5. Modifiers

Question 1

What is a modifier?

Answer 1

• A modifier describes or modifies someone or something in the sentence
• Can be as simple as a word (adjective or adverb) but can often be more complex

Question 2

What are examples of modifiers?

Answer 2

(1) Adjectives/Adverbs (e.g. “The SMART student works QUICKLY”)
(2) Noun Modifiers
(3) Verb Modifiers

Question 3

How do adjectives and adverbs act as modifiers?

Answer 3

• Adjectives and adverbs are one-word modifiers
• Adjectives: modifies only a noun or pronoun
• Adverb: modifies most almost anything but a noun or a pronoun; often modifies a verb, but it can also describe an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, or even a whole clause

Question 4

What follows linking verbs such as feel: an adverb or an adjective?

Answer 4

• Adjectives, not adverbs, follow linking verbs such as feel
• These adjectives do not modify the verb but rather identify a quality with the noun subject
• Example: AMY is feeling GOOD (good is an adjective that modifies the noun Amy)

Question 5

WRONG: James Joyce is Max’s supposedly Irish ancestor.

Answer 5

CORRECT: James Joyce is Max’s SUPPOSED Irish ancestor.

*James Joyce may or may not be Max’s ancestor, but James Joyce was certainly Irish

Question 6

WRONG: Max’s grandmother is his supposed Irish ancestor.

Answer 6

CORRECT: Max’s grandmaster is his SUPPOSEDLY Irish ancestor.

*What is in question here is whether Max’s grandmother was Irish, not whether she is Max’s ancestor

Question 7

What are noun modifiers?

Answer 7

• Phrases or clauses that modify nouns or pronouns
• They act like adjectives
• Types: Adjective, Preposition, Past Participle, Present Participle, Relative Pronoun, Noun
• A noun used to modify another noun is called an appositive

Question 8

Where should noun modifiers be placed in a sentence?

Answer 8

TOUCH RULE: a noun and its modifier should touch each other

Question 9

What is a misplaced modifier?

Answer 9

-If the modifier is next to a different noun or if the modifier describes a possessive noun (nouns that end in ‘s or s’)

WRONG: Jim biked along an old dirt road to get to his house, which cut through the woods
RIGHT: To get to his house, Jim biked along an old dirt road, which cut through the woods

WRONG: Unskilled in complex math, Bill’s score on the exam was poor.
RIGHT: Unskilled in complex math, Bill did not score well on the exam.

Question 10

What is a dangling modifier?

Answer 10

-If the noun we want to modify is not even in the sentence

WRONG: Resigned to the bad news, there was no commotion in the office
RIGHT: Resigned to the bad news, the office workers made no commotion

Question 11

Where should a verb modifier be placed in a sentence?

Answer 11

Unlike a noun modifier, a verb modifier does not have to touch the subject; however, the subject must make sense with the verb modifier used in this way

Question 12

How are relative pronouns used with noun modifiers?

Answer 12

Noun modifiers are often introduced by relative pronouns, such as the following:

• Which
• That
• Who
• Whose
• Whom
• Where
• When

Question 13

What do the relative pronouns “who” and “whom” modify?

Answer 13

-The pronouns “who” and “whom” must modify people

WRONG: The scientists that made the discovery were rewarded
CORRECT: The scientists WHO made the discovery were rewarded

*Whom sometimes follow prepositions: “the senator for whom we worked

Question 14

What do the relative pronoun “which” and “whose” modify?

Answer 14

• The pronoun “which” must modify things
• Surprisingly, the pronoun “whose” can modify either people or things

*Which sometimes follow prepositions: “the canal through which water flows”

Question 15

When do you use “who” versus “whom”?

Answer 15

-“Who” is used as the subject of the verb in a relative clause, whereas “whom” is used as the object of the verb or of a preposition

WRONG: The security guard who we met was nice
RIGHT: The security guard whom we met was nice

Question 16

When can you use the relative pronoun “where”?

Answer 16

• The pronoun “where” can be used to modify a noun place, such as an area, site, country, or Nevada
• It cannot modify “metaphorical” places, such as condition, situation, case, circumstances, or arrangement; in these cases use “in which”

WRONG: We had an arrangement where he cooked and I cleaned
RIGHT: We had an arrangement in which he cooked and I cleaned

Question 17

When can you use the relative pronoun “when”?

Answer 17

• The pronoun “when” can be used to modify a noun event or time, such as period, age, 1987, or decade
• In these circumstances, you can also use “in which” instead of “when”

Question 18

What are essential noun modifiers?

Answer 18

• Provide necessary information; use to identify the noun (out of many possibilities) or “attach” the modifier to the noun from that point forward
• Essential: The mansion painted red is owned by the Less.
• The modifier “painted red” is necessary to identify the mansion, perhaps from among a row of differently painted mansions along a street

Question 19

What are non-essential noun modifiers?

Answer 19

• Provide extra information; do not need this information to identify the noun, since it is already identified in some other way
• Non-Essential: This mansion, recently painted red, is owned by the Lees

Question 20

How do you distinguish between essential and non-essential modifiers?

Answer 20

*Punctuation distinguishes between essential and non-essential modifiers:

ESSENTIAL

• Put NO COMMAS between ESSENTIAL modifiers and their nouns
• If you have a choice between which and that, use THAT (and no commas) if the modifier is essential
• Example: “The mansion that has been painted red is owned by the Lees”

NON-ESSENTIAL

• Put commas between NON-ESSENTIAL modifiers and their nouns
• If you have a choice between which and that, use WHICH (and commas) if the modifier is non-essential
• Example: “The mansion, which has recently been painted red, is owned by the Lees”

Question 21

What are verb modifiers?

Answer 21

• These modifiers answer questions about the verb, such as “how,” “when,” “where,” “why,” etc
• Types: Adverb, Preposition, Subordinator
• Some verb modifiers might apply to both the verb and the verb’s subject

Question 22

Where should noun modifiers be placed in a sentence?

Answer 22

-Verb modifiers can be placed more freely than noun modifiers; however, you should always place verb modifier so that it modifies the right verb, without ambiguity

Question 23

What words do subordinators include?

Answer 23

• Because
• Although
• If
• Unless
• So that
• While
• Etc…

Question 24

WRONG: Crime has recently decreased in our neighborhood, which has led to a rise in property values.

Answer 24

CORRECT: The recent decrease in crime in our neighborhood has led to a rise in property values.
CORRECT: Crime has recently decreased in our neighborhood, leading to a rise in property values

What is the primary rule for the use of the word “which” as a modifier?
-Use “which” ONLY to refer to the noun immediately preceding it – never to refer to an entire clause

Question 25

How should the modifier “only” be used?

Answer 25

Only is an adverb; it modifies some other word or set of words in the sentence

Example: “She works only between 8pm and 11pm”
-Implies that she will only go to work between the hours of 8pm and 11pm; she may also do other things during those hours; the word only limits the hours that she works

Example: “She only works between 8pm and 11pm”
-Implies that, between 8pm and 11pm, she does nothing else but work; the word only limits the activity described by the verb

Question 26

“women” vs. “female”

Answer 26

The word “women” is a noun. It is acceptable to say “who are women”, but in the phrase “women judges and partners”, the word “women” is incorrectly acting as an adjective. The correct adjective form for designating gender is female

INCORRECT: “The proportion of women judges and partners has not risen”
CORRECT: “The proportion of female judges and partners has not risen”