English · Intermediate

Fronted adverbials: what they are, examples and comma practice

A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the start of a sentence that tells you when, where or how something happened. ‘After lunch, we played football.’ It is followed by a comma.

Ages: 7–11 (rough guide)
Level: Intermediate
Subject: English
Time: 15 minutes
Format: Online + printable
Stage: UK Year 4 (England) · no direct US equivalent term

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Before you start

Who it's for and what to know first

Knows what a sentence and a verb are. Knowing adverbs (quickly, carefully) helps.

Learn it

How it works

When: After lunch, Later that day, Every Saturday.
Where: In the garden, Under the bridge, Across the road.
How: Carefully, Without a sound, As quickly as she could.
Put a comma after the fronted adverbial to separate it from the main clause.
Test: the sentence still makes sense if you move the adverbial to the end — We played football after lunch.
Using them varies sentence openings so writing does not start ‘Then… Then… Then…’.

Worked example 1

Find the fronted adverbial: ‘As the sun rose, the birds began to sing.’

Look for the words before the comma.
They tell us when the birds sang.

Answer: As the sun rose

Worked example 2

Rewrite with a fronted adverbial: ‘The fox crept past without a sound.’

Move ‘without a sound’ to the front.
Add a comma after it and a capital letter at the start.

Answer: Without a sound, the fox crept past.

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Practice questions

Intermediate · ages 7–11

Fronted adverbials

NameDate

Write the fronted adverbial exactly as it appears (capitals do not matter).

1.‘After lunch, we played football.’
2.‘Carefully, she opened the box.’
3.‘In the garden, the cat slept.’
4.‘As the sun rose, the birds began to sing.’
5.‘Without a sound, the fox crept past.’
6.‘Every Saturday, Grandad bakes bread.’
7.Which punctuation mark usually follows a fronted adverbial?
8.Does ‘Later that day’ tell us when, where or how?

Intermediate · answersAnswer key

Fronted adverbials — answer key

Write the fronted adverbial exactly as it appears (capitals do not matter).

1.‘After lunch, we played football.’after lunch
2.‘Carefully, she opened the box.’carefully
3.‘In the garden, the cat slept.’in the garden
4.‘As the sun rose, the birds began to sing.’as the sun rose
5.‘Without a sound, the fox crept past.’without a sound
6.‘Every Saturday, Grandad bakes bread.’every saturday
7.Which punctuation mark usually follows a fronted adverbial?comma
8.Does ‘Later that day’ tell us when, where or how?when

Tips

Common mistakes

Forgetting the comma after the adverbial.
Putting a full stop after it, which leaves a fragment: ‘After lunch. We played.’
Using the same opener in every sentence.

Last reviewed: 25 September 2026