Modifiers

Overview

A modifier is a word or group of words that adds description or detail to a sentence. Modifiers help answer questions like:

• Which one?

• What kind?

• How many?

• When? Where? How?

Two main types of modifiers

 Adjectives  – describe nouns

• Example: The red car sped by.

(“Red” tells us what kind of car)

Adverbs  – describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs

• Example: She ran quickly.

(“Quickly” tells us how she ran)

More examples

Adjective Modifiers:

• I bought a delicious sandwich. (What kind of sandwich? Delicious.)

• They found a lost puppy. (Which puppy? Lost.)

 Adverb Modifiers:

• He speaks loudly. (How does he speak? Loudly.)

• We arrived early. (When did we arrive? Early.)

Misplaced modifiers

A misplaced modifier is in the wrong spot, making the sentence confusing or funny.

 Wrong:

• She almost drove her kids to school every day.

(“Almost” is in the wrong place — did she almost drive or almost every day?)

Right:

• She drove her kids to school almost every day.

Helpful tip

 Put modifiers as close as possible to the word they describe to keep your meaning clear.