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Lecture 18-Modifiers 1

The document discusses modifiers and how they are used to provide additional details and description to sentences. It defines modifiers as words or phrases that modify the meaning of sentences. Some key points: - Modifiers can be single words (adjectives, adverbs) or phrases and clauses that function similarly. - Proper placement of modifiers is important to avoid ambiguities from misplaced, dangling, or squinting modifiers. - Examples are provided to demonstrate different types of modifiers like adjectival and adverbial phrases/clauses and how they can be used to modify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs for more descriptive and clear meaning.

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86 views24 pages

Lecture 18-Modifiers 1

The document discusses modifiers and how they are used to provide additional details and description to sentences. It defines modifiers as words or phrases that modify the meaning of sentences. Some key points: - Modifiers can be single words (adjectives, adverbs) or phrases and clauses that function similarly. - Proper placement of modifiers is important to avoid ambiguities from misplaced, dangling, or squinting modifiers. - Examples are provided to demonstrate different types of modifiers like adjectival and adverbial phrases/clauses and how they can be used to modify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs for more descriptive and clear meaning.

Uploaded by

khadija javed
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mastering the Mechanics: Modifiers

Atta Ur Rehman Jadoon


[email protected]
She sprang from the bed and dressed hurriedly;
she had only five minutes to get ready.

“From the bed” modifies the verb “sprang,” because it


tells us from where she sprang; “hurriedly” modifies
the verb “dressed” because it tells us how she dressed;
and “only five” tells us that her time is short.
What are modifiers
 How do you specify what somebody
• Words that modify looks like? With modifiers.
their sentences’ meanings.  How do you describe how an action
is being performed? With a modifier.
 How do you communicate where,
when, or how something happened?
You guessed it— with modifiers.
I rode the train.

I rode the earliest train into the city.


• Modifiers make sentences  Both example complete
• more descriptive or detailed sentences, but only one
• meaning clearer provides additional details
• more specific about the train ride.
• more engaging  The second sentence is more
descriptive because of the
modifiers it contains.
Modifier Modifier Phrase

I rode the earliest train into the city.

• While a modifier is a single word that alters a sentence’s


meaning, a modifier phrase is a phrase that functions as a
modifier.
• This is similar to how adjective phrases are phrases that
function as adjectives, noun phrases are phrases that function as
nouns, and other grammatical phrases function as specific parts
of speech.
A few examples of single words that may
be used as modifiers are:
 First
 Yellow Modifier phrases, which can be adverbial or
 Outdoor adjectival phrases, are phrases like:
 Flying  Beneath the car
 A somewhat slow
 Without a care

Sometimes, clauses act as modifiers. These, too, are generally


either adverbial or adjectival and can look like:
 When the sun rises
 Who wore gray jeans
 With excitement in her eyes
Modifier phrases in action:
 We waited until the last minute to mention our
concerns.
 The kid with green sneakers kicked the ball.

Modifier clauses working in sentences:


 My sister won the contest, as she had hoped.
 The pedestrian, who had been waiting for fifteen
minutes, didn’t step aside.
How are modifiers structured?
• Typically, modifiers are placed right beside the noun they’re
modifying. Usually, this means right before or after the noun:
• My calico cat is always by my side.
• The girls ordered a pizza without sauce.
• This is also true when they’re modifying a verb or adjective:
• He bought a bright blue van.
• I told the students to listen carefully to the lecture.

When a modifier isn’t in this position, it can make the sentence


confusing for a reader or listener. This is known as a misplaced
modifier.
Who is Pumpkin? Is it
Misplaced Modifier the sister or the car?

