from time to time
from time to time — idiom
1. happening or done sometimes, but not regularly or very often.
happening or done sometimes, but not regularly or very often.
Gabriel visits his grandmother in the countryside from time to time.
adverbial phrase at end of clause
From time to time, Amani still thinks about her former classmates.
adverbial phrase at start of clause, set off by comma
The night nurse walks through the ward from time to time to check on the patients.
Walid calls his brother from time to time, but they rarely meet in person.
- occasionally
more common in everyday speech; slightly less formal
- now and then
more informal than 'from time to time'
- every so often
similar in register and meaning
- once in a while
slightly less frequent; implies the gaps between occurrences are longer
- constantly
means all the time, the opposite of only sometimes
- always
implies every time without exception
文法句型
from time to time + main clause
用法筆記
This phrase can appear at the beginning or end of a clause. When it starts a sentence, it is usually followed by a comma.