Fronted Adverbials: orca
The Grammar Bit!
Read the three scintillating sentences opposite. They each begin with a fronted adverbial (bold).
A fronted adverbial can be a single word, a phrase or a clause. It appears at the front of a sentence and can describe any of the following:
- when the action took place
- how the action took place
- where the action took place
- how often the action took place
Notice how a comma is normally placed after a fronted adverbial to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
With your talk partner, take turns saying each sentence aloud with the adverbial at the end. Does this alter the meaning of the sentence?
Scintillating Sentences
1) As the sun set over the Norwegian fjord, pods of killer whales came together in a huge gathering.
2) As the noisy seagulls flew overhead, the mighty killer whales trapped the herring against the surface of the sea.
3) Beneath the shoal of herring, the orcas were coordinating their moves with a series of clicks and whistles.
Did you know?
In Argentina, orcas have been known to hurl themselves onto beaches to snatch sea lion pups!