Types of Modifiers
Adjective and Adverb Modifiers
Adjective modifiers describe nouns and pronouns. They tell you about characteristics, qualities, or attributes of the thing they modify.
- Can be single words, phrases, or entire clauses
- Most often appear before the noun they modify: the red car, a tall building
- Can also follow a linking verb: The sky looks blue. Here, "blue" still modifies "sky" even though it comes after the verb.
Adverb modifiers describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They answer questions like how?, when?, where?, or to what extent?
- Many end in -ly (quickly, softly, carefully), but not all do (always, very, soon)
- They're more flexible in where they can appear: She sang beautifully. He always arrives early.
- Some adverbs can modify an entire sentence: Unfortunately, the flight was canceled.
Restrictive and Non-restrictive Modifiers
The difference between these two types affects both comma usage and meaning.
Restrictive modifiers provide essential information. If you remove them, the sentence's core meaning changes. They are not set off by commas.
The book that I borrowed from the library is overdue.
"That I borrowed from the library" tells you which book. Without it, you wouldn't know which book is overdue.
Non-restrictive modifiers add extra, non-essential detail. You can remove them and the main idea stays intact. They are set off by commas.
My sister, who lives in New York, visited last week.
"Who lives in New York" is bonus information. The sentence still makes sense without it.
A quick test: try removing the modifier. If the sentence loses its point, the modifier is restrictive (no commas). If the sentence still works fine, it's non-restrictive (use commas).
Modifier Placement Issues
Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling modifiers occur when the word being modified isn't actually stated in the sentence. The modifier is left "dangling" with nothing to attach to.
Incorrect: Walking down the street, the trees were beautiful.
This reads as though the trees were walking. The person doing the walking is missing from the sentence.
Correct: Walking down the street, I admired the beautiful trees.
Now "walking down the street" clearly modifies "I." To fix a dangling modifier, make sure the subject of the modifying phrase appears right next to it.
Misplaced modifiers are in the sentence, but they're in the wrong spot, so they seem to modify the wrong word.
Misplaced: She only eats vegetables on Tuesdays.
This suggests the only thing she does with vegetables is eat them (as opposed to, say, growing them). That's probably not the intended meaning.
Revised: She eats vegetables only on Tuesdays.
Now "only" clearly modifies "on Tuesdays," meaning Tuesday is the sole day she eats vegetables. The fix is straightforward: move the modifier closer to the word it's meant to modify.
Squinting Modifiers and Placement Rules
A squinting modifier sits between two words it could plausibly modify, so the reader can't tell which one the writer intended. These are also called two-way modifiers.
Ambiguous: Students who study frequently get better grades.
Does "frequently" modify "study" (they study often) or "get" (they often get better grades)? Both readings are valid, which is the problem.
Clear: Students who frequently study get better grades.
Now "frequently" is right next to "study," and the meaning is unambiguous.
General placement rules to follow:
- Place modifiers as close as possible to the word or phrase they modify.
- Single-word adjectives typically go before the noun: a difficult exam.
- Longer modifying phrases or clauses usually go after the noun: the exam that covered three chapters.
- Adverbs are flexible, but always position them so only one reading is possible.
- Be especially careful with only, just, almost, nearly, and even. These words change the meaning of a sentence dramatically depending on where you put them. When in doubt, read the sentence aloud and ask yourself: is it clear which word this modifier describes?