Adverb Animals

Elementary (A1-A2) 30 minutes
ESL Adverbs of Manner activity for Elementary (A1-A2), animal description, writing, and pair guessing

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary: Writing Descriptions, Guessing - Pair Work

In this interesting adverbs of manner activity, students describe an animal by writing sentences with verbs and manner adverbs. Students then guess each other's animals from the sentences. Students...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary: Writing Descriptions from Prompts, Guessing - Pair Work In this interesting adverbs of manner activity, students describe an animal by writing sentences with verbs and manner adverbs. Students then guess each other's animals from the sentences. Students begin by choosing an animal they would like to be. Students then write sentences about their animal using verbs and adverbs of manner. Students write as if they are the animal using the first person. Next, in pairs, students take it in turns to read out their sentences to their partner who tries to guess the animal from the description. This process is repeated several times with different partners. Afterwards, students write the sentences again, but this time they write about themselves. Finally, students take it in turns to read a classmate's sentences to the class and they guess who the sentences are about.

Battle it out

Elementary (A1-A2) 30 minutes
Elementary adverbs of manner game, battleship grid, sentence formation, A1-A2 speaking

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Pair Work

Here is a free adverbs of manner game to help students practice basic manner adverbs. The aim of the game is for students to find all their opponent's battleships (adverbs) by calling out coordinates on a grid...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts, Freer Practice - Pair Work Here is a free adverbs of manner game to help students practice basic manner adverbs. The aim of the game is for students to find all their opponent's battleships (adverbs) by calling out coordinates on a grid. If the square is empty, their opponent says 'miss' and the two students swap roles. If the square contains a letter, their opponent says 'hit'. The student then reveals the letter and the other student writes the letter in the square and has another turn. When an adverb of manner has been completely revealed, the student tries to sink their opponent's ship by using the adverb correctly in a sentence. If the sentence is incorrect, the ship won't sink. Only one sentence attempt can be made each turn. When a student successfully makes a sentence, the ship sinks and the student writes the sentence down next to the grid in the space provided. The game continues until one student finds and sinks all six of their opponent's battleships. That student wins the game.

Complete the Exercises Carefully

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
Elementary worksheet for adverbs of manner, table completion, gap-fill, rewriting, and error correction

ESL Adverbs of Manner Worksheet - Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises: Table Completion, Changing Word Forms, Gap-fill, Rewriting Sentences, Error Correction

Here is a comprehensive adverbs of manner worksheet to help introduce elementary students to some common manner adverbs. First, students read about...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Worksheet - Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises: Table Completion, Changing Word Forms, Gap-fill, Rewriting Sentences, Error Correction Here is a comprehensive adverbs of manner worksheet to help introduce elementary students to some common manner adverbs. First, students read about how to form and use adverbs of manner. Students then change adjectives in a table into manner adverbs. Next, students complete each sentence with the adverb form of the adjective in brackets. Students then move on to rewrite sentences using adverbs of manner. Afterwards, students find the mistake in each sentence and rewrite it, correcting the mistake. Lastly, students complete sentences with adjectives from a box in their adverb forms.

The Right Adverb

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
Elementary board game for adverbs of manner, matching, gap-fill, group work for A1-A2

ESL Adverbs of Manner Board Game - Grammar and Vocabulary: Matching, Gap-fill, Guessing - Group Work

Here is an enjoyable adverbs of manner board game to help students practice various manner adverbs. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and reading the sentence to the other...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Board Game - Grammar and Vocabulary: Matching, Gap-fill, Guessing - Group Work Here is an enjoyable adverbs of manner board game to help students practice various manner adverbs. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and reading the sentence to the other students using the word 'blank' for the missing adverb of manner, e.g. 'You're walking too BLANK! We'll miss the bus.' The other students listen to the sentence and race to choose an adjective from the game board and say it aloud as an adverb of manner to complete the sentence, e.g. slowly. The first student to say the correct adverb shown on the card rolls the dice and moves their counter along the board. If a student lands on a 'Name two' square, they have ten seconds to name two things corresponding to the prompt to remain on the square. If they are unsuccessful, they move back one square. The first student to reach the finish wins the game. As a variation, students take turns trying to complete a sentence with an adverb rather than racing each other.

