Before learning how to teach adverbs, you must be very clear yourself about what an adverb is. Adverb is often confused with an adjective; the main difference between the two is that an adverb modifies another verb and not a noun. It can be tricky to teach and make students understand how to use adverbs in their writing; however, if you explain the basics right, teaching adverbs will be easier.
Teaching adverbs, just like any other aspect of English grammar, can be made more fun by turning it into an activity. This way, the students are able to learn even difficult concepts with ease and in lesser time. You will need few things for this activity, which are:
- Word list
- Whiteboard
- Markers
Here is how you can conduct the activity:
- Take enough photocopies of the word list and give a copy to each to all students in your class.
- Ask the students to separate the words into categories, making sure that they use all the words and put each word in only one category.
- Give the students some time to do this activity; don’t rush them. Once they are done, let them share their list with other students in the class.
- You must now write the entire word list and also the categories that the students tell you on the whiteboard.
- You will notice that duplicate categories will start to emerge; try to consolidate the categories as much as possible.
- Once you have finished with listing all the words into categories, ask the students if they see any pattern in the list.
- The students will immediately be able to tell you that the words have been categorized into five main categories viz. action words, when, where, extras and “ly” words.
- Now, it will be easier for you to explain to them the meaning and function of an adverb. They will themselves realize that adverbs are words that modify other verbs, adverbs or adjectives.
- Now can give them more practice by making them use adverbs in their own. You can write some sentences on the whiteboard and then ask students to select adverbs for each.
For example,
We will go to the park.
Ask students to select an adverb that tells “when”.
Children love to play.
Ask students to select an adverb for this sentence that tells “where” and so on.
- Some more practice exercise can include having students create sentences using some adverbs taught in the class through the activity.
Here are some other things that you need to keep in mind when you are teaching adverbs:
- Teach your students about different adverbs of place, degree, time and manner as this will help them to find adverbs in a sentence and understand their use better.
- Teach them not to overuse adverbs or duplicate the use of adverbs as it may worsen the quality of writing.
- Adverbs must be placed as near as possible to the word they modify as the location of the adverb may entirely change the meaning of a sentence.
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