In the manner of the adverb

What it is: An indoor acting game for big groups, funniest when you’re with a fun group of people comfortable with each other, especially if a few hams are included. Also a kind of fun spin on charades.

Best for: 4 to 12 players.

What you need: Just some creative people to play. Aren’t games like that great?

How to play: Gather all your players in a room and have one player (we’ll say it’s John) leave the room and close his ears. While he’s gone, the rest of the players in the room choose an adverb, one that describes how you might do something. An easy way to think of an adverb for this game is to think of words that end in -ly (for example, dejectedly, chivalrously, or simultaneously). Let’s say the players choose “chivalrously.” Once everyone has agreed on an adverb, call John back into the room.

John’s task is to guess the adverb by having other players act it out. He can call up any number of players in the room, give them any scenario, and then tell them to act it out “in the manner of the adverb,” or in the style of whatever adverb they’ve chosen.

So remember that the adverb is “chivalrously,” but John doesn’t know that. John would walk into the room and say something like this: “Okay, Chloe and Andy, talk to each other on the phone in the manner of the adverb.” Chloe and Andy would then stand up and start acting while John starts guessing and (most likely) everyone else in the room giggles. Players can get creative as to how they act in the manner of the adverb. For example, Andy and Chloe could act out “chivalrously” by being extra courteous on their phone call, or Andy could pretend to pick up the phone and say something like, “Good lady Chloe, what dost thou require? Might there be some dragon that I may slay for thy fair hand?” The main goal should be to act in a way that John can guess the adverb.

John can call up new actors and create a new scenario at any time. If Chloe’s and Andy’s acting just isn’t helping him guess, he can call up new actors and give them a new scenario. It’s also up to John how detailed his scenarios are. He can give players specific roles, like “Chloe, you’re a flight attendant, and Andy, you’re a businessman traveling to Europe. Act out flying on the plane in the manner of the adverb.” Or John could just give the players a general setting, like “Chloe and Andy, act like you’re at a Halloween party in the manner of the adverb.” He can ask everyone to act in the manner of the adverb, or just one specific player. It’s fun to watch different combinations of players act, sometimes even all players at once.

As soon as John guesses the adverb, the round ends and another player leaves the room, then the game starts again. It’s often fun to choose obscure or less well known adverbs that will be harder to guess (for example, instead of something like happily, try enthusiastically or whole-heartedly). We’ve even made up some adverbs before, for fun (Indiana-Jones-ly was a big hit). It’s a fun game, especially if you like charades or acting, and it leads to a lot of laughs, too.

Variations: This game is basically is a more specified and complex version of charades, and it can also be a lot more fun.

Printables: Want some ideas of good adverbs to use for the game? Here’s one you can view or print out. You can also find a list of adverbs in the “Wordplay” section of my Word Generator online. Have fun!

Adverb printable