MGMAT - Chapter 6 - Modifiers

Simple Modifiers (one-word modifiers)
Adjectives (modifies nouns or pronouns)
- Follow linking verbs (do not modify linking verb but identify quality of noun)
- simple one-word modifier

"Long Adjectives"
- Complex modifiers (contains more than one word)

• Preposition
• Past participle
• Present participle without commas (when placed in front of the sentence, tends to be dangling)
  
• Appositive (another noun)
  
• Relative pronouns

Touch Rule

Most noun modifiers must touch their nouns or else it will result in:

• Dangling modifiers (modified noun does not exist)
  
• Misplaced modifiers (next to the wrong noun)
  

*Exceptions: "mission-critical" modifier, often in Of-phrase

Adverbs (modifies verbs and anything else but a noun or pronoun eg: adjective, another adverb, preposition, whole clause)
- Adverbs don't modify "linking verbs" (linking verbs are not action but connects more info to the noun), adjectives does instead.
- Normally followed by LY

Grammatically correct phrasings, but choose the author's intended meaning.

Look out for
- Opening modifiers (beginning at the sentence)
- separated by the rest of the sentence by a comma
- Avoid long modifiers that modify the same noun

• Don't put them together (put modifiers on either side of noun)
• Rephrase sentence so that one modifier is no longer a modifier
  

Noun Modifiers with Relative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns: That, Which, Who, What, Where, When, Whose

Relative pronouns relates the clause to the noun it modifies