Modifiers

Modifiers

By Bessy Siguenza

What is a modifier?

Is a word, a phrase, or a clause that makes the meaning of a word or word group more specific. The two kinds of modifiers are adjectives and adverbs.

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WORDS:

*The weather is becoming worse. (modifies weather) adjective.

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*The snow fell silently. (modifies fell) adverb.​

Workbook page 167

Modifiers

PHRASES:

Coating the sidewalk, the ice sparkled in the sun. (modifies ice)​

Shovel the snow off the sidewalk. (modifies shovel)​

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CLAUSES:

​After we went skiing, we drank hot cocoa. (modifies drank)

The children who built the snowman live next door. (modifies children)​

Workbook page 167​

​Exercise:

Identify the modifier (s) (adjective, adverb, phrase, or clause) in each of the following sentences.

English

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"The months that make up winter are December, January, and February."

• January

• The months

• that make up winter

• December, January, and February

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"A strong wind swept through the countryside."

• wind

• countryside

• strong

• swept

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"During the winter it sometimes snow."

• during the

• it snow

• during the winter,

  sometimes

• the, it

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"The crisp days of autum follow summer."

• the crisp

• days of autum

• follow summer

• crisp,

  of autum

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"Students whose school year ends in May enjoy these summer months."

• whose school year ends in May

• students

• ends in May

• summer

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"Dark clouds were gathering in the west."

• clouds

• dark

• gathering

• west

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"If we are quick, there will be tickets available."

• If, we

• quick, available

• will, be

• we, are

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"The film was short but exciting."

• short

  exciting

• film

  short

• the

  film

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"This is the best movie we have watched."

• this

• movie

• best

• watched

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"Pesticides are harmful for the environment."

• harmful

• environment

• pesticides

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"i opened the door to the barn cautiously."

• opened

• barn

• cautiously

Poll

Identify the modifier:

"Nina is barely acquainted with them."

• them

• Nina

• barely

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"Do you thoroughly understand your task?

• understand

• thouroughly

• task

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"We lay down under the slightly blue sky."

• lay down

• slightly blue

• we lay

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"A devoted father, Larry has 5 daughters."

• devoted

• Larry

• 5 daughters

• A devoted father

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifiers

"He won the race with a black horse."

• with a black horse

• the race

• he won

• black

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"Police are hunting nationwide for a prisoner who escaped from the prison."

• hunting nationwide

• police

• who escaped from the prison

• prisoner

Multiple Choice

Identify the modifier:

"You are telling me a story that you have told me before."

• story

• telling me

• that you have told me before

• telling me a story

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"A hungry lion stalked the frightened animals."

• lion, animals

• hungry, stalked

• hungry, frightened

Multiple Choice

Identify the 2 modifiers:

"My foreign car is equipped with radial tires."

• car, equipped

• foreign, radial

• radial, tires