Lesson video

Hi everyone.

It's Miss van Vliet here.

And today we are going to do a lesson on the fronted adverbials.

Which I'm sure many of you have heard about and have used in your writing before.

And today we're just going to go over what they are and why we would use them in our writing.

So all about fronted adverbials.

So I hope that you are ready and let's get going with our learning.

Right, fantastic.

Let's start with our lesson.

So our learning objective is to explore the functions of fronted adverbials.

So this is our agenda.

We're going to do a warm up.

We're going to discuss what a fronted adverbial is.

We're going to think about some of the different types of fronted adverbials and then there's a task for you at the end.

In this lesson, you will need exercise book or paper, a pencil.

You might want to have three different coloured pencils.

You don't have to, but if you do, might be useful for your task later.

And you need your grammar brain for this as well.

So if you need to pause the video to go and get any of these items, do that now please.

Great.

So you should have everything in front of you and let's get going.

Oh, what I'd like you to do as a start, is to come up with an ENP for this image.

Do you remember what an ENP is? We did it in a previous grammar lesson, and if you're not sure remember, here's an example.

Adjective comma adjective noun.

So we're using our adjective comma adjective noun.

An example I have got is, the worried comma distraught Nancy.

Worried is an adjective.

Distraught is an adjective.

Nancy is my noun.

So, worried comma distraught Nancy.

can you come up with some ENPs for this image? So pause the video and do that now.

Great, so did you come up with some expanded noun phrases? So let's have a look.

Another one I came up with was the shocked, befuddled woman.

She looks a bit shocked and a bit befuddled.

And that was another example.

I wonder what you came up with.

Remember, an expanded noun phrase or an ENP is adjective comma adjective noun.

Well done.

Okay, so let's have a look at what a fronted adverbial is.

So fronted adverbials are words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence, that are used to describe the action that follows.

Phrases.

Do they have verbs? Give me a thumbs up or thumbs down.

Phrases, do they have verbs? Of course, a phrase does not have a verb.

It's not, it's not have a verb.

And so we are looking at a group of words without a verb and fronted adverbials are at the front of the sentence.

They are at the beginning of the sentence.

So some examples could be nervously comma during the day comma.

And what they do is they give the reader extra information about the main clues by telling them when, where, or how the action happened.

So, a phrase does not have a verb.

And a fronted adverbial comes at the front of our sentence.

Then we have a comma and they tell us when, where, or how the action is happening.

So some examples might be, during the day, I was in the office working.

With anger, I glared around the room to see where the beeping noise came from.

In the evening, we decided that we would meet later in the year.

With happiness, the children found out that they will be going on holiday soon.

Can you please identify the fronted adverbials in my sentences there? Have some thinking time, point to it on the screen, and let's have a look together.

during the day comma I was in the office working.

When was it happening? It was happening during the day.

With anger, I glared around the room to see where the beeping noise came from.

How was I feeling? I was feeling angry with anger.

in the evening comma we decided that we would meet later in the year.

So when did we do it? In the evening.

with happiness, the children found out that they would be going on holiday soon.

So how was it? It was with happiness.

So we've got our phrases, or it can be our words.

It can be single words at the front of our sentence, comma and then it tells us about how the action is happening.

So fronted adverbials, they come under the umbrella term.

And we have fronted adverbials that show when, fronted adverbials that show where and fronted adverbials that show how.

So we are going to look at some different fronted adverbials, that show us when, where, or how something is happening.

So let's have a look at the different types of fronted adverbials.

So we've got when, so an example will be, in the morning comma one evening comma at 10 past three comma eventually comma later comma afterwards comma.

So in the morning, one evening, at 10 past three, eventually, later, afterwards.

And all of those tell us when something is happening.

So here are two examples of sentences and I'd like you to come up with a fronted adverbial to put at the front of my sentence.

So I've got hmm and then Oliver strolled through the cobbled streets of London.

But I want it to be a "When" fronted adverbials.

Can you have some thinking time? What could you put? hmm Oliver strolled through the cobbled streets of London.

Once you've got that one, have a look at the next sentence.

hmm The youngsters found a suitable-looking man to pickpocket.

And I want you to think of a fronted adverbial that shows "When." What could you put in front of that sentence? Have some thinking time, pause the video if you need to.

Okay.

Let's look at my examples.

So I came up with, early in the morning comma Oliver strolled through the cobbled streets of London.

So when is Oliver strolling through London? It was early in the morning.

And then I came up with, eventually the youngsters found a suitable-looking man to pick pocket.

When did they find him? It was eventually.

So those two, if you see the top one is a phrase, cause it's a group of words without a verb.

And then the bottom one is just a single word.

Both of those are fronted adverbials.

Well done, if you got that correct.

So fronted adverbials, "When" we've looked at.

So now we're going to look at "Where".

So "Where" fronted adverbials.

Some examples could be in London, on the street, above the clouds, in the distance, by the fire, everywhere she looked.

My turn, your turn.

In London, on the streets, above the clouds, in the distance, by the fire, everywhere she looked.

Okay, so now time for you to put some fronted adverbials into my sentence.

So can you put some "Where" fronted adverbials into these sentences? So hmm the youngsters spotted a shop with well-to-do customers browsing the books.

What fronted adverbial could you put in the front there? Have some thinking time, pause video if you need to.

