Modifiers

A modifier describes someone or something in a sentence.

• Adjective and Adverb
• Adjectives, not adverbs, follow linking verbs like feel
• These adjective do not modify the verb but rather identify a quality with the noun subject
• There are two grammatically correct phrasings - adj+adj+noun and adv+adj+noun

• Noun Modifiers
• Phrases and clauses that modifies nouns or pronouns are called Noun Modifiers
• A noun used to modify another noun is called Appositive
• A noun and its modifier should touch each other
•  Misplaced modifiers are those which are not placed touching the noun it is referring but placed touching to some other noun
• Dangling modifiers are those where the noun which it is modifying is not present
• Possessive nouns should not be used where modifiers are attached
• Noun modifiers are often introduced by Relative Pronoun such as which, that, who, whose, whom, where, when. Such modifiers are called Relative Clauses.
• Who and whom must modify people, which must modify thing.
• In GMAT, that cannot modify people
• whose can modify either people or things
• which or whom sometimes follow preposition
• who is subject of the verb whereas whom is used as the object of the verb or of a preposition
• that/whom can be dropped when the modified noun is the object of the modifying clause
• where modifies a noun place, it cannot modify a metaphorical place, such as condition, situation, case, circumstances, or arrangements. In these cases, in which can be used
• when/in which can be used to modify a noun event or time
• Essential Modifiers provide necessary information whereas Non-essential Modifiers provide additional information. Commas between non essential modifiers and their nouns and no commas for essential modifiers. Which and commas for non essential whereas that and no commas for essential modifier

• Verb Modifiers
• It modify verbs
•  It may not touch the verb
• Use which only to refer to the noun immediately preceding it - never to refer an entire clause
• The -ing form can be used to modify an entire clause
• This use of -ing form works best when you want to express the result of the main clause