Definition:
A modifier is a grammatical element — a word, phrase, or clause — that provides additional descriptive, restrictive, or quantifying information about a head element in a phrase, narrowing or elaborating its reference without changing the core syntactic function of the phrase. In the noun phrase the red book, red is a modifier of the head noun book; in she spoke quietly, quietly modifies the verb spoke. Modifiers are pervasive at every level of phrase structure and across word classes. Cross-linguistic variation in modifier placement — pre-nominal vs. post-nominal adjectives, pre-nominal vs. post-nominal relative clauses — is a major typological variable with direct implications for L2 acquisition.
In-Depth Explanation
Modifiers differ in the grammatical category they modify and in their structural position.
Nominal Modifiers (Modifiers of Nouns)
Pre-nominal adjectives (English): the tall woman, a broken promise. English generally places adjectives before the noun. Multiple adjectives follow a rough ordering (opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose): a beautiful small old oval brown antique wooden writing desk.
Post-nominal adjectives (French, Spanish): une femme grande, una mujer alta — the adjective follows the noun in most cases.
Relative clauses: Post-nominal in English (the book that I read) but pre-nominal in Japanese ([私が読んだ] 本). This typological difference — correlating with head-final vs. head-initial word order — is one of the core structural challenges for English speakers learning Japanese and vice versa.
Prepositional/postpositional phrases: the woman in the red coat (post-nominal PP in English); in Japanese, the same content appears as a pre-nominal relative clause.
Genitive/possessive: the cat’s tail (pre-nominal clitic in English); le livre de Jean (post-nominal de-phrase in French).
Verbal Modifiers (Adverbials)
Adverbs and adverb phrases modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs:
- She ran quickly (manner)
- He arrived yesterday (time)
- They met in Paris (place)
Adverbial clauses are subordinate clauses functioning as adverbial modifiers: She left before I arrived.
Restrictive vs. Non-Restrictive Modification
Restrictive modifiers narrow the reference of the head — they are essential to identifying which entity is meant:
- The woman who called me is here. (restricts which woman)
Non-restrictive modifiers add supplementary information without restricting reference:
- Mary, who called me, is here. (Mary is already identified; the clause adds extra info)
In English writing, restrictive relative clauses are typically unpunctuated; non-restrictive clauses are set off by commas. In speech, prosodic cues distinguish them.
L2 Acquisition of Modification
Learners acquiring languages with different modifier-placement conventions must restructure their expectations:
- English learners of Japanese must learn that attributive modifiers always precede the noun — including long relative clauses
- Japanese learners of English must learn post-nominal placement and the English-specific relative pronoun system
Common Misconceptions
“Adjectives are the only modifiers.” Adjectives are the prototypical nominal modifiers, but nouns (stone wall), prepositional phrases (the woman in the hat), and relative clauses all also modify nouns. Similarly, adverbial modifiers of verbs include PPs, adverb clauses, and participial phrases, not just adverbs.