And then let's look at the bottom one.

hmm the wealthy gentleman who was wearing a top hat, top hat as those hats that they used to wear in the Dickens time, Victorian times sorry.

So when Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, wealthy people used to wear those top hats.

You know, you see them sometimes in old films. And extravagant coat.

Sorry, let's do that again.

The wealthy gentleman comma who was wearing a top hat and extravagant coat, browsed the books with interest.

Extravagant is really beautiful.

It's an extravagant coat.

You might be showing it off.

So can you think of a fronted adverbial that you could put there and think of a "Where" fronted adverbial to show where.

Have some thinking time, pause the video if you need to.

Let's look at my examples that I came up with.

In the distance, the youngster spotted a shop with well-to-do customers browsing the books.

So where did they see it? In the distance.

For the next one I said, in London, the wealthy gentleman who was wearing a top hat and extravagant coat, browsed the books with interest.

So where was it? It was in London.

Well done, if you got that.

If you came up with two fronted adverbials in your head or whether you shouted at the screen and came up with "Where" fronted adverbials.

Okay, so we've looked at when, we've looked at where, so now we're going to look at how.

So how something is happening.

So here's some examples, nervously, slowly, happily, bravely, with fear in his eyes, with excitement.

Nervously, slowly, happily, bravely, with fear in his eyes, with excitement.

And they're all showing us how the action is happening.

How? It's nervously.

Can you show me a nervous face? biting your nails.

Slowly.

How is something happening? It's happening really slowly.

And how's me happily? I'm happily dancing around the tree.

And then bravely, how's happening? Bravely When you stand up and get, I'm doing this.

With fear in his eyes.

Fear in your eyes.

How's he having this? With fear in his eyes.

And those all shows how the character might be feeling as they're doing that action.

So can you come up with some fronted adverbials that you could stick into those sentences? So hmm Oliver screamed at the top of his lungs.

How was he feeling? So could you think of a fronted adverbial to put there? Have some thinking time, pause the video if you need to.

Great.

And the next one is, hmm Oliver looked around him hoping that someone would hear his desperate screams. So how is Oliver looking around him? Can you come up with some fronted adverbial that shows us how Oliver is doing this? And again, take some, take a bit of thinking time.

Always pause the video if you feel like you need a bit more time.

Great.

So let's have a look at my examples.

I came up with, with fear in his eyes, Oliver screamed at the top of his lungs.

with fear in his eyes, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

And then I had nervously, nervously Oliver looked around hoping that someone would hear his desperate screams. and that's showing us how Oliver is feeling.

So, we've looked at when, we've looked at where and we've looked at how.

Now, why do we use fronted adverbials? What do you think the reason is, that we put fronted adverbials into our writing? What do you think? Well, let me tell you what I think, it is to make our writing really exciting.

And the purpose of our writing is that we want to excite our reader.

And our reader is going to find our writing, much more exciting if we use really ambitious language and we use these fronted adverbials, it really creates that image in your mind when you are reading some writing.

You know when you, when you read a book or a novel and you can just picture in your head, it's almost like it's all happening in front of you.

And that is of course what you want.

You want your writing to come alive and the reader to be excited by it.

You can do that by using fronted adverbials because our writing becomes that much more ambitious and that much more exciting.

So when you were thinking of using your fronted adverbials, think of when, where, how, and think of the purpose of your fronted adverbials is to bring your writing alive and to really excite the reader.

So now what I'd like you to do is your task.

Your task is going to be, to come up with a mind-map with lots of fronted adverbials.

So you might put fronted adverbials, draw a circle around it and then label it with lots of different fronted adverbials.

This is where I said at the start of the lesson, that you might like to use three different coloured pens, because then you could colour code them into the how, into where and into when examples of fronted adverbials.

So nervously is an example of the how fronted adverbial, with fear would be, how is it feeling? It's with fear, but you might come up with some where.

So during the day, in the morning, and so they're all in one colour.

And then it might be sorry, when, sorry.

So you have during the day or in the morning, are of course when fronted adverbials each telling us when something's happening.

So when something's happening during the day.

When? It's happening in the morning.

So they're not where, they're when.

That's my fault.

And you have by the table and in York, there of course, where is it happening.

Where is it happening? It's happening by the table and it's happening in York.

And so you can colour code your fronted adverbials.

So in York, nervously, during the day, lots of different ideas there for you.

But I know that if you sit down and you just think you can come up with lots of fronted adverbials and that will be a really cool piece of work that you can keep with you whenever you're doing your writing.

Because remember we are using fronted adverbials to bring our writing alive, to really be able to create that image in the reader's mind, of exactly what's happening.

So that they can like close their eyes and they can see everything unfold in front of them.

Pause the video and do that task now.

Great.

So you should have, I hope, a sheet in front of you, with lots and lots and lots and lots of fronted adverbials.

And that would be an excellent resource to have with you in your next writing lesson.

And so that is our lesson for today.

You have done a warm up.

We have looked at what a fronted adverbial is.

We've looked at the three different types.

They are the.

Good, if you said how, where, when.

And then you've done your task and you had lots of fronted adverbials.

So, well done on another great grammar lesson.

I hope that you enjoyed that and that you will use your fronted adverbials, in your writing, to make your writing that bit more exciting.

Fantastic work, everyone and bye for now.