WORD OF THE
DAY
USING MODIFIERS
CORRECTLY
MODIFIER
A modifier is a word, a phrase, or a clause that make the meaning of a word
or word group more specific. The two kinds of modifiers are adjectives and
adverbs.
Adjectives - An adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of
being of nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast. They can also
describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven.
Adverbs - An adverb is a word that can modify or describe a verb, adjective,
another adverb, or entire sentence. Adverbs can be used to show manner
(how something happens), degree (to what extent), place (where), and time
(when).
ADJECTIVES
Adjectives make the meaning of nouns and pronouns more
specific.
Ex.
That one is my favorite.
Does Stephen know the secret combination?
Esteban has saved more money than I have.
Four horses grazed peacefully at the foot of the hill.
Connecticut is beautiful in early June.
1. I bought a red dress for the wedding.
2. I have eight apples.
3. The food is delicious.
4. My brother is naughty.
5. The movie we watched last night was boring.
6. Pablo Picasso is a fine artist.
7. The weather in Chennai is sultry all round the year.
8. Now is a great time to visit the United States.
9. It was a fabulous drive.
10. The Marina Beach is the longest beach in India.
Adverbs
Adverbs make the meaning of verbs, adjectives and other
adverbs more specific.
Ex.
The car backfired loudly.
The painting is quite old.
The bear traveled surprisingly quickly.
The morning are warm and clear and the sun is rising
early.
1. The weather here is very cold.
2. I am extremely sorry for the delay.
3. You will receive an OTP and on entering it, your account will
be instantly activated.
4. The journal is published quarterly.
5. Can you please finish it soon so that I can use the table.
6. She seldom goes to the salon.
7. Christin did not find the blue file anywhere.
8.Sometimes, I like to go on a trip alone just to clear my mind and have a
break from this busy schedule.
9. This seems to be too absurd.
10. The teacher asked her students to take the project seriously as it
would be considered for internal marks.
PHRASES USED AS MODIFIERS
Like one-word modifiers, phrases can also be used as adjectives and adverbs.
Phrases – A phrase is a group of words that forms a grammatical
component. It can be used to communicate something. It is a part of a
sentence and cannot stand on its own. Phrases provide more information
about whatever the sentence is speaking about.
Ex.
The cat with the short tail is my favorite.
Mr. Rodriguez planted the new bushes along the fence.
You feel your hair being flown in a thousand directions .
1. We visited Burj Khalifa, the tallest building
in the world.
2. The Eiffel Tower, situated in Paris, is one of
the wonders of the world.
3. The pollution caused by city traffic created
smog in the streets.
4. The dress with floral designs made her
look young.
5. The passport application to go abroad was
rejected.
Clauses Used as Modifiers
Like word and phrases, clauses can also be used as modifiers.
Clauses – Clauses used as modifiers, also known as subordinate
or dependent clauses, describe another part of the sentence. They
cannot stand alone as a sentence. There are two main types of
clauses: adjective clauses and adverb clauses.
Ex.
Spaghetti is the food that I like best.
Before Mario went downstairs, he washed his face and hands.
1. Her baby, whose eyes were blue in color, smiled at me.
2. The girl who studied in the opposite college became my roommate.
3. The teacher who always wore red shades switched to black color.
4. The antique jewelry store that was built a hundred years ago was
demolished.
5. The clouds that looked scary changed shapes rapidly.
Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
When adjectives and adverbs are used in comparisons,
they take different forms. The specific form they take
depends upon how many things are being compared. The
different forms are called degrees of comparison.
The three degrees of comparison of modifiers are the
positive, the comparative, and the superlative.
POSITIVE DEGREE
The comparative degree is used when three
or more things are being compared.
Ex.
In my opinion, Nilda is a better book than
Felita.
Juanita runs more quickly than Zac.
Which of the two horses jumped more
gracefully?
COMPARATIVE DEGREE
The superlative degree is used when three or more
things are being compared.
Ex.
Nilda is one of the best book I’ve read.
Which member of the team runs most quickly?
REGULAR
COMPARISON
Most one – syllable modifiers from the comparative degree by
adding –er and the superlative degree by adding –est.
Positive Comparative Superlative
near nearer nearest
sad sadder saddest
cute cuter cutest
bright brighter brightest
Two-syllable modifiers can form the comparative
degree by adding -est or by using most.
Positive Comparative Superlative
fancy fancier fanciest
lonely lonelier loneliest
cheerful more cheerful most cheerful
quickly more quickly most quickly
Note, When you add -er or -est to some
modifiers, you may also need to change
the spelling of the base word.
sad sadder saddest
cute cuter cutest
fancy fancier fanciest
Modifiers that have three or more syllables form the
comparative degrees by using more and the
superlative degree by using most.
Modifiers that have three or more syllables form the
comparative degrees by using more and the
superlative degree by using most.
Positive Comparative Superlative
difficult more difficult most difficult
interesting more interesting most interesting
skillfully more skillfully most skillfully
Decreasing Comparison
To show a decrease in the qualities they express,
modifiers from the comparative degree by using
Less and the superlative degree by using least.
Positive Comparative Superlative
clean less clean least clean
humorous less humorous least humorous
carefully less carefully least carefully
Irregular Comparison
Some modifiers do not form their comparative and superlative
degrees by using the regular methods.
Positive Comparative Superlative
good better best
well better best
bad worse worst
many more most
much more most
Take Note,
You do not need to add -er/-est, more/most,
or less/least to an irregular comparison.
For example, worse, all by itself, is the
comparative form of bad. Worser and more
worse are non-standard forms.
