Modifiers

What is a modifier in a sentence?

A modifier in a sentence is a word or group of words that affects the meaning of
another word or group of words. Some of the most common modifiers include the
following:

 Adjectives
 Adverbs
 Participial phrases
 Prepositional phrases
 Adjective clauses
 Adverbial clauses

To use these types of modifiers correctly in your writing, follow the guidelines and
examples below. Other types of modifiers include adjective phrases and adverbial
phrases.

Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify nouns and pronouns. For example, you can use one
or more adjectives before a noun (e.g., “the purple plastic purse”). You can also
use predicate adjectives after the noun and a linking verb—such as “is” or “are” (e.g.,
“The purse is purple and plastic”).

Adjectives as modifiers examplesWe found a beautiful antique gold locket in the creek.
I bought some amazing new leather hiking boots for the camping trip.

Nate Bargatze’s new comedy show is subtle, funny, and relatable.

When you use a series of adjectives for the same noun, they should follow a specific
order if they are from different categories of description. Adjectives from different
categories that modify the same noun are called “cumulative adjectives.” This English
grammar rule is called the “order of adjectives.”

Although you may see some slight variations to the order of adjectives and the number
of categories depending on the source, cumulative adjectives typically follow this order:

 Opinion (e.g., “brilliant” or “boring”)

 Age (e.g., “ancient” or “new”)
 Color (e.g., “teal” or “chartreuse”)
 Material (e.g., “wooden” or “silver”)
 Purpose (e.g., “hiking” or “baking”)
For example, in the phrase “those hideous old brown rubber rain boots,” the five
adjectives follow this exact order.

TipWhen you use two or more adjectives for the same noun, sometimes you need commas. The
rules for using commas between adjectives are as follows:

 If the adjectives are cumulative, which means they are from different categories, you
usually don’t need commas (e.g., “I’m fascinated by the gigantic ancient
stone sculptures on Easter Island”).
 For two or more coordinate adjectives, which are of equal importance or from the same
category, you do need commas (e.g., “My brilliant, talented nieces visited me last
month”). If it would also make sense to put “and” between the two adjectives, a comma is
probably appropriate.

When you need help using adjectives or commas correctly, QuillBot’s free Grammar
Checker can instantly find and fix errors.

Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. An adverb can go
before the adjective or other adverb it modifies as well as before or after a verb.

Many (but not all) adverbs are formed by adding “-ly” to adjectives (e.g., “carefully” is an
adverb, and “careful” is an adjective). Other adverbs that don’t end in “-ly” include
“almost” and “very,” which are both a special type of adverb called qualifiers.

Adverbs as modifiers examplesI took a very brief nap after an exceptionally long day at work.
Nigella carefully and skillfully arranged the flowers in the vase.

The very happily married couple lives in Spain.

TipChoosing whether you need an adjective or an adverb after a verb can be
tricky. Adverbs (e.g., “perfectly”) can go after the action verbs that they
modify. Adjectives (e.g., “perfect”) can go after linking verbs (e.g., “looks,” “feels” or “were”)
when they’re predicate adjectives. The only time an adverb can go after a linking verb is when it
modifies a predicate adjective that comes next.

 The new lamp looks perfectly in the spare bedroom.

 The new lamp looks perfect in the spare bedroom.
 The new lamp looks perfectly fine in the spare bedroom.
 The new lamp matches the furniture perfect.
 The new lamp matches the furniture perfectly.

Participial phrase
A participial phrase is a group of words that begins with a present participle, which is
the “-ing” form of a verb (e.g., “feeding”) or a past participle (e.g., “fed,” “written,”
“gone”).
Participial phrases are like adjectives because they modify nouns and pronouns.
Participial phrases should go right before or right after the nouns they modify.

Participial phrases as modifiers examples The noise we heard last night was
our neighbor feeding the wild raccoons.
Excited about the news, Brittany rushed home to call her parents.

Built in 1957, the house has original hardwood floors and a spacious family room.

Prepositional phrase
Prepositional phrases are another type of modifier with multiple words. A prepositional
phrase always begins with a preposition (e.g., “before” or “under”) and includes a noun
or object pronoun (e.g., “them”), which is the object of the preposition.

The words that prepositional phrases can modify

include nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. When they modify these
words, prepositional phrases give information about “when,” “where,” and “how.”

Prepositional phrases in sentences examples

Prepositional phrase in a sentence Explanation

Please help yourself to the snacks in the The prepositional phrase “in the pantry” specifies where the noun “snacks” is
pantry. located.

If you’re looking for Taylor and The prepositional phrase “with us” provides the location of the antecedent for
Travis, they are with us. “they” (Taylor and Travis).

Summer in San Francisco feels warm during The prepositional phrases “during the day” and “at night” show when it’s warm
the day but chilly at night. and chilly, which are both predicate adjectives in this sentence.

