Use 'Tom Swifty' Jokes to Teach Adverbs

Tom Swifty jokes use adverbs to create puns related to the action of the sentence. For example, if a dog is chasing a ball, you could use the adverb "fetchingly" to create a pun:

"Rover went to get the ball," Tom said fetchingly

The jokes get their name from the "Tom Swift" series of children's science-fiction adventure novels first published in 1910 and created by the same publisher as the "Nancy Drew" and "Hardy Boys" books. 

The jokes are called "Tom Swifties" because the Tom Swift books were noticeably filled with adverbs.

Creating puns of your own is a fun way to reinforce the concept that adverbs (such as "fetchingly") modify verbs (such as "said").

Tom Swifty Adverb Exercises

Start with these fill-in-the-blank sentences.

1. "The fire is __________________," Tom said hotly.

2. "The lamp _____________________," Tom said lightly.

3. "My gray mare _____________________," Tom said hoarsely. (Homophone puns are allowed!)

4. "The duchess _____________________," Tom said nobly.

5. "The air balloon _____________________," Tom said loftily

Adverb List

Now use some of these adverbs to make your own Tom Swifty puns from scratch.

abominably

chivalrously

detestably

freely

grandly

handily

laboriously

masterfully

monstrously

notably

tirelessly

sorely

sweetly

(See the next page for Tom Swifty ideas for these adverbs.)

Extend Your Adverb Lesson

Now, to reinforce the idea that adverbs can modify verbs, use each of the adverbs above to modify a verb other than "said."

Example: Tom sorely missed his good hiking boots.

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Sentence Theme Ideas for These Tom Swifty Adverbs

abominably (Write a sentence about the abonimable snowman.)

chivalrously (Write a sentence about a knight.)

detestably (Write a sentence about a school test or exam that didn't happen.)

freely (Write a sentence about escaped prisoners.)

grandly (Write a sentence that plays on the "thousand" meaning of "grand.")

handily (Write a sentence about something you do with your hands such as juggling or communicating with sign language.)

laboriously (Write a sentence about unions [e.g., labor unions]).

masterfully (Write a sentence about a student studying for a master's degree or a dog's master.)

monstrously (Write a sentence about a vampire or werewolf.)

notably (Write a sentence that refers to musical notes.)

tirelessly (Write a sentence about a vehicle with a flat tire or missing tire.)

sorely (Write a sentence about a runner with blisters on his or her feet.)

sweetly (Write a sentence about candy or a hotel suite.)

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