Adverbs Introduction

Pre-intermediate (A2) 35 minutes
Pre-intermediate worksheet for adverbs of manner, matching, word formation, rewriting, gap-fill, pair exercises

ESL Adverbs of Manner Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Word Formation, Rewriting Sentences, Binary Choice, Gap-fill, Guessing - Pair Work

This productive adverbs of manner worksheet helps to teach students how to form and use manner adverbs. To begin, students match sentence halves together...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Word Formation, Rewriting Sentences, Binary Choice, Gap-fill, Guessing - Pair Work This productive adverbs of manner worksheet helps to teach students how to form and use manner adverbs. To begin, students match sentence halves together and underline the adverb of manner in each sentence. Next, students read how to form adverbs of manner from adjectives. Students then practice changing adjectives into adverbs. Students then look at irregular manner adverbs and write adjectives in their irregular adverb form. After that, students change sentences containing adjectives into verb-adverb sentences. Next, students circle the correct adjective or manner adverb to use in each sentence. Students then move on to complete sentences with adjectives from a box in their adverb form. Lastly, in pairs, students complete sentences about how they do things and guess how their partner does the same things. Afterwards, students go through the sentences with their partner to find out how many of their guesses were correct.

My Way

Pre-intermediate (A2) 35 minutes
Pre-intermediate adverbs of manner game, sentence completion, pair guessing, A2 speaking practice

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Forming Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing - Pair Work

In this engaging adverbs of manner game, students guess how their classmates do everyday activities. Students begin by completing sentences...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Forming Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Guessing - Pair Work In this engaging adverbs of manner game, students guess how their classmates do everyday activities. Students begin by completing sentences with appropriate adverbs of manner to show how they do each of the activities shown on the worksheet. In pairs, students then take it in turns to choose a sentence and say 'It's something I do...' followed by the adverb of manner, e.g. 'It's something I do slowly'. Their partner then guesses the activity by asking a question with 'Do you...?', e.g. 'Do you get out of bed slowly?' Their partner has five chances to ask the right question. If their partner asks the right question the first time, they score five points. On the second try, they get four points and so on. If their partner hasn't guessed correctly after five tries, the student scores five points. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Name Someone Who...

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
Pre-intermediate group game for adverbs of manner, naming, question and answer, freer practice

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Naming, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this free adverbs of manner game, students name people who perform activities in a particular manner. In groups, students take it in turns to pick up a card...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Naming, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work In this free adverbs of manner game, students name people who perform activities in a particular manner. In groups, students take it in turns to pick up a card and ask the other students to name someone who performs the activity on the card in the manner shown, e.g. 'Name someone who eats quickly'. The other students then race to answer the question by thinking of someone who performs the activity in that particular manner. The first student to answer keeps the card. The other students then ask the winning student follow-up questions to gain more information. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

Say It Correctly!

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
Pre-intermediate adverbs of manner activity, crossword, miming, sentence writing, A2 group and pair

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary: Crossword, Writing Sentences, Miming, Guessing - Group and Pair Work

In this creative adverbs of manner activity, students complete a crossword by listening to incomplete sentences and guessing the missing adverbs of manner. First, in two groups, students create...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary: Crossword, Writing Sentences, Miming, Guessing - Group and Pair Work In this creative adverbs of manner activity, students complete a crossword by listening to incomplete sentences and guessing the missing adverbs of manner. First, in two groups, students create and write down one sentence for each adverb of manner written on their crossword that demonstrates its meaning using simple, relatable actions, e.g. 'I wake up slowly.' Students then pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking their partner to read out a sentence for one of their missing adverbs. Their partner reads out the sentence using the word 'BLANK' instead of the adverb of manner, e.g. 'I wake up BLANK.' The other student then has one chance to guess the missing adverb. If the student guesses the adverb correctly, they write it on their crossword. If not, their partner mimes the sentence in the manner indicated by the adverb until it is correctly guessed. When all the adverbs have been guessed, students compare their crosswords to check spelling. If completed correctly, the grey column running down the crossword will spell the title 'Say it correctly.'

