Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

It's Mr. Brown here with your English lesson for today, and we have got a fantastic lesson in store for you.

We're going to be looking at something called fronted adverbials.

I know you're going to do really well today.

So let's get started.

Okay, so your learning objective for today is to learn how to use fronted adverbials, can you just say that with me, fronted adverbials.

In this lesson, we're going to first look at what is it fronted adverbial, I'll then show you the different types of fronted adverbials and then we'll have a go at actually using them in our sentences.

In this lesson, you will need an exercise book or paper, a pencil, pen or something to write with, and your brains.

But let's get warmed up.

Can you remember what a complex sentence is? Can you remember what a complex sentence is? There is a clue on the right hand side of the page, you can see Mr. Main, Mr. Subordinates, Mr. Main, the main man, and Mr. Subordinate, his helper.

Here is an example of a main clause and a subordinate clause, and here is an example of a complex sentence.

When Scrooge saw the door knob turn, he tightly gripped his chair.

This is a complex sentence because it has a main clause and a subordinate clause and they're in the same sentence.

Whenever there is a main clause and a subordinate clause, you have made a complex sentence.

Is my subordinate clause first or my main clause first? I can't hear you.

Yes, my subordinate clause is first, it starts with when which is a subordinating conjunction, that helps us to recognise it.

And then because it's first, there is a comma at the end of the subordinate clause and then we start on main clause, good job.

Okay, your turn, I have given you a main clause, Scrooge quickly cowered in his chair.

Remember we said cowered was to kind of hide and be really scared of something.

Scrooge quickly cowered in his chair, that's your main clause, it's a good sentence, but we can make it even better by adding a subordinate clause.

As the ghost flew across the room.

Can you put those two together to make a complex sentence? And remember, there will be some punctuation that will be needed, and I hope you can remember it, off you go.

Okay, let's see if you're right.

As the ghost flew across the room, Scrooge quickly cowered in his chair.

So the subordinate clause goes fast, it needs that comma, well done.

I'm sure you put yours in, if you didn't, don't worry, edit it in now.

That's the great thing about writing, you can always edit in afterwards.

Okay, let's move on.

So what is a fronted adverbial? Fronted adverbials are words, phrases or clauses at the beginning of a sentence that are used to describe the action that follows.

A fronted adverbial will go at the start to tell you when, where, or how the main clause happens.

They give the reader extra information about the main clause by telling them when, where, or how the action happened.

What is a fronted adverbial? There it is.

Now this image really helps me to understand fronted adverbials.

If you imagine that this umbrella is all fronted adverbials, underneath that umbrella, there are three different types of fronted adverbials.

They are still fronted adverbials, but there are three separate types even though they come into that umbrella of the same being fronted adverbials.

It's tricky but you'll see as I explain how this works.

Let's have a look first at our when fronted adverbials.

These fronted adverbials tell the reader when the main clause happened.

For example, if my main clause was, I brushed my teeth, then I could say with a fronted adverbial, in the morning, I brushed my teeth.

One evening, I brushed my teeth, at 10 past three, I brush my teeth.

These fronted adverbials tell you when I brushed my teeth and you can put anything in there as a fronted adverbial to change when I brush my teeth.

We can try, on Monday, I brushed my teeth, on Friday, the 31st on June, 2020, I brushed my teeth.

And now let's use some examples that we could actually use in our writing for the buildup of a Christmas Carol.

let's take the main clause Scrooge held his breath in fear, okay? When Scrooge looked to the door, he held his breath in fear.

While he was hiding, Scrooge held his breath in fear.

As the ghost floated toward Scrooge, he held his breath in fear.

It's a great way to take a main clause simple sentence and add another layer of detail.

Now, these examples are perfect for narrative writing, which is what we're doing.

These tell the reader how much time has passed from the last sentence to this new sentence.

For example, at that moment, Scrooge held his breath in fear.

I know that it's happened really quickly, from the last sentence to this sentence has been hardly any time at all.

And that's the same in a heartbeat, a moment later, before Scrooge could move, suddenly, these are all really quick.

Then you start to slow down, you could try ones like, a few seconds later.

So I now know there's been a pause in between the last piece of action and this next piece of action.

Later that evening, tells me there's been hours that have passed from where we were to where we are now, very important to use in your narrative writing.

Okay, it's your turn.

Choose a fronted adverbial from the list of three here to tell your reader when the action happened.

So the simple sentence we have is Scrooge yelled out in fear.

And you can add, a moment later, later that evening, or when he saw the ghost, to that sentence to turn a simple sentence to a complex sentence.

Pause the lesson and have a go at one of those fronted adverbials with that main clause, off you go.

Okay, so you had a moment later, later that evening, when he saw the ghost, a moment later worked really well because Scrooge yelling out in fear is something that happens straight away.

When we are scared and when yell out in fear, it doesn't take hours for that to happen, it happens really quickly.

So a moment later is good.

Same as when he saw the ghost, it tells us what happened when he saw the ghost.

He saw the ghost, he yelled out in fear, that works really well too.

