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Year 6

Single words, phrases and clauses in fronted adverbials

I can write a paragraph with a variety of fronted adverbials: single words, fronted adverbial phrases and fronted adverbial clauses.

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Year 6

Single words, phrases and clauses in fronted adverbials

I can write a paragraph with a variety of fronted adverbials: single words, fronted adverbial phrases and fronted adverbial clauses.

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Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A fronted adverbial is a sentence starter followed by a comma that expresses time, place, manner, cause or contrast.
  2. A fronted adverbial can be a single word, phrase or clause.
  3. A clause is a group of words that contains a verb.
  4. A phrase is a group of words with no verb.
  5. Varied fronted adverbials are useful to achieve text cohesion.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to vary both words/phrases/clauses and time/manner/place/cause.

Ensure pupils have access to examples of both the different structures and purposes of fronted adverbials.

Keywords

  • Fronted adverbial - a sentence starter followed by a comma

  • Comma - a punctuation mark used after any fronted adverbial

  • Phrase - a group of words with no verb

  • Clause - a group of words that contains a verb

  • Adverbial clause - a type of subordinate clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction

Draw pupils' attention to the increase in text cohesion achieved when we add fronted adverbials - have them read their paragraphs using fronted adverbials aloud to see how the use of the adverbials adds to both flow and interest.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is introduced by a determiner?
a phrase
Correct answer: a noun
a clause
a verb
Q2.
Match the types of determiner to the examples.
Correct Answer:article,the

the

Correct Answer:possessive pronoun,their

their

Correct Answer:quantifier,some

some

Correct Answer:demonstrative,those

those

Q3.
Select all the clauses that contain a possessive pronoun.
Correct answer: this is our house
Correct answer: because they took his shoes
we saw many people there
Correct answer: my sister rushed in
Q4.
Select the sentences that contain quantifiers.
Give me those books.
Correct answer: Give me some books.
Correct answer: I want to see lots of work.
I want to see your work.
Q5.
Which determiners could be used in this gap? '__________ food is excellent today!'
Correct answer: your
these
Correct answer: the
many
Q6.
Select all the sentences with two determiners.
Correct answer: Give this letter to your teacher.
Correct answer: Give my thanks to the secretary.
Correct answer: Give some money to your nan.
Give this money to Miss O'Neill.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What piece of punctuation separates the fronted adverbial from the rest of the sentence?
exclamation mark
full stop
Correct answer: comma
apostrophe
Q2.
Which of the following can be a fronted adverbial?
Correct answer: a word
Correct answer: a clause
Correct answer: a phrase
a relative clause
Q3.
Match the types of fronted adverbial to the examples.
Correct Answer:fronted adverbial single word,Next,

Next,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial phrase,Just then,

Just then,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial clause,After we had waited a long time,

After we had waited a long time,

Q4.
Match the types of fronted adverbial to the sentences that use them.
Correct Answer:fronted adverbial single word,Soon, this will all make sense to you.

Soon, this will all make sense to you.

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial phrase,Before morning, we must get some sleep.

Before morning, we must get some sleep.

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial clause,Before morning comes, we must get some sleep.

Before morning comes, we must get some sleep.

Q5.
Match the types of fronted adverbial to the examples.
Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of time,At that moment,

At that moment,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of manner,Full of sadness,

Full of sadness,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of place,In the distance,

In the distance,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of contrast,Although I wasn't hungry,

Although I wasn't hungry,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of cause,Because it was snowing,

Because it was snowing,

Q6.
Which of these sentences begins with a fronted adverbial clause of contrast?
When it began snowing, we rushed outside.
Because it was snowing, we rushed outside.
Correct answer: Even though it was snowing, we rushed outside.