adv.经常；时常；屡次
I often take my children to play in the park. 我经常带我的孩子们去公园玩。
My brother often scolds me without reason. 我哥哥经常无故责备我。
Judy goes to the movies as often as Sara does. 朱迪像莎拉一样时常去看电影。
He was disappointed so often that he became hopeless. 他屡次失望, 以致变为了绝望。
often的基本意思是“常常,经常”,主要修饰动词,也可修饰其他副词或形容词,指某件事情在不同场合下屡次发生,具体的时间意味不强。有时often还表示“在许多场合下”。可用于一般时态,也可用于完成体。
often一般位于实义动词之前,而位于to be、情态动词或(第一个)助动词之后。有时为了加强语气, often也可以放在系动词之前,此时作谓语的系动词要重读。
often有时也可放在句末。如果句子相当短,可将often放在句末,为了加强语气或对比,有时可以移至句首,这时常常引起主谓倒装(非正式语体中也可不倒装)。
用于疑问句或否定句中, often可以用作表语。
often在用于询问“隔多长时间一次”或“多少次”时,常用于how often短语。
as often as not和more often than not同义,都作“往往,多半,再三,不时”解,且都是肯定的意思。例如:The motoring accidents happen in this section more often than not/as often as not.车祸不时在这一地段发生。
n.软化剂；柔软剂
