 Using Modifiers Defining Modifiers A modifier is a word or group of words that gives more information about another word in the sentence. In the following sentences, the modifiers are in red. I always listen to the radio on my way to work. The word always modifies the word listen because it offers more information about how often the writer listens to the radio. Waving goodbye to her family, Jill began her road trip to Tennessee. The words waving goodbye to her family modify the word Jill because they offer more information about what Jill was doing as she left for her trip. In the following sentences, the modifiers are in red. People who often clip coupons save money on groceries. The word often modifies the word clip because it gives more information about how frequently the clipping happens. For Valentine's Day, Jill gave cookies with pink frosting to her students. The words with pink frosting modify the word cookies because they give more information about the kind of cookies. Using Modifiers Modifiers are great tools for a writer, but they must be placed in the right location. Modifiers should always appear as close as possible to the words that they modify. When modifiers are placed away from the words they modify, readers become confused. Consider the following examples of misplaced modifiers. Waving goodbye to her family, the car backed out of the driveway, and Jill began her journey. Because the modifier is placed next to the words the car, it sounds as if the car is waving. For Valentine's Day, Jill gave cookies to her class with pink frosting. Because the modifier is placed next to the word class, it sounds as if Jill's students are covered with pink frosting. Now for some practice examples. Let's find the best place for modifiers in this sentence. Remember, we need to let the reader know that before Jill found her car keys, she searched for them for 20 minutes. After searching for 20 minutes, Jill found her keys on the front seat of her car. Since Jill is the one searching for the keys, the modifying phrase belongs next to Jill's name. Example 2 Let's modify this sentence to let the reader know that before Jill said she would pay for the vase, she broke it. After she broke it, Jill said she would pay for the vase. The modifier belongs next to Jill's name for two reasons. Jill is the one who broke the vase, and if the phrase appears at the end of the sentence, it reads as if Jill is planning to break the vase and then pay for it. Example 3 Let's modify this sentence to let the reader know that the forms had red ink on them. The teacher distributed forms with red ink to the students. Since the words red ink are giving more information about the forms, the phrase should go next to the word forms. If the phrase were to appear at the end of the sentence, it would read as if the forms were only given to students who had red ink. Example 4 We're going to modify this sentence to let the reader know that the mayor told the citizens that their homes would be repaired. The citizens were told by the mayor that their homes would be repaired. Since the mayor is the one doing the telling, the phrase should appear next to the word told. If the phrase appeared next to the word repaired, it would read as if the mayor were doing the repairs. Congratulations! You have completed the learning activity using modifiers.