Download Using modifiers–adjectives–adverbs–prepositional phrases

U SING M ODIFIERS
Avoid overloading a sentence with too many details. The tired, bleary-eyed, dazed boy
stumbled from the dark, blackened doorway of the burning, flame-infested café. Too many
adjective are loaded into this sentence, ruining its effectiveness. The reader has so many
impressions thrown at him at once that he can’t sort them all out. Choosing only two adjectives
for this sentence would make it much more effective.
Which two would you choose? __________________ and _________________________.
Expanding the simple sentence:
A common way of expanding a simple sentence is with modifiers--words that add to the
meanings of other words. The simplest modifiers are adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives modify
nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. For instance, in the sentence
below, the adjective sad modifies the noun smile (the subject of the sentence).
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The clown's sad smile touched us deeply.
In this same sentence, the adverb deeply modifies the verb touched. Used carefully, adjectives
and adverbs can make our writing clearer and more precise.
Arranging Adjectives
• Adjectives most often appear just in front of the nouns that they modify:
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The old, cranky caretaker refused to answer our questions.
Notice that when two (or more) adjectives precede a noun, they are usually separated by
commas.
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But occasionally adjectives follow the nouns they modify:
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The caretaker, old and cranky, refused to answer our questions.
Here the commas appear outside the pair of adjectives, which are joined by the conjunction
and. Placing the adjectives after the noun is a way of giving them added emphasis in a
sentence.
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Adjectives sometimes appear in a third position in a sentence: after a linking verb such
as am, are, is, was, or were. As their name implies, these verbs link adjectives with the
subjects they modify. See if you can identify the adjectives in the sentences below:
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His voice was rough.
Your children are cruel.
This seat is wet.
In each of these sentences, the adjective (rough, cruel, wet) modifies the subject but follows the
linking verb (was, are, is).
Arranging Adverbs
• Adverbs usually follow the verbs they modify:
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I dance occasionally.
However, an adverb may also appear directly in front of the verb or at the very beginning
of a sentence:
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I occasionally dance.
Occasionally, I dance.
Because not all adverbs are this flexible in all sentences, you should try them out in different
positions until you find the clearest arrangement.
Practice in Adding Adjectives
Many adjectives are formed from nouns and verbs. The adjective thirsty, for example, comes
from thirst, which may be either a noun or a verb. Complete each sentence below with the
adjective form of the italicized noun or verb. When you're done, compare your answers with
those at the end of the exercise.
1. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought great destruction to the Gulf coast. It was one of the
most _________________________ hurricanes in recent decades.
2. All of our pets enjoy good health. Our collie is exceptionally ________________, despite
its advanced age.
3. Your suggestion makes a great deal of sense. You have a very _________________ idea.
4. Microsoft made record profits last year. It is one of the most ________________
companies in the world.
5. Dr. Kraft's job requires patience and skill. He is a ____________________ negotiator.
Practice in Adding Adverbs
Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. The adverb softly, for instance, comes
from the adjective soft. Note, however, that not all adverbs end in -ly. Very, quite, always,
almost, and often are some of the common adverbs that are not formed from adjectives.
Complete each sentence below with the adverb form of the italicized adjective. When you're
done, compare your answers with those at the end of the exercise.
1. The exam was easy. I passed ______________.
2. Leroy's careless act set the warehouse on fire. He ___________________ tossed a
cigarette into a tank of gasoline.
3. Paige is a brave little girl. She fought _________________ against the poltergeists.
4. Howard is a graceful dancer. He moves ___________________.
5. Tom's apology sounded quite sincere. He said that he was ______________ sorry for
misusing the tax funds.
Prepositional Phrases
Like adjectives and adverbs, prepositional phrases add meaning to the nouns and verbs in our
sentences. There are two prepositional phrases in the following sentence:
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The steamy air in the kitchen reeked of stale beer.
The first prepositional phrase--in the kitchen--modifies the noun air; the second--of stale beer-modifies the verb reeked. The two phrases provide information that helps us to understand the
sentence.
A prepositional phrase has two basic parts: a preposition plus a noun or a pronoun that serves
as the object of the preposition. A preposition is a word that shows how a noun or a pronoun is
related to another word in a sentence. The common prepositions are listed in the table at the
bottom of this page.
Building Sentences with Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases may do more than just add minor details to a sentence: they may, in fact,
be needed for a sentence to make sense. Consider the vagueness of this sentence without
prepositional phrases:
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The workers gather a rich variety and distribute it.
Now see how the sentence comes into focus when we add prepositional phrases:
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From many sources, the workers at the Community Food Bank gather a rich
variety of surplus and unsalable food and distribute it to soup kitchens, day-care
centers, and homes for the elderly.
Notice how these added prepositional phrases give us more information about certain nouns
and verbs in the sentence:
• Which workers?
The workers at the Community Food Bank.