Some people work more efficiently after lunch. The prepositional phrase “after lunch” shows when people work more efficientl

After the football game, several private Two prepositional phrases modify the verb “flew” to show where (“over the
jets flew over the stadium. stadium”) and when (“after the football game”) this happened.

NoteAlthough a prepositional phrase is a modifier, it can also include modifiers. Prepositional

phrases often have one or more adjectives between the preposition and the object of the
preposition. For example, the adjectives “yellow” and “brick” modify “road” in this sentence.

 Dorothy walked on the yellow brick road for hours.

TipThe location of a prepositional phrase affects the meaning of a sentence.

 During the meeting, Phyllis told everyone she got engaged. [The prepositional phrase
modifies “told,” so the sentence says that Phyllis gave everyone this information while
the meeting was happening.]
 Phyllis told everyone she got engaged during the meeting. [The location of this phrase
makes it seem like someone proposed to Phyllis during a meeting.]

As a general rule, prepositional phrases should go as close as possible to the words they modify.

Adjective clause
An adjective clause (also called a relative clause) is a group of words that includes
a relative pronoun (e.g., “who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” or “that”) and a verb (e.g.,
“teaches”). It’s a type of dependent clause, which means that it cannot stand alone as a
complete sentence. For example, the adjective clause “who teaches English in Japan”
is not a complete sentence.

Adjective clauses function as adjectives in sentences because they modify nouns. Like
participle phrases, they need to be close to the nouns that they modify.

Adjective clauses in sentences examplesThe peaches that I bought last weekend are finally ripe
enough to eat.
Nesta, who manages a recycling center, has a degree in environmental engineering.

Kansas City and Philadelphia will play in the Super Bowl, which is on February 9, 2025.

Adverbial clause
An adverbial clause is a type of dependent clause that includes a subordinating
conjunction (e.g., “because,” “when,” or “if”), a subject, and a verb. It modifies
the independent clause in a complex sentence.

For example, in the sentence “Daphne sleeps when it rains,” the independent clause is
“Daphne sleeps.” The adverbial clause “when it rains” modifies the independent
clause.

Adverbial clauses usually go at the beginning or end of a sentence. When an adverbial

clause begins a sentence, use a comma to show where it ends and the independent
clause begins.

Adverbial clauses in sentences examplesIf it rains on St. Patrick’s Day, the parade will be
postponed.
Mitch and Cam bought a new house because they adopted a baby.
Q. Identify modifiers
1. The tired student yawned loudly during the lecture.
2. The red balloon floated gently into the sky.
3. She wore a beautiful dress to the party.
4. The children played happily in the large backyard.
5. We watched a scary movie last night.
6. The exhausted team returned home after the long match.
7. He quickly grabbed his warm jacket before going outside.
8. That tall man is our new neighbor.
9. The clock ticked slowly as we waited.
10. I found an interesting article on that website.
11. Her soft voice calmed the crying baby.
12. The noisy crowd cheered wildly during the game.
13. We saw a broken fence near the garden.
14. His blue jeans were stained with paint.
15. The old library smelled musty and quiet.

Answers:

1. ‘tired’ and ‘loudly’ are modifiers.

2. ‘red’ and ‘gently’ are modifiers.
3. ‘beautiful’ is the modifier.
4. ‘happily’ and ‘large’ are modifiers.
5. ‘scary’ and ‘last’ are modifiers.
6. ‘exhausted’ and ‘long’ are modifiers.
7. ‘quickly’ and ‘warm’ are modifiers.
8. ‘tall’ and ‘new’ are modifiers.
9. ‘slowly’ is the modifier.
10. ‘interesting’ and ‘that’ are modifiers.
11. ‘soft’ and ‘crying’ are modifiers.
12. ‘noisy’ and ‘wildly’ are modifiers.
13. ‘broken’ and ‘near the garden’ are modifiers.
14. ‘blue’ is the modifier.
15. ‘old,’ ‘musty,’ and ‘quiet’ are modifiers.

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Modifier

Modifiers can change the entire meaning of a sentence if used incorrectly. Choose the
word that best fits the sentence and makes it grammatically correct.

1. He ran (quickly/quickly) to catch the train.

2. The soup tastes (good/well).
3. She looked (happy/happily) after hearing the news.
4. They performed the task (efficient/efficiently).
 5. The team responded (quick/quickly) to the emergency.
6. He plays the guitar (beautiful/beautifully).
7. That movie was (amazing/amazingly).
8. She completed the test (accurate/accurately).
9. The room smelled (strange/strangely) after the experiment.
10. He behaved (bad/badly) in front of the guests.
11. They danced (graceful/gracefully) across the stage.
12. This cake tastes (delicious/deliciously).
13. She drives (careful/carefully) in bad weather.
14. He remained (calm/calmly) even under pressure.
15. Please speak (clear/clearly) into the microphone.

Answers:

1. quickly
2. good
3. happy
4. efficiently
5. quickly
6. beautifully
7. amazing
8. accurately
9. strange
10. badly
11. gracefully
12. delicious
13. carefully
14. calm
15. clearly