Fronted Adverbials
A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase placed at the start of a sentence to describe how, when or where the action happens, usually followed by a comma, such as 'Later that day, the storm arrived.' It is a Year 4 grammar focus that helps writers vary sentence openings and add detail about time, place or manner before the main clause.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Decide what extra information you want to add before the main clause: when, where, or how the action happens.
- Choose an adverbial phrase that gives this information, such as a time phrase ('Later that day'), a place phrase ('Behind the shed') or a manner phrase ('Without warning').
- Place the adverbial phrase at the very start of the sentence, before the subject and verb.
- Add a comma immediately after the fronted adverbial to separate it from the main clause.
- Check the main clause still makes sense as a complete sentence on its own without the adverbial.
- Vary the type of fronted adverbial you use across a piece of writing so sentences do not all start the same way.
Worked example
Turn this into a sentence with a fronted adverbial: 'The children ran inside because it started to rain suddenly.'
- Identify the adverbial idea in the sentence: it started to rain suddenly, telling us how the action happened.
- Rewrite this idea as an adverbial phrase to place at the front, such as 'Without warning'.
- Move this phrase to the start of the sentence.
- Add a comma after the fronted adverbial.
- Keep the rest of the sentence as the main clause.
- Final answer: 'Without warning, the children ran inside because it started to rain.'
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Add a fronted adverbial of time to the start of this sentence, including correct punctuation: 'the whole class cheered.'
Identify the fronted adverbial in the sentence below and state whether it shows time, place or manner: 'Deep in the forest, an old cottage stood alone.'
Rewrite the following two sentences so that each begins with a different type of fronted adverbial (one of time, one of manner), adding correct punctuation: 'The dog barked. It ran across the field.'
Free printable worksheet
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