Katina Hoffman

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Modifiers

• Katina Hoffman

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Modifier

• a word, phrase, or sentence element that limits
  or qualifies the sense of another word, phrase,
  or element in the same construction
• effective when correctly selected and placed in a
  sentence

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Adjectives and Adverbs modifiers

• Adjectives (Which one? How many? What kind?)
• nouns sweet tea, orange soda
• pronouns He is awesome.
  
• Adverbs (How often? To what extent? When? Where?
  How? And Why?)
• verbs soundly asleep
• adj. generally nice person
• other adv. very well
• clauses Honestly, I find algebra useless.

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Note!

• bad, good, real, less (for uncountable), fewer
  (for countable) are ADJECTIVES.
• badly, well, really, farther (distance), and
  further (extent, time or number) are ADVERBS.
• well referring to health is a ADJECTIVE

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Comparative and Superlative modifiers

• Comparative compare exactly two things. They end
  in er or are followed by more.
• Cars with V8 engines are faster on the road than
  cars that are four cylinder.
• The mall is more expensive than the flea market.
• Superlative compare three or more things. They
  end in est or are followed by most.
• Today is the hottest day of the summer.
• Dane Cook is the most entertaining comedian.

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Irregular Comparatives Superlative

• Adjective
• good
• bad
• little
• many, much
• Adverb
• well
• badly

• Comparative Superlative
• better best
• worse worst
• less least
• more most

• Comparative Superlative
• better best
• worse worst

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Donts
Dos
and

• Do name elements
• being compared if they
• are not clear.
• Dont Dogs are better.
• Do Dogs are better
• than cats.
• Dont Derek Jeter is the
• hottest.
• Do Derek Jeter is the
• hottest baseball player.

• Do not use -er or est
• and more or most in
• same sentence.
• Dont Moes is more better
• than Taco Bell.
• Do Moes is better than
• Taco Bell.

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Dont use Double Negatives

• Avoid doubling the following negative words
• barely nobody nothing
• hardly none scarcely
• neither no one
• Using two negatives will be the opposite
• of what your trying to convey

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Double Negatives continued..

• Dont I dont want no trouble.
• Do I dont want any trouble.
• Dont Nobody knows nothing about astronomy in
  this class.
• Do Nobody knows anything about astronomy in this
  class.

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Absolute Modifiers

• unique words meaning one of a kind, therefore,
  comparative and superlatives are not needed
• Examples of Absolute Modifiers
• absolute infinite
• impossible unique
• perfect whole

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Limiting Modifiers

• words such as almost, even, hardly, just,
  merely, nearly, not, only and simply that should
  always go immediately before the word or words
  they modify. If you separate the two, you risk
  confusing your reader.
• Dont Krispy Kreme only serves doughnuts and
  beverages.
• Do Krispy Kreme serves only doughnuts and
  beverages.

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Disruptive Modifiers

• modifiers that disrupt a sentence
• placing modifying clauses and phrases between a
  subject and verb, between a verb and an object,
  within a verb phrase
• Dont The forest fire, no longer held in check
  by the exhausted firefighters, jumped the
  firebreak.
• Do No longer held in check by the exhausted
  firefighters, the forest fire jumped the
  firebreak.

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Dangling Modifiers

• Dangling modifiers do not have a word to modify.
  Missing nouns or pronouns causes dangling
  modifiers.
• Always eliminate dangling modifiers
• Example Though it preceded Woodstock, popular
  music history often obscures the Monterey Pop
  Festival.
• Rewritten Though the Monterey Pop Festival
  preceded Woodstock, it is often obscured by
  popular music history.

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Hope you were paying attention because now its
Quiz Time!
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Quiz

• Which is correct?
• a) Moe's is more better than Taco Bell.
• b) Moe's is better than Taco Bell.
• c) Dogs are better.
• 2. Which of these is not an absolute modifier?
• a) unique
• b) whole
• c) perfect
• d) cute
• 3. Superlatives compare..
• a) exactly two things
• b) three or more things
• c) none of the above