Adverbial position

Stage 1: Present examples 

Write the following words on the board in a random order: walks, slowly, boy, the.

Ask: ‘Can you make a sentence using all these words?’

Take answers and write the sentence on the board. Underline the adverb.

• The boy walks slowly.

Repeat with these groups of words: 

• passed / test / luckily / the / I
• I / friend / often / play / my / with 
• win / probably / will / we
• downstairs / lives / grandmother / my 
• tomorrow / a / holiday / it’s

Write the correct sentences on the board:

1. The boy walks slowly.
2. Luckily, I passed the test. 
3. I often play with my friend. 
4. We will probably win.
5. My grandmother lives downstairs.
6. It’s a holiday tomorrow.

Ask: ‘What do you notice about the adverbs in these sentences?’

Stage 2: Take feedback

Ask learners to share what they noticed in the examples. For example: 

• An adverb describes or modifies verbs (i.e. it says how/where/when/how often/how much something happens).
• We can put adverbs in the initial, mid or end position in a sentence.
• Initial position, at the start of a sentence, followed by comma: Linking/viewpoint adverbs (sentence #2). 
• Mid position, between the subject and the verb, or after ‘be’ when it is the main verb: Adverbs of frequency (#3) and certainty (#4). 
• End position: Adverbs of manner (#1), place (#5) and time (#6). Note that time adverbs can sometimes be put in initial position for emphasis. 

Stage 3: Use the grammar

Which sentence is correct?

Write sets of sentences on the board. Learners identify which sentence in each set has the adverb in the correct place. For example:

1. Musa works slowly.
2. Musa slowly works.
3. Slowly Musa works.

 

1. Elizabeth still in town lives.
2. Elizabeth in town still lives.
3. Elizabeth still lives in town.

 

1. I almost fell over.
2. I fell over almost.
3. I fell almost over.

Rearrange the words

Divide the class into teams. Give each team sets of words written on cards which can be arranged to make sentences. For example:  

boyTheDoglovedhisa lot

The teams rearrange the words to form sentences. Each sentence must have an adverb in the correct position. The team that completes their sentences first is the winner. 

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Read sentences to the class. If the adverb is in the correct position, learners give a thumbs up. If it is incorrect they give a thumbs down. Or you can ask them to stand up or stay sitting down, or clap their hands or stay silent, or any other action which you think is suitable.