Scribd
Upload
110 views2 pages

What Are Modifiers?: Dangling Modifiers Other Problematic Modifiers

Modifiers are words that add detail or context to other words in a sentence. They clarify, qualify, or limit the meaning of nouns and verbs. Common modifiers include adjectives and adverbs. Modifiers should be placed close to the words they modify to avoid confusion. Misplaced modifiers can change the intended meaning of a sentence. Limiting modifiers like "only" and "always" enforce restrictions on the words they precede, so care must be taken with their placement.

Uploaded by

Marjorie Caraan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
110 views2 pages

What Are Modifiers?: Dangling Modifiers Other Problematic Modifiers

Modifiers are words that add detail or context to other words in a sentence. They clarify, qualify, or limit the meaning of nouns and verbs. Common modifiers include adjectives and adverbs. Modifiers should be placed close to the words they modify to avoid confusion. Misplaced modifiers can change the intended meaning of a sentence. Limiting modifiers like "only" and "always" enforce restrictions on the words they precede, so care must be taken with their placement.

Uploaded by

Marjorie Caraan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

What Are Modifiers?

A working definition for the word “modify” is to change or to alter something.


This definition is the same when considering the purpose of modifiers within a
sentence.

A modifier changes, clarifies, qualifies, or limits a particular word in a sentence


in order to add emphasis, explanation, or detail. Modifiers tend to be
descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs. Modifier phrases, such as
adjective clauses and adverbial phrases, also exist and tend to describe
adjectives and adverbs.

To illustrate the power of modifiers, consider the following simple sentence:

Sarah was a sure fit for junior prom queen.

Now consider the same sentence with multiple modifiers added:

The blonde girl named Sarah, who was a foreign exchange student from
England, quickly climbed the ladder of popularity during her junior year,
smiling her way through cheerleading and an ASB presidency term she
inched near the top and was a sure fit as junior prom queen.

The additional details in the sentence, by way of modifiers, engage the reader
and hold their attention.

Like most writing techniques, modifiers can be brilliant when used correctly
and effectively. On the other hand, if a modifier is used incorrectly, the
meaning of the sentence can become blurred or distorted. This is true with
dangling modifiers and other problematic modifiers.

Misplaced Modifiers
One of the most common problems is where to place them. Specifically,
modifiers can cause confusion or unintentional humor in a sentence when
they are placed too far from the noun they are modifying. For example,
consider the following sentence:

They bought a car for my sister they call Pumpkin.


In this sentence, Pumpkin is the car’s name, not the sister’s, but this isn’t
clear. This confusion and unintentional humor is the result of a misplaced
modifier. To correct this error, move the modifier closer to the noun it modifies:

They bought a car they call Pumpkin for my sister.

Limiting Modifiers Limiting modifiers such as only and always enforce


restrictions on the subject, noun, or pronoun they immediately precede. The
following is a list of other common limiting modifiers:

 Just

 Almost

 Hardly

 At first

 Simply

If a limiting modifier does not precede the subject or noun, the meaning of an
entire sentence can change. Notice the difference in the following sentences:

Only Jessica wants pizza.

This sentence implies that Jessica is the only person who wants pizza.

Jessica wants pizza only.

On the other hand, the sentence above indicates that Jessica wants pizza and
nothing else.

The best way to ensure that a limited modifier is used right in a sentence is to
consider the meaning that is to be conveyed and ensure the subject or noun
associated with that meaning is placed as close as possible to the limited
modifier.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/modifiers/

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy