{"id":11189,"date":"2020-02-21T17:51:26","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T22:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transfer.writingcommons.org\/?post_type=section&p=11189"},"modified":"2024-02-11T11:19:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T11:19:35","slug":"modifiers","status":"publish","type":"section","link":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/grammar\/modifiers\/","title":{"rendered":"Modifiers, Modification"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Modifiers<\/em> are words<\/a>, phrases<\/a>, or clauses<\/a> that describe another <\/meta>word<\/a> in a sentence<\/a>. Modifiers change the sentence meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Modifiers<\/em> change the meaning of a sentence by adding details and qualifying information. Generally, English places modifiers as close to the word (or group of words) they describe as possible. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. When modifiers<\/em> are placed in their proper position in a sentence, they add details and qualifying information that help readers, listeners, users . . <\/a>. better interpret the text<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. When modifiers<\/em> are placed in positions that confuse the sentence’s meaning, they may be called an unclear <\/em>or awkward.<\/em> Or, people may say it’s confusing, vague, and just doesn’t make sense. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Related Concepts: Clarity<\/a>; <\/a>Edit for Modification<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    “I shot an elephant in my pajamas this morning. How he got in my pajamas, I don’t know” (Groucho Marx). <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    If you think about modifiers as being similar to adjectives, it may help you to understand their function in a sentence. For example, you may remember that an adjective describes something about a noun. In this example, this real estate advertisement uses several adjectives in bold to describe the noun (house): <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    This quain<\/strong>t and cozy<\/strong> little 1940s<\/strong> house is located in a prime location in the Seminole Heights community:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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    Since marketers know that potential home buyers are reading many house listings, they want to keep their readers\u2019 attention on the important details in the most concise way possible. Both adjectives and modifiers can be persuasive to readers by directing their attention to specific features of your topic.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Modifiers change the sentence meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Used correctly, modifiers<\/em> can help you to create more sentence variety and details in your text. Consider the following sentence, which was written as part of a scholarship application:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    While visiting Puerto Rico as part of my school\u2019s service learning program,<\/strong> I learned about a non-profit organization that educates people about overfishing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    In this example, the writer uses one sentence instead of several to explain relevant information about both her academic career and her particular interest in environmental issues. Notice that the modifier in bold describes the nearby subject, which is the pronoun I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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