• What did they gather?
A rich variety of surplus and unsalable food.
• Where did they gather the food?
From many sources.
• Who did they distribute it to?
To soup kitchens, day-care centers, and homes for the elderly.
Like the other simple modifiers, prepositional phrases are not merely ornaments; they add
details that can help us understand a sentence.
Common Prepositions
about
among
beyond
except
into
outside
under
above
around
by
for
near
over
until
across
at
despite
from
of
past
up
after
before
down
in
off
through
with
against
beside
during
inside
on
to
without
along
between
Arranging Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase often appears after the word it modifies:
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However, like adverbs, prepositional phrases that modify verbs can also be found at the
very beginning or very end of a sentence:
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A spaceship from Venus landed in my back yard.
In the morning, the Venusians mowed my lawn.
The Venusians mowed my lawn in the morning.
In both versions, the prepositional phrase in the morning modifies the verb mowed.
Not all phrases are this flexible, and so we need to be careful not to confuse our readers
by misplacing a prepositional phrase:
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The Venusians swam for two hours after lunch in my pool.
This arrangement gives the idea that the visitors from Venus enjoyed lunch in the pool. If
this is not the case, shift the prepositional phrase:
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After lunch, the Venusians swam for two hours in my pool.
The best arrangement is one that is both clear and uncluttered.
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Although several prepositional phrases may appear in the same sentence, avoid packing
in so many phrases that you confuse the reader. The sentence below, for example, is
cluttered and awkward:
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In this case, the best way to break up the string of phrases is to make two sentences:
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On a rickety stool in one corner of the crowded honky tonk, the folk singer sits
playing lonesome songs on his battered old guitar about warm beer, cold women,
and long nights on the road.
On a rickety stool in one corner of the crowded honky tonk, the folk singer sits
hunched over his battered old guitar. He plays lonesome songs about warm
beer, cold women, and long nights on the road.
A long sentence is not necessarily an effective sentence.
PRACTICE: Rearranging Prepositional Phrases
Break up the long string of phrases in the sentence below by creating two sentences. Be sure to
include all of the details contained in the original sentence.
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Up and down the coast the line of the forest is drawn sharp and clean in the brilliant
colors of a wet blue morning in spring on the edge of a seascape of surf and sky and
rocks.
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PRACTICE: Building with Simple Modifiers
Use adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases to expand the sentence below. Add details
that answer the questions in parentheses and make the sentence more interesting and
informative.
• Jenny stood, raised her shotgun, aimed, and fired.
(Where did Jenny stand? How did she aim? What did she fire at?)
There are, of course, no single correct answers to the questions in parentheses. Sentenceexpanding exercises such as this one encourage you to use your imagination to build original
sentences.
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Assignment:
This exercise give you practice in using adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases
effectively. Rewrite each sentence below according to the instructions in parentheses.
1. In the early part of the month of April we traveled in our own car to the city of New Orleans
in the state of Louisiana.
(Make the sentence more concise by reducing phrases to single words and eliminating unnecessary
modifiers—those adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases that are repetitious or insignificant.)
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2. Patients can regulate the dosage of their own pain medicine after major surgery with a new
experimental drug.
(Clarify this sentence by shifting the italicized phrase to the beginning.)
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3. The hot, steamy air reeked with the sweet stink of rotten fruit.
(To give added emphasis to the italicized adjectives, place them after the word that they modify.)
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4. Any listing of modern America's contributions to the world must surely include motels, along
with computers, rock music, and fast foods.
(To give greater emphasis to the noun "motels," shift the italicized phrase to the beginning of the
sentence.
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5. We received a free complimentary copy of a book about the past history of education in
America from the salesman.
(Eliminate the unnecessary modifiers and rearrange the details in the sentence to make it more clear
and concise.)
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6. I saw for the first time in my life the high grasslands of the Navajos, the fringes of the
Painted Desert, the faraway buttes and mesas of the Hopi country, through the wide open
window of my old Camaro.
(Give added emphasis to the items in the list by shifting the italicized phrases to the beginning of the
sentence.)
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7. The architecture of farms in southern France is squat and horizontal and is dictated by the
area's high winds and flat plateaus.
(Place the italicized adjectives in front of the noun that they modify, and eliminate any unnecessary
ands.)
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8. Mr. Head's face was long and tubelike, and he had a rounded open jaw, and he had a short
depressed nose.(Make this sentence more concise by eliminating the italicized words. Begin your
revised sentence in this way: "Mr. Head had a long, tubelike face with . . ..")
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9. The little child walked quietly on the tips of his toes past the very young dog.
(Make this sentence more concise and effective by replacing the simple modifiers with more specific
nouns and verbs.)
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10. Our boat was entirely surrounded on all sides by sharks in the water around us.
(Make this sentence more concise by eliminating unnecessary modifiers.)
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