Later that evening, that tells us that a long gap was passed potentially hours from the last sentence.

Later that evening, Scrooge yelled out in fear, you're missing a huge chunk of story and jumping straight to him yelling out in fear, doesn't work for this particular part.

Let's try another one.

Scrooge was sitting by the fire, instantly, later that evening, several weeks later, have a pause, have a go yourself.

Okay, well done.

Often with these, we have to judge on which one sounds right.

So maybe you had to go all three and listen to see which one sounds right, let's try it now.

Instantly, Scrooge was sitting by the fire.

Later that evening, Scrooge was sitting by the fire.

Several weeks later, Scrooge was sitting by the fire.

Which one of those straight away just sounds wrong? Which one do you think? Yes, instantly.

Instantly is really fast and really fast fronted adverbial.

Instantly and you're expecting big action, something surprising has just happened, instantly, Scrooge was sitting by the fire, doesn't work.

Instantly, Scrooge saw the handle of the door turn, that worked really well.

Instantly, Scrooge yelled out in fear, that works really well.

But instantly Scrooge was sitting by the fire, no.

Later that evening, or several weeks later.

Now these just depend on what happened before.

So we have come from the scene in the office, the banking office, where he was counting his money, this is later on in the same day.

So therefore later that evening works really well.

We know it was evening in the first scene because it was dark and now it's later that evening, good job.

Several weeks later would work if the action before was several weeks later, but we know that's not the case in the buildup.

So later that evening was the one to go through there.

Okay, let's move on to our next type of fronted adverbial, and that's where, fronted adverbials that tell us where.

Okay, in the drawing room, these are all ones from the buildup to a Christmas Carol.

In the drawing room, Scrooge was sitting by the fire, works really well.

By the fire, Scrooge was sitting in his chair.

Where was he sitting in his chair? By the fire, that's what fronted adverbials can do.

In the hallway, a noise could be heard.

Where was the noise? It was in the hallway, and I know that because of my fronted adverbial.

A few feet away, in front of his face, really nice to say where someone is in relation to someone else, a few feet away, the ghost hovered in front of Scrooge.

Let's get him closer, in front of his face, the ghost hovered in front of Scrooge, that's how it works.

Above the door, below, next to the fire, these are all fantastic ways to tell the reader where the action took place.

So let's have a go, choose a fronted adverbial to tell your reader where the action happened for this simple sentence, Scrooge yelled out in fear! Add a fronted adverbial and take that simple sentence to a complex sentence.

Pause the lesson, off you go.

Okay, sorry.

Scrooge yelled out in fear.

Where did he do that? In his seat, beneath the ghost, a few feet away? Was he in his seat when he yelled out in fear? Yes.

Was he beneath the ghost? Yes, 'cause the ghost was higher than him.

Was he a few feet away? Yes, they actually all work for this particular sentence.

So any of those would be well suited.

It's now time to look at our last type of fronted adverbial which is fronted adverbials that tell you how the main clause happened.

Have a look at some examples, anxiously, nervously, cautiously, quickly, frantically, desperately.

What do you notice? What do you notice about fronted adverbials when they tell you how something happened? Have you spotted it? One of our word classes, yes they are adverbs.

Adverbs are fantastic as fronted adverbials to tell you how the main clause happened.

If my simple sentence was, Scrooge held his breath in fear, let's use that example again.

Anxiously, Scrooge held his breath in fear, works so well.

Nervously, Scrooge held his breath in fear.

Quickly, Scrooge held his breath in fear.

Really nice.

But you can use phrases as well.

Things like with all his might, so whatever comes next, I know whoever did it, did it with all his might.

How about as carefully as he could, I know whatever comes next, that person did it as carefully as they could.

Have a go here and choose a fronted adverbial to say how the action happened.

So again, Scrooge yelled out in fear is my simple sentence.

Did he do it desperately, as loud as he could, with a huge breath, which one would you choose? Pause the lesson and write this complex sentence now.

Okay, so let's have a look.

We've got desperately, as loud as he could, or with a huge breath, all of those work really well.

As loud as he could, Scrooge yelled out in fear, really gives him purpose of why he yelled out so much, good job.

Okay, your turn now to have a go adding a fronted adverbial to the sentences on the next page.

I'm going to give you an example.

The example, Scrooge froze in fear.

When, you could go for, a second later, Scrooge froze in fear.

For a fronted adverbial to tell you where, a few metres away from the door, Scrooge froze in fear.

And quickly is your how fronted adverbial.

Quickly, Scrooge froze in fear.

Have a go at these three sentences and choose a fronted adverbial for each one.

Try to add some variety to your writing by adding a fronted adverbial for when, for one, where, for another, and how for one too, okay? Off you go.

Well done, so in this lesson we've looked at what a fronted adverbial is, we've looked at the three different types and we've had a go at using them.

Well done, everyone.

Well done, everyone, a really, really good lesson with something that can be quite tricky there.

You handled it really well.

If you'd like to go back and watch the lesson again to practise these fronted adverbials I think that's a really good idea.

See you soon.