Year 5 · SPaG · Modal verbs and adverbs of possibility
Year 5 using adverbs of possibility worksheet and PowerPoint
To choose an adverb of possibility that gives the meaning you want and to change a sentence to make it more or less certain.
Choosing an adverb of possibility
Adverbs of possibility tell the reader how certain the writer is. Some show that something is sure to happen, some that it is probable and some that it is only possible.
| more certain | Perhaps it will rain. → It will definitely rain. |
|---|---|
| less certain | It will certainly rain. → It will possibly rain. |
| where it goes | at the start, before the verb or at the end: Perhaps we will win. We will probably win. |
Examples
- It will definitely rain. / It will probably rain. / Perhaps it will rain.
Key words
- adverb of possibility
- shows how likely or certain something is
- certain
- sure to happen or be true
- probable
- likely, but not sure
- possible
- may or may not happen
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Write a prediction for your next sports day. Use six different adverbs of possibility and say how certain each one makes you sound.
Pupil target: I can choose an adverb to show how certain I am.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the using adverbs of possibility PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 26 of 43 in the Year 5 SPaG scheme, in the block “Modal verbs and adverbs of possibility”.
Other lessons in this block
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