What Is a Modifier? | Definition, Examples & Tips
A modifier is an adjective, adverb, or group of words that describes or limits the meaning of one or more other words in a sentence. The word “modify” means “to change.” When used correctly, modifiers make writing more precise.
For example, by itself, the noun “shirt” isn’t very precise. However, with modifiers like the ones below, “shirt” can have a variety of slightly different meanings. As the examples illustrate, a word or group of words can have more than one modifier in the same sentence.
The green button-down shirt in the laundry basket needs to be ironed.
My favorite flannel shirt, which belonged to my grandfather, has a hole in the front pocket.
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
- Participle 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”).
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 there are different versions of the order of adjectives, cumulative adjectives often go in 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.
- 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.
Nigella carefully and skillfully arranged the flowers in the vase.
The very happily married couple lives in Spain.
- 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.
Participle phrase
A participle 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 particle, which is the same word as the simple past tense form of a regular verb (e.g., “excited”) or an irregular verb (e.g., “built”).
Participle phrases are like adjectives because they modify nouns and pronouns. Participle phrases should go right before or right after the nouns they modify.
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.” A sentence can have more than one prepositional phrase to modify the same word or different words.
Prepositional phrase in a sentence | Explanation |
---|---|
Please help yourself to the snacks in the pantry. | The prepositional phrase “in the pantry” specifies where the noun “snacks” is located. |
If you’re looking for Taylor and Travis, they are with us. | The prepositional phrase “with us” provides the location of the antecedent for “they” (Taylor and Travis). |
Summer in San Francisco feels warm during the day but chilly at night. | The prepositional phrases “during the day” and “at night” show when it’s warm 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 efficiently. |
After the football game, several private jets flew over the stadium. | Two prepositional phrases modify the verb “flew” to show where (“over the stadium”) and when (“after the football game”) this happened. |
- Dorothy walked on the yellow brick road for hours.
- 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 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.
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.
Mitch and Cam bought a new house because they adopted a baby.
How to fix a dangling modifier
When using modifiers, one error to avoid is a dangling modifier, which doesn’t modify anything in its sentence. This error happens when a sentence is missing the noun that the modifier is supposed to describe.
For example, in the sentence “Walking in the French Quarter, a violinist performed music for tips,” if the violinist isn’t the person walking, the participle phrase “walking in the French Quarter” dangles because the sentence is missing the noun that it modifies. The error gives the impression that the violinist was the person walking.
Anytime you use a modifier, make sure that the sentence includes the noun you’re modifying. You can fix a dangling modifier in two ways:
- Revise the dangling modifier to include the noun.
- Revise the rest of the sentence to include the noun.
- Watching TV on the couch, my phone suddenly rang.
- While I was watching TV on the couch, my phone suddenly rang.
- Watching TV on the couch, I was surprised when my phone suddenly rang.
How to fix a misplaced modifier
Modifiers should go as close as possible to the words that they modify. When modifiers aren’t in the right place, they describe the wrong word and change the sentence’s meaning. This type of error is called a misplaced modifier.
To fix a misplaced modifier, move the modifier closer to the word that it describes. For example, you can move a modifier from the end of a sentence to the beginning or vice versa.
- Jake wore a vest to the music festival with sequins and feathers. [The music festival doesn’t necessarily have sequins and feathers, so this is a misplaced modifier.]
- Jake wore a vest with sequins and feathers to the music festival. [The prepositional phrase is closest to the noun it modifies, which is “vest.”]
- Lily sang a song about sunflowers at the concert. [The sunflowers were not at the concert, so this prepositional phrase is a misplaced modifier.]
- At the concert, Lily sang a song about sunflowers. [The prepositional phrase is closest to the noun it modifies, which is “Lily.”]
Frequently asked questions about modifiers
- What is the definition of a modifier?
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The definition of a modifier is “a word, phrase, or clause that modifies another word, phrase, or clause in a sentence.” The word “modify” means “to change.”
Modifiers—such as adjectives, adjective phrases, adjective clauses adverbs, adverbial phrases, adverbial clauses, participle phrases, and prepositional phrases—enhance or limit the meaning of the words they modify.
For example, in the sentence, “Erin bought a blue convertible car,” the adjectives “blue” and “convertible” modify the noun “car.”
Modifiers should usually go as close as possible to the words they modify. When you’re writing with modifiers, try QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to avoid errors.
- What is a compound modifier?
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A compound modifier is two or more words that act as a single adjective to modify a noun. Another term for this is “compound adjective.”
For example, in the sentence “The committee hired a well-known author to speak at the conference,” the compound modifier “well-known” describes the noun “author.”
Compound modifiers are often connected with a hyphen (e.g., “my eight-year-old daughter” or “self-cleaning oven”).
When you’re writing with compound modifiers, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors.
- What is a squinting modifier?
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A squinting modifier, also known as an ambiguous modifier, is a modifier that could possibly modify two different parts of the sentence.
The following sentence has a squinting modifier:
“Paolo works in a restaurant serving shrimp.”
In this sentence, it is unclear if Paolo’s specific job is serving shrimp in a restaurant or if the restaurant is dedicated specifically to shrimp.This can be clarified as either of the following two sentences:
- “Paolo works serving shrimp in a restaurant.” [indicating that Paolo serves shrimp]
- “Paolo works in a restaurant that serves shrimp.” [indicating that the restaurant serves shrimp]
- What’s the difference between dangling and misplaced modifiers?
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A dangling modifier is a modifier that does not have a subject within the sentence. In contrast, a misplaced modifier does have a subject, but the modifier and the subject being modified are separated.
The following sentence has a dangling modifier:
“Eager to leave the room, the presentation ended early.”
In this sentence, there is no subject indicating who was eager to leave the room.In contrast, this sentence has a misplaced modifier:
“The frazzled woman’s hair was difficult to comb.”
The placement of the modifier “frazzled” makes it unclear if it is the woman who was frazzled or her hair.A clearer structure would be the following:
“The woman’s frazzled hair was difficult to comb.”