Modifier:

 A modifier is a word or phrase or clause which modifies other words in a sentence.  It is either an adjective or an adverb. The adjectives modify the nouns, and the adverbs modify the verbs or the adjectives or the other adverbs.

Different types of modifiers:

1. Pre-modifier: A premodifier is a word, phrase or clause that comes before a noun to add details, describe, or restrict its meaning within a noun phrase.

2. Post-modifier: A post-modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that comes after a noun (or sometimes a pronoun) to describe, limit, identify, or give more information about that noun. In other words: Post-modifiers follow the noun they modify and add extra detail.

Different types of Premodifier:

Adjectives as Premodifier:

Here, adjectives are used before nouns or noun phrases and function as premodifiers.

For example:

·       He is an intelligent boy.

·       A wise man can not commit such a great blunder.

·       Our country needs many honest workers.

Participles as Premodifier:

A participle as a premodifier is a present participle (-ing form) or past participle (-ed/ v3 form)that is placed before a noun to modify or describe it, functioning like an adjective.  Here, the participle gives extra information about the quality, state, or action related to the noun.

For example:

Present participle:

·       A sleeping dog seldom bites.

·       A drowning man catches at a straw.

·       All the hopes of the promising boy were nipped in the bud.

·       Don’t get down from a running train.

Past participle:

·       Everybody respects a learned person.

·       They live in an abandoned house.

·       We should not drink polluted water.

·       He showed me the written order of the Principal.

Noun as Premodifier:

A noun functioning as a premodifier modifies another noun by giving extra information about it. It usually tells what kind, what purpose, or what type the main noun is.

Examples:  He paid the bus fare.

·       We enjoyed a football match yesterday.

·       Let us go to the seaside.

·       A train journey is pleasant.

Noun Adjective as Premodifier:

A noun + adjective premodifier is a combination of a noun and an adjective placed before a head noun to provide more precise information about it.

Examples:  He bought a small teapot.

·       David Copperfield is my favorite English novel.

·       We took a rest under a shadowy mango tree.

Compound as a premodifier:

A compound premodifier is a group of words functioning together before a noun to describe or limit it, essentially acting like a single adjective.

Examples: A hard-working student can shine in life.

• He bought a brand new car.
• We got into a first-class compartment.
• It is a black-dated idea.
• He sold his out-of-order machine.

Possessive as a premodifier:

A possessive premodifier modifies a noun by showing who owns it, is related to it, or is associated with it. It usually takes the form of a possessive noun (‘s) or a possessive pronoun (my, his, her, their, our, etc.).

For examples:  His brother has gone to Japan.

·       Our country is very fertile.

·       Mr. Rahim’s shirt is new.

Adverb as Premodifier:

An adverb functions as a premodifier when it appears before the word it modifies (usually an adjective or another adverb) to enhance or change its meaning.

Examples: The down train will leave now.

·       The above passage is difficult.

POST MODIFIER

A post-modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that comes after a noun to describe, identify, or give more information about it.

It follows the noun it modifies, unlike premodifiers (like adjectives before a noun). Post-modifiers are very common in English and make sentences more precise or informative

Different types of Post Modifiers:

 Infinitive Phrase as Post Modifier:

An infinitive phrase used as a post-modifier is a group of words beginning with to + base form of a verb that comes after a noun and modifies or describes that noun by explaining its purpose, function, or intended action.

Examples:   He made an attempt to escape punishment.

·       His plan to start the business ended in smoke.

·       His scheme to found a hospital did not come true.

·       Her decision to study medicine was appreciated.

·       I made a determination to pass the examination.

Present Participle Phrase as Post Modifier:

Present Participle Phrase used as a post modifier is a group of words beginning with a present participle (verb+-ing) that comes after a noun and modifies that noun by describing an ongoing action, state, or characteristic related to it.

Examples: The boy standing at the door is known to me.

·       I saw the porter lying on the floor.

·       He found the girl reading a book.

·       They watched the train leaving the station.

 Past Participle Phrase as Post Modifier:

Past Participle Phrase used as a post modifier is a group of words beginning with a past participle form  (usually v3 such as broken, written, completed) that comes after a noun and modifies that noun by describing a completed action, state, passive meaning, or resulting state.

Examples:  The machines made in a local factory are working well.

·       The book, published in 1993, has been revised.

·       The building, constructed fifty years ago, collapsed last week.

·       The letter signed by the Principal was posted.

·       The road damaged in the flood is closed.

 Prepositional Phrase as Post Modifier:

A prepositional phrase functions as a post-modifier when it follows a noun and gives extra information about it, such as place, time, possession, cause, or relationship.

Common prepositions used are: of, in, on, at, with, for, by, under, near, beside, about

Examples The book on the table is mine.

• A man with a beard knocked at the door.
• The students in the class are attentive.
• The house near the river was flooded.
• She lost the keys of the car.
• The road to Khulna is spacious.
• The boy in torn clothes is very poor.
• The fish in the pan is very fresh.
• The man on board the ship was clever.

Appositive as Post modifier:

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that functions as a post-modifier by giving additional information about the noun immediately before it. Both nouns refer to the same person or thing.

Examples: My brother, a doctor, lives in Dhaka.

• Rabindranath Tagore, a great poet, won the Nobel Prize.
• The city of Paris, the capital of France, attracts tourists.
• Mr. Karim, our English teacher, is very kind.
• Mr. Ahmed, Principal of our college, is a good administrator.
•  Novera Ahmed, a famous novelist, has consented to attend our function.

Adjective as Postmodifier

An adjective functions as a post-modifier when it comes after the noun it modifies, instead of before it.

For examples,

·       I don't find anything wrong in the papers.

·       There is something abnormal in his behaviour.

·       Is there anyone interested in art?

 Relative Clause as Post Modifier:

A relative clause functions as a post-modifier when it follows a noun and modifies it by adding identifying or descriptive information.

Relative pronouns/adverbs: who, whom, whose, which, that, where, when

For examples : The boy who is playing outside is my cousin.

·       I read the book that you gave me.

·       This is the house where I was born.

·       She met a teacher whose advice helped her.

·       The boy who lost his pen is poor.

·       The lady who ate many items was greedy.

·       I bought a pen which was black.

·       She took a cabin that was small.

Adverb as Post Modifier:

An adverb functions as a post-modifier when it comes after a noun and modifies it, not the verb.

Common adverbs used as post-modifiers are: here, there, upstairs, downstairs, nearby, inside, outside, ahead, abroad, etc.

For examples: The people inside are waiting.

• The house nearby is very old.
• The road ahead is dangerous.
• The students outside are making noise.
• I spoke to the man there.
• The man behind is his brother.
• The beggar there is waiting for aid.