Tag: grammar

Adverbs : The 5 basic types of adverb…



There is no require requirement in the UK primary school English curriculum for pupils to be able to recognise different types of adverb. They may be required to identify an adverb in situe and will certainly be expected to use adverbs in their own writing. However, for interest’s sake here is information relating to the five basic types of adverb.

The five basic types of adverbs in the English language are those of Manner, Time, Place, Frequency, and Degree. Below is a short explanation of the meaning of each, together with example sentences using each type of adverb.

Adverbs of Time
An adverb of time provides more information about when a verb takes place. Adverbs of time are usually placed at the beginning or end of a sentence. When it is of particular importance to express the moment something happened we’ll put it at the start of a sentence.


Examples of adverbs of time: never, lately, just, always, recently, during, yet, soon, sometimes, usually, so far…

So far, we haven’t managed to send a man to Mars.
We haven’t heard from my brother lately
I recently moved house.

Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place illustrate where the verb is happening. It’s usually placed after the main verb or object, or at the end of the sentence. Continue reading “Adverbs : The 5 basic types of adverb…”

Adverbs : Formation



Many adverbs are formed from adjectives and end in -ly. Here are some tips to help you form adverbs and spell them correctly:The majority of adverbs are formed by taking an adjective and adding -ly.

The exact spelling of the adverb will depend upon the spelling of the adjective

The basic rule is that –ly is added to the end of the adjective:

bad -> badly
hopeless -> hopelessly
stupid -> stupidly

If, however, the adjective has two syllables and ends in –y, then you simply replace the final –y with –ily:

crazy -> crazily
happy -> happily
shabby ->shabbily
squeaky – squeakily

 If the adjective ends with a consonant followed by –le, simply replace the final –e with –y on its own:
 Continue reading “Adverbs : Formation”

Verbs : The Conditional Mood



‘Conditional’  indicates that the action of the verb depends on something else to happen under certain conditions or circumstances . A useful way to remember this is to think of the phrase ‘If this, then that.’ The conditional often uses words like might, could, and would.

The baby might cry if you pick him up.

This verb sentence shows what could happen under the condition of picking up the baby, so it’s an example of the conditional mood.

Another example of a verb using the conditional mood is:

He would look older with a beard.

This shows that the man looking older depends on whether or not he has a beard, so under that specific condition, he would appear to have aged.

Verbs : The Indicative Mood



‘Indicative’ indicates a state of factuality or states something that is happening in reality. Most sentences in English are written in the indicative mood. For example, the sentence –

The dog jumps into the car

– simply states what is really happening in the present moment.

The indicative mood can also be used in sentences that include words like ‘might’ or ‘may’ because it indicates something that is a real possibility:

That house might collapse if they don’t make the necessary repairs.

The fact that the house could actually fall down if it isn’t fixed is indicative of reality, so we would say this sentence is written in the indicative mood.

Verbs : Transitive and Intransitive Verbs



In the glossary of grammatical words and phrases suggested for pupils of primary school age it is suggested that pupils should know the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb.

A transitive verb is one that is used with an object. 

The object of the verb can be a noun, a phrase, or a pronoun that refers to the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb.

In the following sentences, applaud, keep, beat, and hate are transitive verbs:

  • I applaud your performance.
  • We need to keep quality players.
  • I couldn’t beat him yesterday.
  • She hates bullies.

Some transitive verbs can be used with a direct object as well as an indirect object:

  • Gill boughther mother some chocolates.
  • She senthim a Valentine’s card.
An intransitive verb does not have an object.

In the following sentences, howl, walk, shake, and sleep are intransitive verbs:

  • The dog was howling.
  • I walk to keep fit.
  • They shook uncontrollably.
  • We slept for hours.

Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive depending upon how they are used in the sentence. The most common of these are:

– move
– set
– do
– start
– close
– change
– open
– run
– live
– wash
– stop
– write

Verbs : The Imperative Mood



Imperative verbs, to more correctly verbs used in the imperative mood,  are used to convey a command.  In everyday language this means that the imperative is used to give instructions.

An imperative sentence sounds like the speaker is being bossy and telling someone what to do. Even if an instruction is given politely, it is clearly a command and not up for discussion.

Look at these examples:

  • Give me those scissors!
  • Go to your bedroom!
  • Finish your tea and get to bed!
  • Leave the dog alone!
  • Stop it!
  • Come back here, now!
  • Pull!

Use the infinitive of the verb form of the verb to create the imperative.

This form of the verb is very useful when it comes to the writing of instructions. Most recipes are written using the imperative mood.

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