Using Adverbials in Non-Fiction Texts
Goals:
- Explain what an Adverbial is and how they are formed
- Distinguish between fronted and non-fronted Adverbials
- Explore how Adverbials are used to order information.
The lesson activities are divided into part 1 and 2.
Part 1
Warmer
Use the warmer questions to introduce the topic and activate the pupils' prior learning. The next slide will give an explanation for the first three questions. Let the learners discuss their knowledge and don't worry about answering all the questions now as they will be addressed through the lesson. An overview of what Adverbials are is shown in the next slide for the learners to check their answers.
Activity 1
Tell the students that they will look at three sentences which have been broken into two parts: the main clause (A,B,C) and the Adverbial (1,2,3). Their task is to use the carousel to match the two main parts which fit best together. They can also play with the placement of the Adverbial. After they have decided, have them copy out the three complete sentences.
The next slide reveals the solution: A2, B3, C1. Remind your learners that there is no single 'correct' way to decide where the Adverbial goes. Use questions 1-3 to aid learners in discussing their choices, and speculate on the original texts.
Activity 2
Present the next slide and the idea of cohesion which most likely hepled them pair the sentence parts. Before looking at the full texts in more detail, learners will finish exploring the grammatical construction. Ask the learners to discuss what grammatical forms they think the Adverbials took in the last exercise.
On the next slide, learners match the Adverbial with the correct grammatical form. The point of this exercise is to illustrate that the grammatical function Adverbial can take various forms.
Part 2
Warmer
In this lesson, the learners will look at three texts (find the PDF file at the bottom of this page). Before reading the texts, use the warmer questions to activate the pupils' prior learning. Discuss with parnters or small groups before sharing with the whole class.
Ask learners to read the three texts and identify the genre. After two minutes, reveal the hint for extra help. The next slide reveals the solutions - accept any similar alternatives.
Activity 3
Draw the learners' attention back to the three sentences from part 1. Learners must now match those three sentences to the appropriate text and write them in the numbered space. They can also decide what order to write the Adverbial in.
The next slide reveals the solutions. Discuss with the learners what the Adverbials have in common (they are fronted) and how you can tell (they come before the Subject and use a comma). Next, learners use the bulleted-list to discuss why the Adverbial is used in each case. Accept any reasonable answers and bear in mind that more than one may be applicable.
Activity 4
Next, learners look again at the three texts and search for any other examples of Adverbials and discuss why they are employed. Share some examples and explanations with the whole class. The next slide shows some possible examples, but is not exhaustive!
Extension
Ask learners to find a recent piece of writing they have done for English or other subjects. Ask them to see what kinds of adverbials they use and how they organise their ideas. Pair and share with other learners, and discuss how they could form the sentences differerntly.
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Using Adverbials in Non-Fiction Texts
Warmer
- What is an Adverbial?
- What kind of grammatical units (structures) can function as Adverbial?
- What is a 'fronted Adverbial'?
- Why do writers use Adverbials? Why do they move them around in sentences?
An adverbial:
- is the part of a sentence that adds information about the 'how', 'why', 'where' or 'when' of the situation expressed (manner, reason, place and time). Remember that a sentence may contain one or more Adverbials;
- can take various different forms, for example a preposition phrase, noun phrase or a clause;
- can be placed at the end of a clause, or at the start (a 'fronted Adverbial');
- can't stand on its own as a full sentence and only makes sense inside a clause.
Activity 1
Three sentences have been broken apart into main clauses and Adverbials.
- Match the appropriate main clause to the adverbial that fits best.
- Copy out the full sentences, adding in commas and capital letters.
- Decide whether to leave the adverbial at the end of the main clause or place it at the front.
Here are the most plasuible combinations: A2, B3, C1
You will see in part 2 how these sentences fit into longer texts.
Discuss:
- How did you know which Adverbial matched with which main clause?
- How did you decide where to place the Adverbial?
- What kind of text does each sentence come from?
Activity 2
You could probably work out how to match the sentence based on the content and how they two parts made sense together. This is called cohesion. Sentences usually contain related information and ideas, presented in some kind of logical order. We use Adverbials to help present that order.
What grammatical forms do the Adverbials take in the last activity?
Bear in the notion of Adverbial refers to a grammatical function, along with Subject, Object, Modifier, etc.
An Adverbial can be formed using different grammatical forms as we have just seen! They can be realised as:
- prepositon phrases (e.g. I left my phone in the bedroom.)
- adverb phrases (e.g. We left the station very quickly.)
- noun phrases (e.g. I saw the play last week.)
- subordinate clauses (e.g. We had lunch when she arrived.)
In part 2, you will look at how these three sentences create cohesion in texts.
Using Adverbials in Non-Fiction Texts
In part 1, you looked at Adverbials and how they are formed.
In this lesson, you will look at three texts and see how Adverbials help to organise information.
Warmer
Soon, you will read three non-fiction texts. Before you do, discuss these quesitons:
- What does non-fiction mean?
- What are some examples of non-fiction texts?
- What features do you expect to find in non-fiction texts?
Read the texts A, B and C.
What is the genre of each text? Use the 'hint' to help after two minutes.
Instructional Text, Scientific Text, Formal Letter
Solution:
A: Formal Letter
B: Scientific Text
C: Instructional Text
Discuss with a partner: how could you work out which genre each text belonged to?
Activity 3
Look back at the three sentences you wrote in part 1 of this lesson.
Match each of these sentences to the correct text. The gap where the sentence belongs in each text is marked with a number in bold: 1, 2, and 3.
When you have matched each sentence to the right text, play with the order of the Adverbial.
- Which order sounds best?
- Why do you think that?
Here are how the three sentences appeared originally in each text:
A) Very soon afterwards, we discovered that nothing had in fact been done to resolve the problem.
B) Because the distribution of particle size relates directly to water velocity, coarse sand beaches are found...
C) In accordance with the principles of direct play, the ball should be thrown forward wherever possible.
Look at the order of each sentence. What do all the Adverbials have in common? How can you tell?
All the sentences use fronted Adverbials. You can tell because they come before the Subject, and are separated with a comma.
Why do you think a writer would decide to place the Adverbial at the front of the sentence?
Adverbials are used to order information. This includes:
- time
- importance
- emphasis
- guidance
- cause and effect
- problem to solution
- old to new
- familiar to unfamiliar
- general to specific
Look back at the three sentences. What reason do you think explains why each one is fronted? What effect would it have to change the order of the sentence?
Activity 4
Read the three texts again and find some more sentences with Adverbials.
Try to find examples which are:
- fronted
- not-fronted
- preposition phrases
- adverb phrases
- subordinate clauses
For each Adverbial you find, discuss with a partner why you think it has been used.
Here are some possible examples - you may have found many others!
See if you can find each one before clicking 'reveal'
- A non-fronted subordinate clause in text A that connects a general idea to a specific one.
- A fronted preposition phrase in text B that builds on a previous idea and adds more detail.
- A subordinate clause and adverb combination in text C that describes a hypothetical cause-and-effect situation.
You ought to be aware of the situation because there is a long-term possibility of dry rot developing.
In particular, finer particles are often found low on the shore, and coarser ones at the top...
If for some reason he is not in position to initiate forward play, then he should not be given the ball.
Extension
Now is your chance to apply your knowledge of Adverbials. Find a recent piece of writing you have done for English or another subject.
- Highlight or underline Adverbials you can find;
- Annotate how you have used them to order information;
- Share what you have found with a partner;
- Discuss how you could re-order the Adverbials for different effects.