English and the World · Spain · 31 · Cádiz · A1–C2 · A1–A2 free
Sixty ships off a white cape on the coast of Cádiz, a signal still quoted today, an admiral’s death in the hour of victory, and a storm that sank more ships than the guns. Choose your level.
21 October 1805
Cape Trafalgar is a low, white cape on the coast of Cádiz, with a lighthouse. On 21 October 1805, a big battle took place in the sea near it. On one side there were 33 French and Spanish ships. On the other side there were 27 British ships, under Admiral Horatio Nelson.
The British ships sailed slowly towards the enemy in two lines, because the wind was weak. Then they fought hard and fast. The French and Spanish sailors fought bravely, but the British won clearly: they took many ships and lost none.
Nelson, the storm and Cádiz
A French soldier shot Nelson in the middle of the battle. He died quietly a few hours later, after he heard about the victory. Today his statue stands on a tall column in Trafalgar Square, in London.
That night a terrible storm began. Many damaged ships sank, among them the Santísima Trinidad, the biggest warship in the world. The people of Cádiz worked well and kindly: they rescued sailors from the sea, Spanish, French and British.
🦉 Want more? Sophia explains adverbs of manner, and how to make them, in Carefully, Rarely, Almost Never (Philo & Sophia, Lesson 10).
Language: adverbs of manner
| Adjective | Adverb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| slow, quiet, clear | + -ly: slowly, quietly, clearly | The ships sailed slowly. |
| brave, kind | bravely, kindly | They fought bravely. |
| -y → -ily | happy → happily, easy → easily | The sailors did not easily forget that day. |
| irregular | good → well, fast → fast, hard → hard | They worked well. They fought hard. |
⚠️ An adjective describes a noun, an adverb describes a verb: a brave sailor, but he fought bravely. And hardly is not the adverb of hard: it means “almost not”.
Read the texts first. Press “Check my answers” at the end.
Choose the best answer.
1. Where is Cape Trafalgar?
2. Why did the British ships sail slowly?
3. When did Nelson die?
4. What did the people of Cádiz do after the battle?
Write the adverb of the word in brackets.
5. The ships sailed towards the enemy. (slow)
6. The Spanish sailors fought . (brave)
7. Nelson died . (quiet)
8. The sailors did not forget that day . (easy)
Write the correct word.
9. The people of Cádiz worked very . (good / well)
10. The Spanish captains were men. (brave / bravely)
11. They fought all afternoon. (hard / hardly)
12. That night there was a storm. (terrible / terribly)
Go there!
Visit: walk to the Trafalgar lighthouse, near the village of Los Caños de Meca, and look out to sea where the battle took place. In the evening, watch the sunset from the dunes. In London, visit Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column.
Your task: write six sentences about how people do things in your family, with adverbs: My brother drives carefully…
It tells how two fleets met off a white cape near Cádiz, what Nelson’s famous signal really said, how the Spanish fought and died, why the storm sank more ships than the guns, and how the people of Cádiz rescued friend and enemy alike, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.
It tells how two fleets met off a white cape near Cádiz, what Nelson’s famous signal really said, how the Spanish fought and died, why the storm sank more ships than the guns, and how the people of Cádiz rescued friend and enemy alike, with grammar, practice, etymology and a visit plan.
The A1–A2 version above is free for everyone.