Adverbial Clauses ESL Worksheets, Games & Activities

Understanding Adverbial Clauses

An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that modifies the main verb in a sentence, expressing a relationship such as time, reason, condition, or contrast. It always begins with a subordinating conjunction like 'after', 'because', 'if', or 'although', and when it opens the sentence, it needs a comma, as in 'After I finish my homework, I will watch TV.' Students who use the wrong subordinating conjunction, or who drop the comma when the clause comes first, produce sentences that feel logically broken and harder for any reader to follow.

This page covers adverbial clauses at B1 and B2 levels, with six activities ranging from grammar worksheets and group board games to a pair sentence-matching race, including one activity available as a free download.

3-Step Framework for Teaching Adverbial Clauses

1. Build Recognition Before Production: Start students with a structured worksheet that takes them through adverbial clauses step by step, from spotting examples to matching punctuation rules to categorizing subordinating conjunctions. The sequence ends with students completing sentences using their own ideas and discussing them with a partner, which gives them a relaxed first shot at real production before any competitive pressure enters the room.

2. Raise the Stakes with a Board Game: Move the class into a board game where every landing on a clause square puts a student on the spot for 30 seconds to produce a correct sentence. The penalty rule does the heavy lifting: if a player forms an incorrect sentence or can't think of anything to say, they move back two squares, which keeps every player listening carefully to every sentence, not just their own.

3. Push Structural Flexibility with Conversion Work: Once students can produce adverbial clauses confidently, push them to move between clauses and phrases, which demands real grammatical understanding rather than pattern recall. In the game stage, a player who forms a correct sentence scores one point, then immediately tries to convert it to the opposite structure, clause to phrase or phrase to clause, for an extra point. That second move is where real accuracy gets tested.

Common Questions About Teaching Adverbial Clauses

What is a good group game for practicing adverbial clauses with intermediate students?

Group card games work well for adverbial clause practice at B1 level. The free Adverbial Clauses Challenge has students flip a subordinating conjunction card and a verb card, then build a sentence on the spot. A variation adds an extra point when a student correctly names the type of adverb clause used in the sentence, pushing awareness of meaning alongside form.

How can I help upper-intermediate students practice adverbial clauses in writing?

A grammar worksheet is a good way to build accurate written control of adverbial clauses at B2 level. Adverbial Clauses Practice includes a task where students write each type of adverbial clause in a sentence that describes its function and add examples of subordinators that can be used with each one.

What is a good pair activity for practicing adverbial clauses?

Pair activities work well for pushing accurate, contextual use of adverbial clauses. Perfect Match has Student A read each sentence half to their partner using the word 'blank' for the missing adverbial clause, while Student B finds a matching clause and adds an appropriate subordinating conjunction. The first pair to complete all sentences wins.