How, When, Where?

In a story, it’s important to focus on answering the following questions in order to have a complete plot:

• How does the story unfold?

• When does the story take place?

• Where is the story set?

It’s most common to answer these questions in your stories by using adverbs. This article will help your child understand when to use adverbs and why they can be helpful to answer those questions in story writing!

What do adverbs describe?

Adverbs are descriptive words that can be used to describe how, when, and where. This is a helpful way to remember what details you need to include in your story for your readers to have a full understanding of your story. Without answering these questions, your child's story may feel like it is missing very important components. When your child is writing their next story, have them think about using adverbs to describe how, when and where. This often comes more naturally than it may seem, so don’t fret!

Examples of adverbs used to describe how, when, and where:

How: Night Zookeeper Riya moved gracefully around the Campfire of Creativity.

How: The Lord of Nulth secretly makes his next deceitful plan.

How: Night Zookeeper Will quickly walked through the Whispering Woods.

When: Maji the Time-Travelling Elephant is going to the movies later tonight!

When: Sam the Spying Giraffe arrived early at the Night Zoo this morning.

When: Soon enough, Night Zookeeper Will is going to be 11 years old!

Where: Professor Penguin stayed inside when he felt ill.

Where: Night Zookeeper Riya adventured far from home today.

Where: Sam the Spying Giraffe felt most content when he was outside.

Activity & resource

Now that we have discussed the importance of adverbs to answer the how, when, and where questions, it’s time for your child to get started with some practice! Use the two activities below to further their understanding of adverbs in story writing.