Modifierers - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Title: Modifierers
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Modifierers
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Modifier
- Word (or word group) that makes the meaning of
another word (or word group) more specific - Adjectives
- Modify nouns or pronouns
- Adverbs
- Modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs
- Phrases and Clauses
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Modifiers in the predicate
- Ask
- Does it modify the subject?
- Then, its an adjective (a predicate adjective,
to be specific) - Does it modify the verb? Or another
adjective/adverb? - Then, its an adverb
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Phrases and Clauses
- Acting as adjectives and adverbs, phrases and
clauses can also be modifiers
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Troublesome Modifiers
- Bad adjective
- You are bad.
- Good adjective
- You are good.
- Slow, in formal usage adjective (informally, it
can be either) - Real adjective meaning actual or genuine
- That is a real leather purse.
- Badly adverb
- You did badly.
- Well adverb
- You did well
- Slowly adverb
- Really adverb meaning truly or actually
- This is really a leather purse.
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Modifiers for comparison
- Three forms modifiers take for comparison
- Positive regular form (close)
- Comparative comparing to one other thing
(closer) - Superlative comparing to all things (closest)
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Comparison
- One Syllable words
- Add er or est
- e.g. Fast becomes faster and fastest
- Two syllable words
- Add er or est
- Or you can add more or most
- e.g. lovely becomes lovelier or more lovely
- Three syllable words
- Add more or most
- e.g. fortunate becomes more fortunate and most
fortunate
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Comparison
- Note some are irregular
- Bad becomes worse and worst
- Many becomes more and most
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Home flavored work
- Chapter 8 Ex. 1, 2, 3, 4 Rev. A
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Dangling Modifiers
- A modifying word, phrase, or clause that does not
clearly and sensibly modify a word or word group
in a sentence - AVOID USING THESE!
- They make the meaning of the sentence unclear
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Danglers
- Frustrated, all of the scientists data were
reexamined. - Looking back over my shoulder, the team went into
a huddle. - Riding to the store, my front bicycle tire went
flat. - To qualify for the Olympics, man trial heats must
be won.
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Misplaced Modifiers
- A word, phrase, or clause that seems to modify
the wrong word or word group. - AVOID USING THESE!
- Place Modifiers as close as possible to the word
they modify
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Misplaced Modifiers
- Alone, thoughts of returning soon comforted the
astronaut. - I found a huge boulder taking a shortcut through
the woods. - You will need a crescent wrench to assemble the
bookshelf. - The bowls slipped off the table, which was full
of gravy, and broke. - The spelunkers saw many bats hanging upside down
while they were exploring the caves. - Each player will receive a trophy that wins the
tournament.
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Modifier Placement Matters
- Only on Saturdays, my brother and I watch
cartoons for an hour. - On Saturdays, my only brother and I watch
cartoons for an hour. - On Saturdays, my brother and I watch only
cartoons for an hour. - On Saturdays, my brother and I watch cartoons for
only an hour.
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Home flavored work
- Chapter 8 Ex. 5, 6, 7 Rev. B, C
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