• Word, phrase, or clause


that is improperly  They bought a car for my sister they call
separated from the word Pumpkin.
it modifies / describes.  We built a house for them out of bricks.
• Makes the meaning of a
sentence ambiguous or
wrong. Did they run out of bricks? Did we
build a house using bricks? Did they
previously live in bricks?
Fixing Misplaced Modifier

Moving the  They bought a car for my sister they call


modifier to a Pumpkin.
more sensible  We built a house for them out of bricks.
place in the
sentence

They bought a car that they call


Pumpkin for my sister..
We built a house out of bricks for them.
Misplaced Modifier: Adjectives
• Misplaced adjectives are incorrectly separated from the nouns they
modify and almost always distort the intended meaning.

The torn student’s book lay on the desk.

The student’s torn book lay on the desk.


Misplaced Modifier: Adverbs
• Placement of adverbs can also change meaning in sentences.
• Look how the placement of just can change the sentence's meaning

Just means only John was


Just John was picked to host the program picked, no one else

Just means that John hosted only


the program, nothing else
John was picked to host just the program

Just means that John


John was just picked to host the program was picked now
Dangling modifier
Doesn’t modify any
specific word in the  After reading the book, the movie was
sentence great.
 Before leaving, a squirrel crossed the
Not clearly and logically sidewalk.
related to the word or words it
modifies (i.e. is placed next
to).

You might be able to guess what these sentences are


communicating, but they feel awkward as their modifiers aren’t
actually modifying any nouns.
Fixing Dangling modifier

Changing the main part  After reading the book, the movie was
of the sentence so that great.
it begins with the  Before leaving, a squirrel crossed the
term actually modified sidewalk.
and this change will put
the modifier next to the
term it modifies
 After reading the book, I thought the
movie was great.
 Before leaving, I watched a squirrel cross
the sidewalk.
Squinting modifiers
Makes the meaning of a  The kids who played at the
sentence ambiguous playground sometimes bought ice cream.
 Emi hoped when class was over she could
because it is unclear
check her phone.
whether it modifies text
before it or after it
Fixing Squinting modifiers
 The kids who played at the
Can be fixed by playground sometimes bought ice cream.
changing its position  Emi hoped when class was over she could
in the sentence or by check her phone.
restructuring

When class was over, Emi hoped she could


check her phone.
Emi hoped she could check her phone when
class was over.
Adjectives and Adverbs perform the
Kinds of modifiers function of modifiers.

An adjective An adverb
• Describes a noun • Modifies a verb, adjective, or
• Adjective phrases perform the another adverb.
same functions as adverbs. . • Adverbial phrases perform the
• An adjective phrase can act as a same functions as adverbs.
modifier. • An adverb phrase can act as a
modifier.
• Adjective phrases working as modifiers:
• The building that was taller than the others was prone to power outages.
• Our generally aloof cat surprised us by accepting the new kitten.
• Adjective clauses can work as modifiers too.
• Kiara, a student who had recently transferred, asked about the school’s
testing schedule.
• The service that catered our parties just increased their prices.
• And of course, single adjectives can be used as modifiers too:
• I want to go to the retro arcade for my birthday.
• They saw a yellow bird in the garden.
• Single adjectives includes possessive adjectives:
• The paint splattered all over my car.
Kinds of modifiers
• Adverb as modifiers:
• She performed her solo perfectly.
• We are very experienced designers.
• Adverbial phrases as modifiers:
• She performed her solo with perfect pitch.
• We have years of experience as designers.
• Writers also modify sentences with adverbial clauses like:
• The band played like a high school garage band plays.
• They hung their clothes like the closet was a boutique.
Kinds of modifiers
• Prepositional phrases can also be used as modifiers. Here are a few
example sentences:
• The woman with blue hair bought four chairs.
• All the fish in the lake play a role in the ecosystem.
• Limiting modifiers are modifiers that add detail by describing the
limits a noun, pronoun, or other subject in a sentence faces.
• Words that are often used as limiting modifiers include: Always, Only,
Just, Simply, Almost
• In a sentence, a limiting modifier can look like this:
• I just want to go on vacation.
Please Attempt Exercise at MS Teams

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