Modifiers
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that adds detail or changes (modifies) another word in the sentence. Descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs are examples of modifiers.
The Role of Modifiers in a Sentence
Modifiers make a sentence more descriptive and interesting.
Look at these simple sentences. Notice how much more interesting they are with modifiers added.
| Simple sentence | With Modifiers Added |
| I drove. | I drove my family along snowy roads to my grandmother’s house. |
| They ate. | They ate a fruit salad of blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and apples. |
| The boy looked. | The boy in pajamas looked out the window at the birds eating from the feeder. |
| He climbed. | He climbed the ladder to fix the roof. |
Look at the modifiers in bold type in the following sentences. Notice how these words add description to the basic idea in the sentence.
| Modifier | Word It Modifies | Type | |
| The hungry man ate quickly. |
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| The small child, who had scraped his knee , cried quietly. |
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| The horse standing near the fence is beautiful |
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| Hana and Mario stood by the lake and watched a gorgeous sunset. |
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| They tried to duck out of the way as the large spider dangled from the ceiling. |
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DID YOU KNOW?
Adjectives and adverbs are not the only modifiers. With a participle phrase, an -ing verb can act as a modifier. For example, eating from the feeder modifies the birds . With an infinitive, to plus the main form of a verb can act as a modifier. For example, to fix the roof modifies climbed.
Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is placed incorrectly in a sentence, so that it modifies the wrong word.
A dangling modifier is a modifier that modifies a word that should be included in the sentence but is not.
Look at these examples.
- First, notice the modifier, in bold.
- Next, look for the word it modifies.
BE CAREFUL!
Sometimes there is a modifier within a modifier. For example, in the clause as the large spider dangled, the and large are words that modify spider.
| Incorrect | Problem | How to Fix It | Correct |
| Sam wore his new shirt to school, which was too big for him. | Misplaced modifier. Notice the placement of the modifier which was too big for him . It is placed after the word school , which makes it seem like school is the word it describes. However, this was not the writer’s intention. The writer intended for which was too big for him to describe the word shirt. | The modifier needs to be placed after the word shirt , rather than after the word school . | Sam wore his new shirt, which was too big for him , to school. | Running down the hallway , Maria’s bag of groceries fell. | Dangling modifier. The modifier running down the hallway is placed before the phrase Maria’s bag of groceries, which makes it seem this is what it describes. However, this was not the writer’s intention; the bag of groceries cannot run! The correct reference would be the noun Maria , which was omitted from the sentence completely. | The modifier must reference Maria, rather than Maria’s bag of groceries . This can be fixed by adding the noun Maria as a subject. | Running down the hallway , Maria dropped her bag of groceries. | With a leash on , my sister walked the dog. | Misplaced modifier. The modifier with a leash on is placed before my sister , which makes it seem like she is wearing a leash. | Move the modifier so that it is next to the dog, rather than my sister. | My sister walked the dog, who had a leash on. |
Let’s Review!
- A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that adds detail by describing or modifying another word in the sentence.
- Adverbs, adjectives, articles, and prepositional phrases are some examples of modifiers.
- Misplaced and dangling modifiers have unclear references, leading to confusion about the meaning of a sentence.
BE CAREFUL!
A modifier should be placed next to the word it modifies. Misplaced and dangling modifiers lead to confusion about the meaning of a sentence.
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