Evan Wix - Modifiers

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.​

Modifiers

A modifier is like a describing phrase. How do you know if a phrase is a modifier? Usually, it comes at the beginning of the sentence and is separated off by a comma (but not always). If all you read was After being beaten and deflated, your natural thought would be, “Who or What is being beaten?” Having that thought is how you know you’re dealing with a modifier. Without the rest of the sentence, it leaves you wondering what’s being talked about. When correcting sentences that have this error, you want to make sure there is a sensible noun that is right next to the modifier.

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)​

Note the difference between a phrase and a clause - A phrase is a group of words that do not have a subject and a predicate. A clause will have a subject and predicate, or one and not the other

Modifier Rules

1. Always place modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify.

2. A modifier at the beginning of the sentence must modify the subject of the sentence.

3. Your modifier must modify a word or phrase that is included in your sentence.

NOTE!

A dependent clause is NOT a modifier. In the last example, note the difference between the wrong and correct versions. The wrong version uses a modifier whereas the correct version uses a dependent clause. Dependent clauses don’t leave us wondering who or what. Reading just the first part of the corrected version, we already know the subject is we. With dependent clauses, we don’t have to worry about modifier errors, because again, they aren’t modifiers

Appositives vs. Modifiers

Appositive refers only to a noun phrase. that renames another noun right beside it. A modifier could be an adjective, adverb, adjectival phrase, adverbial phrase, prepositional phrase, etc.

Try to recognize what’s funny about this sentence:

After being beaten and deflated, the baker shaped and seasoned the dough.

Modifiers

The sentence is ridiculous because of the comma phrase at the start - it seems like the baker is being beaten before he goes to work on the dough. After being beaten and deflated is called a modifier because it modifies or describes someone or something in the same sentence.

It modifies or enhances what we know about a person, place, thing, or idea!

Modifiers

In the highlighted sentence, the modifier is misplaced. Instead, it should go right next to the thing it’s supposed to modify:

After being beaten and deflated, the dough was shaped and seasoned by the baker.

MISPLACED MODIFIERS

• In misplaced or dangling modifiers, the phrase that describes/modifies a noun is in the wrong place!

• It is considered "misplaced" because the modifier is next to a noun that it is not describing, which does not make sense!

• Usually, the only way to fix a misplaced modifier is to completely rewrite the sentence.

Example #1

Wrong: I bought a house from the local bakery made of gingerbread.

Correct: I bought a house made of gingerbread from the local bakery.

Modifiers don’t necessarily have to be at the start of the sentence. Here, made of gingerbread should be next to the house it’s describing. Otherwise, it seems like the local bakery is the thing that’s made of gingerbread.

Example #2

Wrong: Watching the end of the world, our lives flashed before our eyes.

Correct: While we were watching the end of the world, our lives flashed before our eyes.

In this example, the sentence makes no sense because our lives don’t have eyes to watch the end of the world with. The modifier Watching the end of the world needs to modify we even though that word’s not even in the sentence. Therefore, the correct version puts in the subject we and re-words the sentence.

Example #3

Wrong: Though cooked and seasoned to perfection, the taste of ketchup-covered octopus was revolting.

Correct: Though cooked and seasoned to perfection, the ketchup-covered octopus had a revolting taste. 

Correct: The taste of ketchup-covered octopus, though cooked and seasoned to perfection, was revolting.

Just remember, the key to modifiers is that they are modifying or adding a description to a noun. Make sure it is describing the right noun!

Woo!

Multiple Choice

Since the age of 10, tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination.

• No Change

• tennis has been the fascination of my daughter Cayla.

• my daughter Cayla has been fascinated with tennis.

• my daughter Cayla's fascination has been tennis.

Multiple Choice

Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to imitate their aggressive play style.

• No Change

• After Cayla watched them play live,

• After watching life,

• Watching them play live,

Multiple Choice

So, as encouraging parents, lessons were the next step.

• No Change

• lessons had to be

• Cayla's lessons were

• we decided lessons were

Multiple Choice

When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis.

• No Change

• Having watched cartoons,

• When watching cartoons,

• Cartoons being watched by other six year olds,