Grammar: Word classes: Adverbs

Expressing how / when / where

Providing more detail about an activity

One of the major functions of language is to enable us to talk about what goes on in our world: What is happening? Who is taking part?

When we want to add more information about the circumstances surrounding this activity, we can use adverbs to tell us about such details as place, manner and time:

The children searched everywhere. 
They searched frantically.
Afterwards they fell asleep.

Interrogative adverbs

We use interrogative adverbs to ask certain 'wh-' questions:

Where did the ghost come from?
Why did he go to the apartment?
How did he get into the apartment?
When did he arrive?

To find out more about the ways in which we can express how / when / where meanings, click here:
For suggestions on how to teach how / when / where adverbs, click here:

For more information on using adverbs to describe actions, see:

	Clause: Using the clause to represent experience: The circumstances: 'How?', 'When?', 'Where?'
	Clause: Using the clause to organise text: Focusing on how / when / where

	Text types: Instructions: Indicating a sequence of steps
	Text types: Instructions: Specifying how to carry out steps: manner
	Text types: Instructions: Recipes: Indicating time and the sequence of steps in a recipe
	Text types: Instructions: Recipes: Specifying how to carry out the steps in a recipe: indicating manner
	Text types: Explanations: Sequencing events in time
	Text types: Explanations: Saying how things happen

For a PrimeTeach teaching activity which provides KS2 students with practice in how / when / where adverbs, see:

Food bingo