Modifiers Part 2

​Return of the Modifiers

By Donna Kapa

​Learning Goal

Students will demonstrate what modifiers do, identify common types of modifiers, add modifiers to clarify meaning, and recognize and fix dangling modifiers.

​Review

Open Ended

"Pick up the backpack?"

• Why is this sentence unclear?

• What information is missing?

​Modifiers

Modifiers do not change words.
They add information to words that are already there.

Modifiers usually describe or clarify:

• Nouns (people, places, things, ideas)

• Verbs (actions)

• Adjectives (describing words)

• Other adverbs

​Adjectives

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun by describing

• which one

• what kind

• or how many

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows an adjective modifying a noun?

• The girl ran quickly to the gate.

• The blue book is holding the door open

• The students waited outside.

• The teacher spoke very clearly.

Drag and Drop

She​

Placeholder

was tired​

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after the volleyball game.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

pronoun

adjective

noun

​Adverbs

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by describing

• how

• when

• where

• or to what extent

​Adverbs

Examples

• How - She kicked the ball hard.

• When - They arrived early.

• Where - The students waited outside.

• To what extent - He was very excited.

Not every adverb ends with -ly.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows an adverb modifying a verb?

• The ancient map was hard to read.

• The crowd cheered loudly.

• The curious cat watched the door.

• The sandwich tasted salty.

Drag and Drop

The audience clapped​

Placeholder

enthusiastically.​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

verb

adverb

adjective

​Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase modifies a noun or a verb by describing

• which one

• where

• when

​Prepositions

A preposition shows the relationships between its object and another word in the sentence.

Examples:

Fireworks exploded above the city as the crowd cheered below the bridge.

The message was hidden inside the locker behind the gym doors.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains a prepositional phrase?

• The musician practiced diligently.

• The lights flickered suddenly.

• The keys slid across the table.

• The audience remained silent.

Drag and Drop

The cat slept

Placeholder

beneath the staircase​

Placeholder

.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

verb

prepositional phrase

adjective

​Dangling Modifiers

A modifier must be placed close to the word it describes to avoid confusion.

A dangling modifier is a modifier that does not clearly describe the word it is meant to describe.

​Dangling Modifiers

After eating all the pizza, the math homework looked less important.

Running down the hallway, the bell scared the students.

While scrolling on my phone, the bus stop was missed.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

• After finishing the test, the pencil rolled off the desk.

• While waiting for the bus, the rain soaked my shoes.

• The dog barked loudly during the storm.

• She quickly grabbed her backpack before leaving.

Open Ended

This sentence contains a dangling modifier. Rewrite it to fix the problem.

After eating all the snacks, the movie seemed boring.

Student directions:

Make sure the modifier clearly describes the correct subject.

Do not change the meaning of the sentence.

​Review

Multiple Choice

What is the job of a modifier in a sentence?

• To replace a word

• To remove unnecessary words

• To add information that makes meaning clearer

• To change the main idea of the sentence

Multiple Choice

To change the main idea of the sentence?

• The crowd cheered loudly.

• The ancient map crumbled at the edges.

• The performer bowed gracefully.

• The lights suddenly flickered.

Drag and Drop

The lights suddenly​

Placeholder

went​ out

Placeholder

.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

adverb

adjective

verb

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains a prepositional phrase?

• The musician practiced diligently.

• The lights flickered suddenly.

• The audience remained silent.

• The keys slid across the table.

Open Ended

This sentence has a dangling modifier. Rewrite it so the modifier clearly describes the correct subject.

After finishing the game, the scoreboard looked impressive.