already in order of frequency, with the most frequent at the top.
• The adverbs of frequency used are: Almost always, usually, often, sometimes, not often, hardly ever, almost never, and never.