Learn English – Adverbs of frequency in passive voice present perfect constructions

passive-voicepresent-perfect

With adverbs of frequency, we place the adverb before a main verb, after 'to be' and between auxiliary verbs and the main verb.

What happens when the sentence is in the present perfect passive voice, where the main verb is 'to be'?

I have been frequently angered by his behaviour
OR
I have
frequently been
angered by his behaviour

Are both correct, or is one considered grammatically incorrect?

Best Answer

They are both usable in standard American dialect, but they mean slightly different things:

been frequently angered

Here 'frequently' modified 'angered', and thus emphasizes the anger.

frequently been angered

Here frequently modifies the state of 'being angered' and thus emphasizes the process a bit more.

Related Topic