The Modifying Parts of Speech: Adjectives, Adverbs and Prepositions

The Modifying Parts of Speech: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions

Modifying words are the microscopes of language: they focus the reader’s attention and add precision where general nouns and verbs are not enough. For academic and scientific writers, three families do most of the modifying work—adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Used well, they clarify methods, parameters, and findings; used carelessly, they blur meaning, invite ambiguity, and slow readers down. This guide explains how each family functions, common pitfalls to avoid, and practical techniques you can apply immediately to make your scholarly prose clearer and more professional.

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1) Adjectives: Precision for Nouns

What they do: Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. They can appear before the noun (an elegant solution) or after a linking verb (the solution is elegant).

1.1 Attributive vs. Predicative Position

• Attributive (before the noun): We used a calibrated digital thermometer.
• Predicative (after a linking verb): The thermometer was calibrated.

Linking verbs include be, seem, appear, become, remain, feel. With these, adjectives describe a subject’s state or quality: The medium remains sterile; The signal appears weak.

1.2 Commas with Coordinate Adjectives

When two or more coordinate adjectives modify the same noun, separate them with a comma (or use and):

• a long, slender probe (= a long and slender probe → coordinates)
• a high school laboratory (not high, school → high school functions as a unit)

Tests for coordination: (1) Can you insert and between them? (2) Can you reverse their order? If yes, use a comma. If no, they are cumulative and take no comma: three stainless steel rods (quantity → material → head noun).

1.3 The Natural Order of Adjectives (OSASCOMP)

Native speakers often follow a conventional order. Knowing it helps second-language writers avoid awkward sequences:

Category	Typical Slot	Example
Opinion	1	innovative
Size	2	small
Age	3	new
Shape	4	cylindrical
Colour	5	blue
Origin	6	European
Material	7	titanium
Purpose/Noun	8	sampling (as modifier)

Example: an innovative small cylindrical blue European titanium sampling probe. In practice, limit strings to two or three adjectives; beyond that, readers slow down. Consider moving detail to a prepositional phrase (a cylindrical probe of titanium) or a relative clause.

1.4 Limiting vs. Descriptive Adjectives

• Limiting: point to which one(s): this, that, each, every, first, last, several. Usually closest to the noun: these three viable colonies.
• Descriptive: describe qualities: sterile, isotropic, randomized.

1.5 Comparative and Superlative Forms

• Short adjectives: fast → faster → fastest
• Long adjectives: reliable → more reliable → most reliable

In scientific style, prefer precise measures over vague comparatives: replace better with the metric (lower RMSE by 12%).

1.6 Common Adjective Pitfalls

• Ambiguous attachment: We analyzed old patient records in hospitals (Were the hospitals old or the records?). Fix with proximity or a clause: We analyzed patient records that were more than 10 years old in two hospitals.
• Overstacking: Long adjective strings are hard to parse. Move details to phrases/clauses: the device, cylindrical and titanium, …
• Adjective where a noun is clearer: Prefer domain terms: neural activity over activity of neurons when idiomatic in your field.

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2) Adverbs: Precision for Verbs, Adjectives, and Other Adverbs

What they do: Adverbs modify verbs (measure carefully), adjectives (highly effective), and other adverbs (very sharply). They answer how, when, where, to what extent, or under what conditions.

2.1 Placement Matters

Position adverbs close to what they modify to avoid ambiguity.

• Manner adverbs generally follow the verb or object: We calibrated the sensor carefully.
• Frequency adverbs (often, usually, rarely) typically precede the main verb: We often observed artifacts; after be: artifacts were often present.
• Focusing adverbs (only, even, just) change meaning by position:
  • Only we measured the samples. (= no one else measured)
  • We only measured the samples. (= we did nothing else)
  • We measured only the samples. (= not the controls)

2.2 Split Infinitives

Traditional advice discourages inserting adverbs between to and the verb (to carefully measure). Modern scientific style allows a split infinitive when it improves clarity or rhythm. Ask: is to measure carefully equally clear? If yes, prefer the unsplit form; if no, split judiciously.

2.3 Adverbs vs. Adjectives After Linking Verbs

With linking verbs, use adjectives, not adverbs: The signal is weak (not weakly). But with action verbs, use adverbs: The detector performed weakly under noise.

2.4 Flat Adverbs

Some adverbs share form with adjectives: close, hard, fast. Both can be correct depending on meaning: Hold the probe close (adverb); a close fit (adjective).

2.5 Intensifiers: Use Sparingly

Words like very, highly, extremely, significantly can weaken writing if overused or used without data. Replace intensifiers with numbers, confidence intervals, or effect sizes. Reserve significantly for statistical significance, and report the test and p-value.

2.6 Squinting and Dangling Modifiers

• Squinting: Adverb can attach to two parts: We decided quickly to analyze controls (Was the decision quick or the analysis?). Revise: We quickly decided to analyze controls / We decided to analyze controls quickly.
• Dangling: Missing subject of the modifier: After reviewing the files, errors were found. Fix: After reviewing the files, we found errors.

