How to Play In the Manner of the Word
In the Manner of the Word is a parlour guessing game built around adverbs and performance. One player steps outside while the group agrees on a single adverb, such as "nervously" or "triumphantly". The guesser returns and directs players to mime or act out short tasks in the manner of that hidden word, reading the performances until they can name it correctly.
Its appeal is straightforward: no equipment, no reading ability required beyond a decent vocabulary, and the comedy that emerges from watching someone stir an imaginary cup of tea "sulkily" or shake hands "dramatically" is reliably entertaining. It suits living rooms, classrooms, long car journeys with a patient driver, and any gathering where a group wants a game that rewards creativity over luck.
A little history
The origins of In the Manner of the Word are unclear. It belongs to a broad family of Victorian and Edwardian parlour games that relied on performance and wordplay rather than equipment, and references to games of this type appear in nineteenth-century British household entertainment guides, but no single inventor or first publication is reliably documented. It is traditionally grouped with games such as charades and dumb crambo as a drawing-room pastime that required nothing but willing players and imagination.
Setting up
- Gather at least five players in a room with enough space for small physical demonstrations.
- Agree before play begins whether you will play casually (no scoring) or competitively (points per round).
- Choose the first guesser by any fair method, such as the youngest player or a quick hand vote.
- The guesser leaves the room and waits out of earshot.
How to play
- Once the guesser has left, the remaining players agree on a single adverb. It must be a true adverb of manner, for example 'greedily', 'cautiously', 'melodramatically'. Avoid adjectives or nouns.
- Call the guesser back into the room.
- The guesser directs any player to perform an action of the guesser's choosing, for example 'Maria, please pour a glass of water' or 'Tom, introduce yourself to someone in this room'. The chosen player carries out the action entirely in the manner of the secret adverb, using movement, expression, pace and physicality. No words may be spoken during the action unless speaking itself is the task and the adverb affects how they speak.
- The guesser may assign as many actions as they wish to as many different players as they wish, in any order.
- At any point the guesser may make a guess. They must state a specific adverb. Vague descriptions ('sort of angry') do not count.
- If the guess is correct, the round ends. The player whose performance directly prompted the correct guess becomes the next guesser. If it is genuinely unclear which performance gave it away, the group votes quickly on who was most revealing.
- If the guesser gives up, they remain the guesser for one further round as a mild penalty, or the group simply nominates the next guesser by agreement.
- Play continues until everyone has had at least one turn as guesser, or until the agreed time or point limit is reached.
Winning and scoring
In casual play there is no winner; the game is enjoyed for the performances themselves. In competitive play, award one point to the guesser each time they name the adverb correctly, and one point to every player whose performance did not give it away (i.e. everyone except the player identified as responsible for the correct guess). The player with the most points after an agreed number of rounds wins. With eight or more players, consider capping each guesser's turn at ten directed actions to keep the game moving.
The fine points
The most common dispute concerns whether a guess is close enough. 'Angrily' and 'furiously' are different adverbs and should be treated as different answers; only an exact or genuinely synonymous match should be accepted, and the group should agree this standard before play begins. If two words are legitimately interchangeable in meaning, accept either. The guesser should not be penalised for strong synonyms, but 'sort of sneakily' is not a guess at all and the guesser should be asked to name a specific word.
A second regular dispute: can the guesser ask players to say something aloud, and does that make it too easy? The standard ruling is yes, speech is a permitted action, and the performer must deliver their words in the manner of the adverb. However, if the group finds verbal tasks trivial, agree before the game that all actions must be physical and wordless. Also note that performers must not mouth the word, spell it out, or give any direct linguistic clue; doing so means the round is void and the adverb is chosen again.
How to win more often
- As guesser, start with highly physical tasks such as 'open a heavy door' or 'carry a fragile object'. Physicality reveals adverbs faster than static tasks.
- Vary the players you call on. Some performers are natural actors and will give strong signals quickly; others are deliberately minimal. Calling on several people gives you multiple data points before guessing.
- As a performer, commit fully but do not overdo one single aspect. A rounded interpretation is harder to pin down than an exaggerated single gesture, and keeps the guesser working longer.
- When choosing an adverb as a group, prefer words that are genuinely specific and visualisable. 'Sadly' is easy; 'wistfully' or 'pedantically' produces far more interesting and revealing performances.
- As guesser, hold your guess until you are confident. An early wrong guess costs nothing under most rule sets, but naming the wrong adverb gives performers a chance to subtly adjust, making the next guess harder.
Variations
Team Manner
Divide players into two teams. Each team takes turns providing the guesser, who is always drawn from the opposing team. The performing team scores a point for every action the guesser requests without guessing correctly, creating an incentive to perform convincingly but not too obviously. The guesser's team scores two points for a correct guess within five actions and one point for a correct guess within ten. First team to fifteen points wins.
Adverb Categories
Before each round, the guesser specifies a category such as 'an emotion', 'a speed', or 'a way of feeling about money'. The group must choose an adverb within that category. This constraint speeds up guessing and works particularly well with younger or less experienced players, who can otherwise struggle with the full open field of English adverbs.
Silent Manner
All performed actions must be entirely silent and physical: no speech, no humming, no sound effects. This removes the easiest route to a quick guess and forces more creative physical interpretation. It also makes the game fully accessible to players across different languages if the chosen adverb is translated or mimed in advance for non-native speakers.
Countdown Manner
The guesser is given a strict limit of seven directed actions in which to guess correctly. If they fail, they score no point and the role passes to the next player in a set rotation rather than to whoever gave the game away. This version runs faster and suits groups who want to cycle through all players quickly within a fixed time.
In the Manner of the Word: frequently asked questions
Can the guesser ask for the same action more than once from different players?
Yes. Asking three people in turn to 'walk across the room' is a legitimate and often very revealing strategy, since the differences between performances highlight the adverb clearly. There is no rule against repeating an action type.
What happens if no one can think of a good adverb?
Give the group a two-minute time limit. If they genuinely cannot agree, the guesser may return and the group tries again. To avoid this, it helps to spend thirty seconds before the first round with each player privately thinking of two or three adverbs they would enjoy performing, ready to suggest them when needed.
Is the game suitable for children younger than eight?
It can work from around six years old if an adult helps steer adverb choices toward simple, vivid words such as 'slowly', 'loudly', or 'happily'. The guessing role is harder for younger children, so consider letting them perform rather than guess until they are comfortable with the concept.
What is the minimum number of players needed?
Five is the recommended minimum: one guesser and at least four performers. With only four total, the pool of performances is thin and the guesser often identifies the adverb after a single action, which shortens rounds to the point of being unsatisfying.
Can performers talk to each other or coordinate during actions?
No. Each action is directed at one player who responds individually. Performers should not coach each other, react to each other's performances in ways that give clues, or coordinate gestures. Reactions from the non-performing players should be neutral.
Does a wrong guess end the round or cost a penalty?
A wrong guess does not end the round and carries no penalty under standard rules. The guesser simply continues requesting actions. Some groups add a house rule that three wrong guesses end the round with no point awarded to the guesser, which adds pressure and is worth agreeing before play begins.
Can the group choose a compound adverb such as 'half-heartedly'?
Yes, compound adverbs are perfectly valid and often produce excellent performances. They are harder to guess, so they suit more experienced groups. Avoid phrases of more than two words, as these blur into adjective phrases and become difficult to guess fairly.
What if two players disagree about which performance gave the guesser the correct answer?
The guesser has the final say, since they are the person whose thought process led to the correct guess. If the guesser genuinely cannot identify which performance was decisive, the group takes a quick majority vote and moves on. Do not let this dispute slow the game down.