The Importance of Teaching Adverbials

As a teacher, you know that adverbials are essential to language development, but do your students understand their total value when constructing grammatically correct sentences?

Providing comprehensive instruction on adverbials will help improve your learners’ writing skills and increase their communication effectiveness.

This blog post will discuss teaching adverbials in language development and why they should be essential to any curriculum. With some creative strategies for delivering these lessons, you can make sure your students get a good understanding – and appreciation – of these fundamental building blocks of grammar!

Related: For more, check out our article on Poems About The Moon here.

What Are Adverbials?

Adverbials are words or phrases in a sentence that provide additional information about when, where, how, or why an action takes place. They can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs in a sentence. Examples of adverbials include adverbs, prepositional phrases, clauses, and transitional expressions.

Adverbials add descriptive details to a penalty and provide context for the described action. They are an essential part of good writing and help improve the clarity and coherence of a piece of text.

Types of Adverbials

Adverbials are a type of word or phrase that give additional information about the verb in a sentence. Several different types of adverbials are commonly used in English. Here are some of the most common:

1. Adverbs: Adverbs are words that modify verbs in a sentence. They can also modify adjectives or other adverbs. Examples of adverbs include “quickly,” “slowly,” “loudly,” “quietly,” “recently,” etc.
2. Prepositional Phrases: Prepositional phrases include a preposition and a noun or pronoun. They usually function as adjectives or adverbs in sentences. Examples of prepositional phrases include “in the morning,” “at the park,” “with my friends,” and “on the table.”
3. Clauses: Clauses are word groups containing a subject and a predicate. They can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverb phrases in a sentence. Examples of clauses include “when I arrived,” “because she was tired,” and “although it was raining.”
4. Transitional Expressions: Transitional expressions are words or phrases that connect one idea or sentence to another. They function as adverbs in a sentence and indicate a logical relationship between expressed opinions. Examples of transitional expressions include “in addition,” “however,” “meanwhile,” and “finally.”

Each type of adverb can be used to provide additional information about the verb in a sentence. By using a variety of adverbials, writers can add interesting details to their writing and help create a clear and cohesive text.

Examples of How To Use Adverbials

Here are ten different examples of how different types of adverbials can be used in sentences:

1. Adverbs: He quickly ran to the store to get some milk. (“quickly” modifies the verb “ran” and provides information about how he ran.)
2. Prepositional Phrases: The cat slept on the windowsill all day. (“on the windowsill” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the verb “slept” and provides information about where the cat slept.)
3. Clauses: When she finished her book, she went to bed. (“When she finished her book” is a subordinate clause that modifies the verb “went” and provides information about when she went to bed.)
4. Transitional Expressions: Furthermore, she gave a speech at the conference. (“Furthermore” is a transitional expression that connects the previous sentence to this one and provides additional information about the address.)
5. Adverbs: They sang beautifully during the concert. (“beautifully” modifies the verb “sang” and includes information about how they sang.)
6. Prepositional Phrases: The car drove through the tunnel under the river. (“through the tunnel under the river” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the verb “drove” and provides information about where the car drove.)
7. Clauses: After he finished his homework, he played video games. (“After he finished his homework” is a subordinate clause that modifies the verb “played” and provides information about when he played video games.)
8. Transitional Expressions: Therefore, we need to make a plan. (“Therefore” is a transitional expression that connects the previous statement to this one and provides a logical conclusion.)
9. Adverbs: She carefully painted the picture with a brush. (“carefully” modifies the verb “painted” and includes information about how she painted.)
10. Prepositional Phrases: The kids ran to the park after school. (“to the park” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the verb “ran” and provides information about where the kids ran after school.)

How to Teach Adverbials to Children

Adverbials are essential to writing and communication, and children need to learn how to use them properly. Here are some strategies for teaching adverbials to children:

• Start with Basic Adverbs

Begin by introducing simple adverbs like “quickly,” “slowly,” “quietly,” “loudly,” and “recently.” Use these adverbs in sentences and have children identify how they modify the verb.

• Introduce Prepositional Phrases

Next, introduce prepositional phrases like “in the morning,” “on the table,” and “with my friends.” Explain that prepositional phrases are groups of words that provide additional information about the verb in a sentence.

• Teach Clauses

Once children have a solid understanding of adverbs and prepositional phrases, introduce clauses. Explain that clauses are groups of words that contain a subject and a verb and can function as adverbials in a sentence.

• Use Examples in Context

Use examples of adverbials in context to help children understand how they function in real-world situations. For example, have children read a short story and identify the adverbials in each sentence.

• Practice, Practice, Practice

Provide plenty of opportunities for children to practice using adverbials in their writing. Please encourage them to use a variety of adverbials in their writing and to be creative with their use.

• Consolidate Learning with Exercises

Use exercises and worksheets to consolidate learning. Provide a variety of activities, including fill-in-the-blank sentences, rearranging sentences, and correcting sentences to help children master the use of adverbials.

By using these strategies, you can help children develop a strong understanding of adverbials and improve their writing and communication skills.

Clauses are another adverbial used to provide additional information about the verb in a sentence. Unlike simple adverbs or prepositional phrases, clauses contain a subject and a verb and can function as complete sentences. Clauses can indicate when, where, why, or how an action is performed.

How Can Clauses be Used as Adverbials

Examples of clauses functioning as adverbials include:

• When the sun rose, we started our journey. (adverbial clause indicating when the action started)
• Because it was raining, we stayed inside. (adverbial clause indicating why the action was taken)
• Although it was cold, he went for a swim. (adverbial clause implying a contrast to the action)

Clauses can be divided into two types: dependent and independent. A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, relies on the main clause for its meaning to be complete. An independent clause, or a main clause, can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Children need to learn how to use clauses as adverbials because they can provide great detail and context to a sentence. By introducing simple clauses and providing practice opportunities, children can develop their understanding and skill in using clauses to improve their writing and communication.