1. Adverbials and Fronted Adverbials How to Train Your Dragon
After hearing the plan, Toothless refused to join in.
Immediately, Snotlout jeered at Hiccup.
He pointed at Hiccup.
Hiccup ignored him as best he could.

2. Adverbials tell us more about a verb.
Adverbials can be
a word,
a phrase,
or a clause.
hungrily
between the cracks
after the song ended

3. Adverbials Adverbials tell us more about a verb. The dragon sulked.
The dragon sulked with loud sighs.
The dragon sulked at the back.
During the meeting, the dragon sulked.
In each sentence, the verb is modified by the adverbial.

4. Adverbials answer the questions…
Where?
When?
How?

5. Adverbials answer the question: Where?
Snotlout sneered.
Snotlout sneered behind Hiccup.
Inside the huddle, Snotlout sneered.
Snotlout sneered with the other boys.
Snotlout sneered outside the group.
Adverbials answer the question: Where?

6. Adverbials answer the question: When?
Stoick wrote a letter.
Stoick wrote a letter when yelling didn’t work.
Stoick wrote a letter after that.
Next, Stoick wrote a letter.
Stoick wrote a letter that day.
Adverbials answer the question: When?

7. Adverbials answer the question: How?
Fishlegs sneezed.
Fishlegs sneezed loudly.
With a huge whoosh, Fishlegs sneezed.
Fishlegs sneezed like a duck.
Fishlegs sneezed in surprise.
Adverbials answer the question: How?

8. Adverbials can be placed before or after the main clause.
Hiccup sighed
behind
with frustration
when Toothless refused
IDEAS
Choose an adverbial and try saying it before and after the main clause.
We can even put an adverbial at the beginning and the end.

9. Fronted Adverbials
When an adverbial appears in front of the sentence it is modifying…
it is called a fronted adverbial.
During the storm, the Green Death washed up on the beach.
With cruel eyes, he smiled.
Eventually, the Vikings discovered him.
After yelling failed, they decided to talk to the dragon.
Fronted adverbials are punctuated by a comma.

10. The preposition links the adverbial to the sentence.
time
place
manner
Adverbials
before
after
while in on at
first
finally
eventually
above
below
inside
outside to on
from in
with as
like
Adverbials often open with a preposition.
Toothless sniffed with hungry eyes.
The boys ran through the long grass.
The wind howled during the night.
The preposition links the adverbial to the sentence.

11. Adverbials The small dragons soared above ...
They dropped the feather bombs on …
Fireworm threatened the Sea Dragon in …
Round… , the Purple Death thundered.
Finish the adverbial in these sentences.
Which question does it answer: Where, When, or How?

12. Adverbials to build tension
Adverbials slow down the action. They are great for building tension.
The Green Death caught Fireworm.
The Green Death caught Fireworm in one gigantic claw.
In one gigantic claw, the Green Death caught Fireworm.
The fronted adverbial makes us read to the end of the sentence to find out what the gigantic claw did.
Which sentence builds more tension?

13. Try adding a fronted adverbial to build the tension in this sentence.
Adverbials to build tension
The Purple Death appeared.
With a huge crash, the Purple Death appeared.
From the other side of the island, the Purple Death appeared.
At the worst possible time, the Purple Death appeared.
Try adding a fronted adverbial to build the tension in this sentence.
IDEAS