Fronted adverbials
Adverbials moved to the start of a sentence, where the comma goes, and practice placing it.
The answer
A fronted adverbial is an adverbial moved to the start of a sentence, before the verb, and it is usually followed by a comma.
Examples
Later that day, I heard the bad news.
The national curriculum’s own Year 4 example.
Without a sound, the fox slipped into the woods.
As soon as the bell rang, everyone rushed outside.
A whole subordinate clause can be fronted.
Every Saturday, Grandpa makes pancakes.
Carefully, she lifted the lid.
How to spot it
- Find the verb and who is doing it. Anything before them that tells you when, where or how is a fronted adverbial.
- Move it to the end. If the sentence still works (I heard the bad news later that day), it was fronted.
- Look for the comma that separates it from the rest of the sentence.
The common mistake
Missing the comma, or putting it in the middle of the adverbial.
‘After tea we, went to the park’ has the comma in the wrong place. It goes straight after the whole adverbial: ‘After tea, we went to the park.’
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 4
- On the pupil word list
- Year 4, as “adverbial”
Year 4 introduces fronted adverbials and the comma after them, in the same year the word adverbial is taught.
Try a question
Insert a comma in the correct place.
Before the match started the players shook hands.
Show the answer
Answer: Before the match started, the players shook hands.
The comma goes at the end of the fronted adverbial, just before the main clause.
Practise it
An interactive exercise where your child taps the gap where the comma belongs after a fronted adverbial.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Punctuate a fronted adverbial
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Does a fronted adverbial always need a comma?
Year 4 children are taught to put one after every fronted adverbial, and the KS2 grammar test checks for it. The national curriculum glossary says we ‘often’ follow them with a comma, and some adult writers leave it out after a very short one, but in primary school the comma is the rule.
Is a fronted adverbial the same as a sentence opener?
Not quite. Many schools say sentence opener, but not every opener is a fronted adverbial. ‘The dog barked’ opens with the subject; ‘Suddenly, the dog barked’ opens with a fronted adverbial.
Can a fronted adverbial be a whole clause?
Yes. In ‘When the film ended, we went home’, the fronted adverbial is a subordinate clause with its own verb.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.