Adverbial phrases The new primary curriculum talks quite a lot about adverbs, fronted adverbials, adverbials of time and so on; a part of English grammar which has not been emphasised over the last 30 years. To meet the new requirements we are now building a substantial set of resources on adverbs, including our latest series on adverbial phrases. An adverbial phrase is a group of words that act just like an adverb, telling us more about when, where, how or why things happen. They can often begin with ‘as’ and can be at the start of a sentence, in the middle or at the end. Here are 3 examples: 1. at the start of a sentence: As she posted the letter, Sarah hoped she would be chosen for the job. 2. In the middle of a sentence: Sam wished, as he kicked the ball, that for once it would go in the goal. 3. At the end of a sentence: Jo smiled with joy as she picked up the kitten. Adverbial phrases are often used with speech, as shown below: As he climbed the tree Jim shouted, “  I can see for miles!” The more familiar children get with adverbs the better they will understand them and use them effectively in their writing so why not dip into them as soon as possible? Go to Adverbs Worksheets