Adverbial phrases and exploring writer’s use of language
Adverbial phrases answer the questions:
How?
Where?
When?
Why?
An adverbial is a phrase that adds more information to the verb in a sentence. They help to
make your writing more interesting.
Examples
1. The beach ball rolled gently into the sea (how).
2. The beach ball flew over the waves (where).
3. The beach ball dropped into the sea yesterday (when).
4. The beach ball rolled into the sea due to the strong wind (why).
For each of the sentences below, write three new sentences adding a different type of adverbial
phrase for each one to show how/where/when/why.
Some have been filled in for you already.
Sentence
How
Where
When
Why
The
teacher
smiled.
The teacher
smiled brighter
than the sun.
The teacher
smiled at the
front of the
classroom.
The teacher
smiled after the
lesson.
The teacher
smiled with relief.
A kitten
chased the
mouse.
A kitten chased
the mouse for
fun.
We eat our lunch
behind the tree in
the playground.
We eat our
lunch.
The
football
game was
cancelled.
The football game
was cancelled in a
hurry.
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
25309
Page 1 of 6
Adverbial phrases and exploring writer’s use of language
If you add an adverbial phrase at the beginning of your sentences, you will emphasise its
importance for your reader.
Examples
With great
regret …
With a leap
and a jump …
Over the
rainbow …
Early in the
morning …
In an hour or
so …
After the rain
…
In about an
hour …
On Mondays …
Every now
and then …
For now …
Without a
doubt …
First of all …
On that very
same day …
Unfortunately
for me …
Luckily for us
…
Every day …
Every week …
From
tomorrow …
Twice a
month …
Adapt the following five sentences by adding an adverbial phrase to the beginning:
E.g. With great regret, I have to inform you that you are fired.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The snack bar will open.
Harry Potter waved his wand to cast a spell.
The book had gone up in price since I last checked.
Charlie found the last golden ticket.
Mary Poppins danced with the penguins.
Extension task
The following sentences are incomplete and need to have some adverbial phrases, some
subordinate clauses and some wider use of vocabulary to further enhance them so that they
create an interesting paragraph.
Your task is to decide which sentences to use (you don’t have to use them all) so that you can
put them into an extended paragraph making sure you use:
a. adverbial phrases
b. complex sentences (a sentence containing one independent main clause and at
least one subordinate clause) e.g. After the rain battered the windows, the wind
howled.
c. wider vocabulary (use a thesaurus)
d. effective punctuation
e. similes and metaphors
f. alliteration and onomatopoeia.
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
25309
Page 2 of 6
Adverbial phrases and exploring writer’s use of language
Incomplete sentences
the wind howled
an aura of fear
surrounded them
the air was white
with coldness
shivered and
tingled
in the distance
the church
graveyard
eerie with
trepidation
panic and terror
all of a sudden
their legs froze in
fear
hidden by the
overgrown weeds
on the other side of
the churchyard
in the cold night air
silence
overwhelmed them
a dare gone so badly
wrong
the church was
door flung open
the lights flickered
on and off inside
the church
a dark pair of eyes
blinked at them
all of a sudden
noiseless and
halcyon inside the
church
Look at the following extract from Trash by Andy Mulligan (David Fickling Books, 2010, p.39-40)
Minutes later, the train was slowing for the station, and we stood out on the sides. I could
see the platform coming up, so I jumped and ended up rolling on the grass. Gardo nearly
fell on me, but Rat stayed on his feet. I hadn’t seen before just how quick Rat could be,
and he was so thin that it was like he was just straws and paper, like he could blow off in
the wind like a little kite. He didn’t even look round, he just skipped along, and we hurried
after him. We ran up onto the platforms, and a couple of kids looked at us with a kind of
mean-eyed suspicion, like this was their territory – which it was.
They followed us up, at a distance.
We jumped early because you don’t ever want to be seen getting off the train. If the
guards or even porters see you, you can get a real thrashing. The station boys are
different. As long as they don’t steal or get in the way, nobody cares too much. They keep
the station clean, and go through a train in about two minutes. If they beg or sell, they
know to do it off at the sides – that’s why people let them alone.
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
25309
Page 3 of 6
Adverbial phrases and exploring writer’s use of language
Read the extract and summarise what is happening by answering these questions.
1. What is Mulligan describing in this extract?
2. Why does he use the first person and what effect does this have on the reader?
3. Why do the boys seem so nervous?
4. If you haven’t read the story what do you think the boys are trying to do?
5. What type of life do you think these boys all have?
6. Would you want to read the whole book from this extract – why/why not?
Read the paragraph again but this time look for the key language features in the table below.
Key language choices
Evidence (quotations)
Effect – how it makes the reader feel
Adverbials
Variation in sentence
length
Similes
Slang words
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
25309
Page 4 of 6
Adverbial phrases and exploring writer’s use of language
Creative writing task
Using all you have learnt so far choose one of the following creative writing tasks, making sure
you include a wide range of vocabulary and techniques.
Either:
A. Write a story about this picture.
© Julochka 2014 https://flic.kr/p/nH6wL2
Or
B. Write a story about a day when nothing goes right.
When you have finished, check your work against the following ‘success’ criteria.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Have you planned your work effectively?
Have you got an appropriate beginning and does it hook your readers?
Have you communicated your ideas effectively in your writing?
Have you used a thesaurus to find wider vocabulary?
Have you included adverbials?
Have you used appropriate punctuation?
Have you structured your work appropriately?
Have you thought about appealing to your audience?
Have you varied your sentence lengths?
Have you checked you spellings?
Have you used effective adjectives and some imagery such as:
a. similes
b. metaphors
c. alliteration
d. personification
e. onomatopoeia?
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
25309
Page 5 of 6
Adverbial phrases and exploring writer’s use of language
Suggested answers
Key language choices
Evidence (quotations)
Effect – how it makes the reader feel
Adverbials
‘Minutes later’
‘on the sides’
‘rolling’
‘skipped’
‘at a distance’
The words reflected here are all
connected with movement. This creates
the feeling that the boys need to get
away quickly without anyone seeing
them.
Variation in
sentence length
‘They followed us up, at a
distance.’
This short sentence shows how nervous
the boys are and suggests that they are
continuously looking around them
feeling tense to make sure noone is
paying them attention.
Similes
‘… like he was just straws
and paper’
‘… like he could blow off in
the wind like a little kite.’
These imply that Rat is very thin and
does not eat well and probably is
malnourished. Mulligan does this to
emphasise the hardships of life for these
children.
‘get a real thrashing’
The text has to flow as if it is a story
being told by the characters to people
aloud and by using slang words that the
children use, it gives the passage a more
realistic feel.
Slang words
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
25309
Page 6 of 6