in-class activity on first day after spring break

USING ADVERBS ABUNDANTLY: TOM SWIFTIES...

Today, we are going to talk about "adverbs." Instead of a mini lesson, we will start with a little grammar exercise, and then become creative ;-)


Here are some GUIDELINES about the order of adverbs in a sentence:

THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADVERBS
Verb	Manner	Place	Frequency	Time	Purpose
Beth swims	enthusiastically	in the pool	every morning	before dawn	to keep in shape.
Dad walks	impatiently	into town	every afternoon	before supper	to get a newspaper.
Tashonda naps		in her room	every morning	before lunch.

First task:
Take a quick overview of what ADVERBS are.

Second task: take this short online quiz about adverbs.

Third task (everyone on his/her own):
This is what happens if one uses adverbs abundantly... ;-)
Go to the following website and learn what "Tom Swifties" are.


Task 2:

Get together in groups of 3-4. Go to the following webpage. Your group's task is to create a 5-item test for another group that this group has to solve. Get the emails of the one member of the other group (your partner group), and email this person your quiz. The group that solves most of the 5 items it gets from another group wins!! You need to retype the Tom Swifties that you find on the webpage, but you leave out the last word, i.e., the pun, for the other group to fill in the blank. Don't invent them yourself yet!!!

Examples:

1. How do you start a model-T Ford without a battery?" asked Tom _____________ .

(answer: CRANKILY)

2. "I have to wear this cast for another six weeks," said Tom _________________ .

(answer: DISJOINTEDLY)

3. "I'm shocked," said Tom _____________________ .

(answer: ELECTRICALLY)


You should select sentences that people are able to guess when they think hard.

EMAIL me your 5-item quiz (with solutions). Only one per group, please! Indicate your group members names in this email (because you'll all get participation points for the quiz).


Task 3:

Now, invent 1 Tom Swifty on your own!!! Publish it as a comment to this blog. If you work in groups, indicate all your names on your blog entry. You can also work by yourself. If you can't finish in class, do it as homework for Wednesday, March 17th.

If you missed class today, invent a Tom Swifty on your own, and post it on the blog by Wednesday, March 17th, for homework!