Completers and Modifiers: How Modifiers Work A modifier adds to or limits a word's meaning. Modifiers describe other words, making the meaning of those other words more specific. Modifiers answer the following questions about the words they modify: What kind? Which one(s)? How many or how much? Whose? When? Where? Why? How? To what extent? Under what conditions? Watch this sentence become more specific as it adds modifiers: BASIC SENTENCE: Women earn salaries. (How many women?) Many women earn salaries. (Which women?) Many women in the civil services earn salaries. (What kind of salaries?) Many women in the civil services earn good salaries. (When?) Many women in the civil services earn good salaries after their first few promotions. Application 4 TIP FOR ESL STUDENTS: Click on the ESL icon at left to visit "Quantifiers" for additional help with modifiers like much and many. Practice these forms with a teacher or tutor.

CONTENTS MAIN PAGE 4.1 Writing 4.2 "(Subject + Verb) Whom or What?" 4.3 Words That Act as Completers 4.4 Recognizing the Difference 4.5 How Modifiers Work 4.6 Single Word Modifiers 4.7 Prepositional Phrase Modifiers 4.8 Combining Sentences 4.9 Review and Practice 4.10 Fun With Grammar 4.11 Return to Your Writing 4.12 Mastery Test