Sentence Surplus

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
Pre-intermediate group game for adverbs of manner, sentence writing from prompts, A2

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Grammar, Vocabulary and Writing: Writing Sentences - Group Work

Here is an imaginative adverbs of manner game for students to play in class. Write a phrase on the board, e.g. 'She was speaking...' The teams then get three minutes to write as many sentences...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Grammar, Vocabulary and Writing: Writing Sentences from Prompts - Group Work Here is an imaginative adverbs of manner game for students to play in class. Write a phrase on the board, e.g. 'She was speaking...' The teams then get three minutes to write as many sentences as they can using the phrase on the board and an adverb of manner, e.g. 'She was speaking quietly in the cinema'. When the time limit has been reached, the teams read out their sentences in turn. Teams score one point for each plausible sentence. Play several rounds using a different phrase each time. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Four in a Row

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Intermediate Connect 4 game for adverbs of manner, sentence creation, B1 grammar and speaking

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Sentences - Pair Work

In this creative adverbs of manner game, students play Connect 4 by associating verbs with adverbs of manner and making sentences with the words. Students take it in turns to choose an adverb of...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts - Pair Work In this creative adverbs of manner game, students play Connect 4 by associating verbs with adverbs of manner and making sentences with the words. Students take it in turns to choose an adverb of manner from the game board. The student then thinks of a verb that would go with the adverb of manner in the square and makes a sentence with the two words. If a student manages to do this successfully, they win the square. Students must use a different verb each time they make a sentence. The aim of the game is for students to get four squares in a row while at the same time trying to stop their partner from getting four in a row. When a student gets four squares in a row, check their answers. If the manner adverbs and verbs match, the student wins the game. Afterwards, give students a copy of the second game board and have them repeat the game with new adverbs of manner.

How would you...?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Intermediate adverbs of manner games, matching opposites, question cards, B1 group work

ESL Adverb of Manner Games - Vocabulary and Grammar: Matching, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group Work

Here are two fun adverbs of manner games to help students practice manner adverbs. In groups, students begin by playing a pelmanism game to practice...

ESL Adverb of Manner Games - Vocabulary and Grammar: Matching, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group Work Here are two fun adverbs of manner games to help students practice manner adverbs. In groups, students begin by playing a pelmanism game to practice adverbs of manner and their opposites. Students take it in turns to turn over two adverb cards. If a student turns over an adverb of manner and its opposite (e.g. well and badly), the student reads the adverbs of manner aloud, keeps the two cards and has another turn. If the two cards don't match, the student turns them back over. The student with the most cards at the end wins. Next, students play a game where they practice the adverbs of manner by associating them with various imaginary activities. Students take it in turns to pick up a question card and ask the other two students the How would you...? question on the card, e.g. 'How would you sing in the shower?' The other two students then race to answer with one of their adverb cards, e.g. 'I would sing happily'. The first student to choose a suitable adverb of manner and make a sentence wins and can discard their adverb card. The first student to get rid of all their cards wins.

It's something I do...

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Intermediate adverbs of manner guessing game, pair questions, B1 speaking

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Asking Questions, Guessing - Pair Work

In this entertaining adverbs of manner guessing game, students practice manner adverbs by guessing how a partner does different things. In pairs, students take it in turns to pick up a card...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Asking Questions, Guessing - Pair Work In this entertaining adverbs of manner guessing game, students practice manner adverbs by guessing how a partner does different things. In pairs, students take it in turns to pick up a card and write down an activity they do that matches with the adverb of manner on the card. For example, if a student picked up the word 'badly', the student might write 'I sing badly'. The student then tells their partner the adverb, e.g. 'It's something I do badly'. Their partner has five chances to guess the activity by asking present simple 'Do you...?' questions, e.g. 'Do you draw badly?' If their partner guesses correctly the first time, they score five points. On the second try, they score four points and so on. The student with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner.

Tell me about...

