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English · Year 4

What is a fronted adverbial? A guide for parents

By Dave Allen · Updated · 6 min read

Drafted and fact-checked with AI help, against the sources below. Not yet reviewed by a teacher. How we write our guides

What it is

Adverbial
A word or a group of words that does the job of an adverb: it adds detail to a verb or a clause, often telling you when, where or how something happens. In "The bus leaves in five minutes", the adverbial is in five minutes.
Fronted
Moved to the front of the sentence, before the verb. Many adverbials can sit at the end of a sentence or be moved to the start.
Fronted adverbial
An adverbial that has been moved to the start of a sentence. Schools teach children to put a comma straight after it.

Here's the easiest way to see one. Start with an ordinary sentence: I'm visiting my granddad the day after tomorrow. Now move the "when" part to the front: The day after tomorrow, I'm visiting my granddad. The words haven't changed, only their order. The day after tomorrow is now a fronted adverbial, and it's followed by a comma.

An adverbial isn't always a single adverb. It can be one word (Suddenly,), a short phrase (On the far wall,) or a whole clause with its own verb (Before we begin,). That's why the curriculum uses the word adverbial rather than adverb: it covers all of these.

  • When: Later that day, I heard the bad news.
  • Where: On the far wall, the keypad glowed red.
  • How: Without a sound, the cat crept past.
  • A whole clause: Before we begin, make sure you've got a pencil.

How it's taught at school

Fronted adverbials are Year 4 grammar in the national curriculum for England. The curriculum's grammar appendix lists them for Year 4, along with using a comma after a fronted adverbial. Its own example is the one in our nutshell: "Later that day, I heard the bad news."

Year 4 is also when children are expected to learn the word adverbial itself, along with determiner (a word like the, a or some that comes before a noun), pronoun and possessive pronoun (such as mine or hers). You may see all of these in your child's homework this year.

  • Year 3: children learn to show time, place and cause using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions, such as then, soon, before and because of. This is the groundwork.
  • Year 4: fronted adverbials, and the comma that follows them.
  • Year 5: adverbials used to link paragraphs, such as later, nearby and secondly.
  • Year 6: linking ideas with a wider range of adverbials, such as on the other hand or as a consequence.

Fronted adverbials add detail and tell the reader when, where or how things happen. Not every sentence needs one: a mix of sentence openings keeps writing interesting to read.

Tip
A quick check for your child: "Can I move this bit to the end of the sentence and still make sense?" If the answer is yes, and it tells you when, where or how, it's an adverbial.

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Common mistakes (and how to help)

Thinking any word at the start of a sentence is a fronted adverbial
In "The dog barked", The dog is who the sentence is about, not when, where or how. Ask your child the three questions: does this bit tell us when, where or how? If not, it isn't an adverbial.
Forgetting the comma, or putting it in the wrong place
The comma goes straight after the whole adverbial, not in the middle of it. Read the sentence aloud together and pause where the adverbial ends. That pause is where the comma goes: "Later that day, I heard the bad news."
Thinking an adverbial has to be one word ending in -ly
Lots of adverbials are phrases, like in the morning or under the bridge. Try turning a single word into a longer phrase together: Quietly becomes As quietly as a mouse.
Starting every sentence with one
A new tool is fun to use, so some children put a fronted adverbial on every sentence. Praise the effort, then read the piece aloud together and choose one or two sentences that work better without one.

Three quick activities at home

Move it to the front

About 5 minutes

  1. Say a simple sentence with a when, where or how part at the end, such as "We ate our tea at the kitchen table."
  2. Ask your child to say it again with that part moved to the front: "At the kitchen table, we ate our tea."
  3. Ask them where the comma would go, and why.
  4. Swap roles, so your child gives you a sentence to turn round.

When, where, how?

About 5 minutes · You need: Any book your child is reading

  1. Flick through a few pages together looking for sentences that start with a when, where or how phrase followed by a comma.
  2. For each one you find, ask your child whether it tells you when, where or how.
  3. See who can find an example of each kind first.

Story starters

About 5 minutes · You need: Nothing: this works well on a walk or a car journey

  1. Take turns to tell a silly story, one sentence each.
  2. Every sentence must begin with a fronted adverbial, such as "At midnight," or "Behind the sofa,".
  3. Say the comma out loud with a little pause, so your child hears where it goes.

Try it with your child

Free Pipkin puzzles on this topic. No sign-up. They open on the children's side of Pipkin.

Questions parents ask

Is every sentence opener a fronted adverbial?

No. A sentence can start with lots of things, such as who it's about (The dog barked.) or a word like Yes. A fronted adverbial is one particular kind of opener: a word or phrase at the start that tells you when, where or how.

Does my child really need the comma?

The curriculum asks Year 4 children to use a comma after a fronted adverbial, so it's what your child will be taught to do. It also helps the reader see where the adverbial ends and the main part of the sentence begins.

I never learnt this at school. How can I help?

Lots of parents didn't. You don't need the grammar terms to help: reading together and noticing how sentences begin is a big help on its own. The questions when, where and how are all your child needs to spot one.

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Related guides

Sources

  1. Department for Education: English Appendix 2: Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
  2. Department for Education: English glossary (national curriculum)
  3. Department for Education: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study
  4. BBC Bitesize: What is a fronted adverbial?