Using Modifiers Correctly
Forms of Modifiers
A modifier is a word or word group that makes the meaning of another word or word group more specific. The two kinds of modifiers are adjectives and adverbs.
One-Word Modifiers
Adjectives
An adjective makes the meaning of a noun or a pronoun more specific.
EXAMPLES
- perfect score
- eager participant
- Irish accent
- clear water
- last one
- falling snow
Adverbs
An adverb makes the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb more specific.
EXAMPLES
- walks briskly
- ran very quickly
- completely innocent
- not lonesome
Phrases Used as Modifiers
Like one-word modifiers, phrases can also be used as adjectives and adverbs.
EXAMPLES
- I prefer this time of the year. [The prepositional phrase of the year acts as an adjective that modifies the noun time.]
- Falling from the very top of the tree, the leaf seemed to take hours to float to the ground. [The participial phrase Falling from the very top of the tree acts as an adjective that modifies the noun leaf.]
- Drive especially carefully on wet roads. [The prepositional phrase on wet roads acts as an adverb that modifies the verb Drive.]
- You will have to climb to the top of that hill to see what is happening on the other side. [The infinitive phrase to see what is happening on the other side acts as an adverb that modifies the verb climb.]
Clauses Used as Modifiers
Like words and phrases, clauses can also be used as modifiers.
EXAMPLES
- Guglielmo Marconi helped develop wireless telegraphy, which we now know as radio. [The adjective clause which we now know as radio modifies the noun telegraphy.]
- Before he became famous for such feats as sending a message across the Atlantic Ocean, Marconi worked in his father’s attic, sending signals across the room. [The adverb clause Before he became famous for such feats as sending a message across the Atlantic Ocean modifies the verb worked.]
Using Modifiers Correctly Practice
Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs
For each of the following sentences, tell whether the italicized word or word group functions as an adjective or an adverb.
- How many birds would you guess are sitting in the tallest tree?
- The chipmunk quickly disappeared into a hole in the ground.
- The kite soared majestically over the treetops.
- Stephan always has more homework than his brother.
- Since he left the White House in 1981, Jimmy Carter has stayed active internationally as an unofficial diplomat and domestically as a spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity.
- On quiet, moonlit nights, Jason likes to go for long walks.
- Sarah’s paper airplane stayed in the air longer than anyone else’s in her class.
- Photosynthesis, which converts carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen, is the process plants use to turn solar energy into energy they can use.
- The annual wildflower blooms are later than usual this year.
- Although they are not as blind as some people think, many types of bats rely more on smell or sound than on sight to find their way around.