Sometimes vs sometime

‘Sometimes’ and ‘sometime’ are two different words though both are, in most cases, adverbs of time. This means that they modify verbs. Their meanings are, however, different. So, they should not be interchangeably used. Consider  their roles here:

She sometimes  has to work late.

My mum sometimes visited me in school.

The Federal Government bails out the states sometimes.
They will visit us sometime next year.

The governors will meet sometime early June.

The hall was demolished sometime in 2001.
What is the meaning of each of the clauses? What are the differences between the ones in which ‘sometimes’ is used and those with ‘sometime’?

‘Some’ as the root of both terms

To understand the difference, you should remember that ‘some’ has more than one meaning. In certain situations, it refers to an unspecified number or amount of things, usually not the largest part:

Some of the boys are outside.

They bought some cars.

Now, remember ‘sometimes’ when you have this meaning in mind because it (sometimes) indicates some occasions, that is,  not often or always. I will soon explain this fully.

‘Some’, on the other hand, can also refer to someone or something that is unknown or unspecified::
Some boy checked you in the house about an hour ago. (A boy whose identity I don’t really know.)

Some recalcitrant fellow has again left the door open.
‘Sometime’ echoes the character of ‘some’ in this light because it (sometime) means a time in the future or past, but one that is not specified but roughly indicated.

Sometimes

Sometimes, as earlier noted, means on some occasions but not always. It is an adverb of time that tells the reader or listener that an action occurs or occurred only occasionally:

The company sometimes pays salaries before the 25th of every month.

Ayinde Barrister sometimes sang in English.
I sometimes ask my dad why he so much like pounded yam.

In all of the above, the actions happen/happened occasionally. Not always. It’s not every time that legendary fuji musician, Sikiru Ayinde  Barrister, sang in English, for instance. Indeed, that he sometimes did so in the foreign language means that he mostly sang in Yoruba. Of course, it is not every time that the other guy asks his father why he very much like pounded yam. Only occasionally.

Sometime

This also tells us about the time an action takes place in a clause or sentence. But while ‘sometimes’ tells the amount of time it refers to, ‘sometime’ does not. It is rather grammatically open, either asking the listener/reader to guess or do further research to confirm the time being indicated:

Pastor Adeboye sometime visited Israel in 1995. (He did, but the date is not known or ascertained or specified. This is different from saying he sometimes visited the country —  which would mean he did so on some occasions, more than one occasion, though not often or always.)

The meeting may be held sometime in January. (No specific date…)

Sometime as an adjective
Another difference between ‘sometimes’ and ‘sometime’ is that the latter can be more versatile in the sense that it, at times, performs the function of an adjective. Remember: while an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective describes a noun. Consider the positioning and meaning of the word here:

Professor Ogbu, the sometime chairman of the party, still lives in Abeokuta. (Here, ‘sometime’ answers the question: Which Ogbu?)

A sometime captain of Super Eagles has urged Coach Eguavoen to invite more local players into the team.