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Intermediate adverbs of manner activity, group discussion, freer practice, B1 speaking

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this free adverbs of manner speaking activity, students discuss various topics using manner adverbs. One student goes first and picks up the top card from...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work In this free adverbs of manner speaking activity, students discuss various topics using manner adverbs. One student goes first and picks up the top card from the pile and asks the other students the question on the card. The other students in the group then take it in turns to answer the question using the adverb of manner stated on the card. Students give as much information as possible and ask follow-up questions to gain more information. The student who asked the question makes notes on the answers in the space provided on the card. After the topic has been discussed, the next student picks up a card and the process is repeated. When everyone has finished, groups give feedback to the class on their answers.

Advanced Adverbs

Upper-intermediate (B2) 35 minutes
Upper-intermediate worksheet for advanced adverbs of manner, matching, collocations, sentence writing

ESL Adverbs of Manner Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Categorising, Gap-fill, Forming Collocations, Writing Sentences

This insightful adverbs of manner worksheet helps students learn and practice some advanced manner adverbs. To start, students match sentences containing...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Categorising, Gap-fill, Forming Collocations, Writing Sentences from Prompts This insightful adverbs of manner worksheet helps students learn and practice some advanced manner adverbs. To start, students match sentences containing adverbs of manner with sentences that have a similar meaning. Next, students sort the adverbs of manner used in Exercise A into positive and negative manner adverbs. Students then match the adverbs of manner with their antonyms. After that, students complete sentences using adverbs of manner from a box and write two verbs that collocate with each adverb of manner. Afterwards, students choose four of their verb-adverb collocations and use them to write sentences.

How do I do it?

Upper-intermediate (B2) 30 minutes
Upper-intermediate adverbs of manner game, miming activities, class guessing, B2 group work

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Miming, Guessing, Forming Sentences - Group Work

In this amusing adverbs of manner game, students mime activities in the manner shown on cards for other students to guess. A student from Team A comes to the front of the class and picks up an...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Miming, Guessing, Forming Sentences - Group Work In this amusing adverbs of manner game, students mime activities in the manner shown on cards for other students to guess. A student from Team A comes to the front of the class and picks up an activity card and an adverb of manner card, e.g. make pancakes / aggressively. The student then mimes the activity in the manner shown on the adverb card. Team A has one minute to guess the activity and adverb of manner, and make a grammatically correct sentence, e.g. 'He is making pancakes aggressively'. If Team A does this successfully, they score a point. After the time limit has been reached, Team B can try to answer. Afterwards, a student from Team B comes to the front of the class and so on. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Level Up

Upper-intermediate (B2) 30 minutes
Upper-intermediate adverbs of manner board game, collocations, forming sentences, B2 group work

ESL Adverbs of Manner Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Matching, Forming Sentences - Group Work

In this challenging adverbs of manner board game, students make adverb-verb collocations and then use the collocations in sentences. Write thirty-four adverbs from the game on the board in a...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Matching, Forming Sentences from Prompts - Group Work In this challenging adverbs of manner board game, students make adverb-verb collocations and then use the collocations in sentences. Write thirty-four adverbs from the game on the board in a random order. Players then take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they choose an adverb from the board that they think collocates with the verb on the square. The player then uses the adverb-verb collocation in a sentence. If a player cannot make a collocation, makes a grammar mistake, or cannot think of a suitable sentence, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish square wins the game

Manner Matters

Upper-intermediate (B2) 30 minutes
Upper-intermediate adverbs of manner activity, gap-fill, conversation, pair and group, B2

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work

In this productive adverbs of manner speaking activity, students complete, ask and answer conversation questions that contain manner adverbs. First, in two groups...

ESL Adverbs of Manner Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work In this productive adverbs of manner speaking activity, students complete, ask and answer conversation questions that contain manner adverbs. First, in two groups, students complete each conversation question with a suitable adverb of manner from a box. Next, students pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking and answering the conversation questions with their partner, discussing each topic for a minute or two. Finally, students share what they learned about their partner with the class.

Understanding Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner describe how an action happens. They typically sit after the main verb or the object, as in 'She spoke quietly' or 'He finished the task quickly.' When students use an adjective where a manner adverb belongs, writing 'She sang beautiful' instead of 'She sang beautifully,' their sentences sound grammatically incomplete and undermine the impression of fluency they are trying to create.

