Fronted adverbials: fennec fox
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 the following:
- when the action took place
- where the action took place
- how 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 sandstorm approached, the fennec foxes took shelter in their underground den.
2) In miles of open desert, a pair of fennec foxes are desperately searching for food.
3) Digging through the sand, the fennec fox finally captures its prey – a mouse!
Like most animals that live in the desert, the fennec fox has developed the ability to go for long periods without water. They get most of their water from the food they eat and by licking the dew that forms in their dens.