Modifiers

TORTOSA
MONDEJAR
GONZAGA
BALIBALOS
 What is a modifier?

 Modifiers are used to clarify, explain, describe

and otherwise delimit the meaning of other parts of
speech and sentence elements.

 These are words, phrases, or clauses that give

descriptive details.

 When considering the proper form of a modifier, ask

yourself what word is being modified.
 The first step in identifying modifiers is to read the
sentence and look for descriptive words.

 You should then look at each descriptive word and

try to determine whether it is an adjective or
an adverb.
 An adjective describes a noun or pronoun

 It answers the questions:

how many
which one
what kind?
Examples
1. She is a good tennis player. (What kind of tennis
player is she?)

2. This is an easy exercise. (What kind of exercise is

it?)

3. She gave the swing a gentle push. (What kind of

push did she give the swing?)

4. Jumping with joy, she rejoiced about her victory.

 An adverb describes a:
 verb
 an adjective
another adverb
 It answers the questions:
when, where, how, why, and to what extent.
Examples
1. She plays tennis well. (How does she play?)

2. This exercise is relatively easy. (To what extent is

it easy?)

3. She pushed the swing gently. (How did she push

the swing?)
 In the same vein, remember that adjectives modify
nouns and pronouns. Do not mistakenly use an
adverb to modify these parts of speech.

 For example, after a linking verb you may be

tempted to use an adverb instead of an adjective. You
will recall that the linking verb is a special kind of
verb because it links its subject to a subject
complement.
 A subject complement can be either a noun (renaming
the subject) or a modifier (describing the subject). When
it is a modifier it must be an adjective because it
describes the subject (always a noun or pronoun). It does
not modify the linking verb itself and should therefore
not be an adverb:

 [WRONG] We felt badly about having caused the accident

 [RIGHT] We felt bad about having caused the accident.
Identify the modifier and tell whether it functions as
an adjective or an adverb.
 She set it down very gently.

 It was a nice house.

 Mr. Clinton is a wealthy man.

 She gave the man a frightening stare.

 The politician is a man of friendly nature.

 He does his presentation carelessly.

 My father is a great mentor.

 June 23 is the longest day.

 He rudely answered the phone call.

 We recently constructed this house.