Grammar - The Secret to Adverbials

Ever wondered what an adverbial is and how they are used in sentences? Read on to find out!

An adverbial is an adverbial phrase, adverb or an adverbial clause which give us extra information about places, times or a manner of the action being described.

• We have been living here in this house for over thirty years

• We were sleeping peacefully in our beds when the lightning struck

You can see from the examples above that most adverbials are placed at the ends of the sentences. The place adverbials (here in this house), usually come before the time adverbials (for over thirty years). The manner adverbials, in this case peacefully, come before the adverbials describing the place (in our beds).

The adverbials don’t always have to follow this exact pattern, especially when we look at the adverbial clauses. You can start the sentence with the adverbial clause if you have to get the point across first.

• When the lightning struck, we were sleeping peacefully in our beds.

So, the adverbials should answer the following questions:

• Where?

• Why?

• How long?

• When?

• How often?

• How much?

• How?

Where did you decide to meet her? - I decided to meet her outside the bank.

Why did you decide to meet her there? - So that she could give me the money.

How long did you have to wait for her? - I had to wait for half an hour but she didn't arrive.

When did you first meet her? - We first met when she became the manageress of the bank.

How often have you been seeing her since then? - Once a week, normally. More frequently, if her husband was away.

The above examples that feature the adverbs of frequency are more often than not in the middle of the sentence, and then sometimes in the end. You can of course put them before the subject if needed:

• I sometimes drop by on my older brother when I’m in Scotland

• I never see my younger sister, but occasionally I see my older sister