This page covers adverbs of manner across Elementary (A1-A2), Pre-intermediate (A2), Intermediate (B1), and Upper-intermediate (B2) levels, with 17 resources spanning battleship games, board games, miming games, speaking activities, and worksheets, including three free downloads.

The table below shows how adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives, covering the main spelling patterns and the most common irregular forms.

Adjective TypeFormation RuleAdjective ExampleAdverb Example
Most adjectives Add -ly 'quiet' 'quietly'
Adjectives ending in -y Change -y to -ily 'easy' 'easily'
Adjectives ending in -le Change -le to -ly 'gentle' 'gently'
Adjectives ending in -ic Add -ally 'dramatic' 'dramatically'
Irregular forms No fixed rule; must be learned 'good' 'well'
Same form as adjective No change 'fast' / 'hard' / 'late' 'fast' / 'hard' / 'late'

When to Use Adverbs of Manner

Adding Precision to Narrative: A manner adverb tells the reader not just what happened but how it happened, turning a flat statement into a vivid one. In storytelling and descriptive writing, the difference between 'He walked away' and 'He walked away slowly' is the difference between a closed door and an open one, as in 'She closed the door quietly and sat down alone.'

Signaling Emotion Indirectly: Speakers use manner adverbs to communicate how they feel about an action without spelling it out directly, letting the adverb carry the emotional weight, as when someone says 'She answered the question carefully' to suggest hesitation without naming it.

Giving Clear Instructions: Manner adverbs make instructions unambiguous in practical or professional situations where the quality of the action matters as much as the action itself, as in 'Mix the ingredients gently' or 'Speak clearly into the microphone.'

3-Step Framework for Teaching Adverbs of Manner

1. Establish the Form Before Anything Else: Start with the building rules such as how adjectives become adverbs, what the irregular forms look like, and where common errors hide. A worksheet that moves students through conversion tasks and then asks them to find the mistake in each sentence and rewrite it, correcting the mistake, is ideal here because error correction forces students to apply the rules rather than just recognize them.

2. Get Students Producing with a Scoring Game: Once the form is secure, push students into production with a guessing game built around real personal language. The hook is the prompt 'It's something I do...' followed by the manner adverb, which gives a partner just enough information to go on without giving the activity away. The scoring rewards quick thinking: if a partner asks the right question the first time, they score five points, dropping by one point on each subsequent guess, so early accuracy pays off.

3. Stretch Vocabulary with Collocation Work: At the upper levels, the challenge shifts from forming adverbs correctly to choosing them with precision. A board game format drives this well: players land on a square, choose an adverb from a pool written on the board that they think collocates with the verb on the square, and then use the adverb-verb collocation in a sentence. Students who cannot make a collocation, make a grammar mistake, or cannot think of a suitable sentence go back two squares, keeping the standard high throughout.

Common Mistakes with Adverbs of Manner

Adverb Placed Between Verb and Object: Students often insert a manner adverb between the verb and its direct object rather than placing it after the object. Wrong: 'She speaks fluently English.' Correct: 'She speaks English fluently.'

Using 'Good' Instead of 'Well': Students often use 'good' as a manner adverb because they transfer the adjective directly, not recognizing that 'well' is the correct irregular adverb form. Wrong: 'He plays the guitar good.' Correct: 'He plays the guitar well.'

Common Questions About Teaching Adverbs of Manner

What is a fun adverbs of manner game?

The free game Battle it out runs on a battleship grid where students uncover hidden adverbs of manner letter by letter. Once a student reveals a full adverb, they must use it correctly in a sentence to sink the ship. If the sentence is wrong, the ship stays afloat, so every adverb the students learn gets tested in production.

What is a good adverbs of manner worksheet?

The worksheet Advanced Adverbs takes students beyond basic formation into synonym matching, antonym matching, gap-fill, and collocation work. Students match adverbs of manner with verbs that collocate naturally, then choose four of their verb-adverb collocations and use them to write their own sentences, making it a strong choice for higher-level vocabulary practice.

What is an effective speaking activity for adverbs of manner?

In the free activity Tell me about..., one student puts a question card to the group. The others answer using the adverb of manner on the card, giving as much detail as possible and asking follow-up questions. The student who asked notes the answers on the card, then the next student takes a turn.

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