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3) Prepositions: Building Phrases that Locate and Link

What they do: Prepositions introduce phrases that function like adjectives or adverbs: the sample in the vial (which one?); we recorded data at 5-second intervals (when/how?). They express space, time, direction, manner, cause, and association.

3.1 Common Research Prepositions

• Space: in the chamber; on the slide; at the interface; between electrodes; among participants
• Time: at 10:30; on Monday; in June; during incubation; within 24 hours; by week 4
• Method/Manner: by PCR; with a micropipette; through filtration; via API
• Cause/Purpose: for calibration; from contamination; because of drift

3.2 Idiomatic Combinations

Preposition choice is often idiomatic. Some frequent pairs:

Expression	Preferred Preposition	Example
different	from (AmE/BrE), than (AmE informal), to (BrE also)	Results are different from those reported previously.
consistent	with	Findings are consistent with prior studies.
compare	with (differences); to (analogies)	We compared A with B; We compared neurons to circuits (analogy).
in contrast	to/with	In contrast to prior work, we …
dependent	on	Outcome is dependent on dosage.
focus	on	We focus on robustness.

3.3 Between vs. Among

• Between typically for two items or distinct pairs: between scanner A and scanner B.
• Among for groups: patterns among 12 cohorts. (Use between for relationships among clearly separate entities even if >2: treaty between the three nations.)

3.4 Preposition Stranding (Ending a Sentence with a Preposition)

It is acceptable in modern academic English to end a clause with a preposition when that is the most natural form: the protocol we adhered to. If a formal tone is preferred and the sentence remains clear, you may “pull” the preposition forward: the protocol to which we adhered. Choose clarity over stiffness.

3.5 Stacking and Overuse

Too many prepositional phrases can make sentences heavy:

• Heavy: Analysis of variance in the measurements of noise in the sensors at the sites in the east showed…
• Lighter: Variance analysis of sensor noise at the eastern sites showed… (convert some phrases to modifiers or compound nouns; move detail to clauses).

3.6 Prepositions with Time

• at precise times: at 15:00, at noon
• on days/dates: on Monday, on 12 July
• in months/years/periods: in June, in 2025, in winter
• within a limit: within 48 hours
• by a deadline: by week 8
• for duration: for 10 minutes

3.7 Noun + Preposition Patterns Common in Research Writing

• effect on performance; influence of temperature; increase in yield; decrease in error; relationship between variables; control over confounds

3.8 Common Prepositional Errors

• In/On/At (location): in a country/city; on a surface/platform; at a point/place (at the station).
• Of/for: evidence of effect; criteria for inclusion.
• By/with: measured by a device (agent); measured with a device (instrument). Both can be correct, but choose the intended relation.

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4) Putting It Together: Editing for Clear Modification

4.1 Diagnose and Fix Ambiguity

Original: We observed slightly improved results in patients with severe symptoms with the new therapy.
Problem: Which noun does with the new therapy modify—patients or results?
Revision (choice A): With the new therapy, we observed slightly improved results in patients with severe symptoms.
Revision (choice B): We observed slightly improved results with the new therapy in patients with severe symptoms.

4.2 Replace Vague Intensifiers with Measures

Original: The model was highly accurate and extremely robust.
Revision: The model achieved 94.1% accuracy (±0.6%) and maintained performance under 20% noise (ΔAUC < 0.01).

4.3 Streamline Prepositional Stacks

Original: The assessment of the impact of humidity on the stability of the sensors during storage at high temperature was performed.
Revision: We assessed how humidity affected sensor stability during high-temperature storage.

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5) Quick Reference: Do/Don’t Tables

Do	Don’t
Place modifiers next to what they modify.	Let adverbs drift so they attach ambiguously.
Use commas between coordinate adjectives.	Insert commas in fixed units (high school, carbon fiber).
Prefer metrics over intensifiers (p, CI, effect size).	Rely on very, extremely, highly without numbers.
Revise adjective strings over three items.	Stack five or six adjectives before a noun.
Use idiomatic prepositions (consistent with).	Calque from another language (consistent to).
Allow terminal prepositions for clarity.	Force awkward to which structures every time.

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6) Practice: Short Exercises

6.1 Coordinate or Cumulative?

Insert commas where needed.

1. We used a robust low cost sensor.
2. The patients showed rapid consistent improvement.
3. Three clear plastic vials were labeled.

6.2 Adverb Placement

Move the adverb to remove ambiguity.

4. We only tested the controls on Monday.
5. Researchers reported frequently anomalies in the logs.

6.3 Preposition Choice

Choose the best preposition.

6. Results are different (from / than / to) those in Smith (2023).
7. We compared treatment A (with / to) treatment B to detect differences.

Suggested Answers

1. robust, low-cost (coordinate; also hyphenate compound low-cost)
2. rapid, consistent (coordinate)
3. Three clear plastic vials (cumulative; no comma)
4. We tested only the controls on Monday. / We only tested the controls on Monday (if you did nothing else that day). Prefer the first for clarity.
5. Researchers frequently reported anomalies in the logs.
6. from (formal academic norm)
7. with (differences); compare to for analogy

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7) Editing Checklist for Modifiers

• [ ] Every adjective or adverb sits next to the word it modifies.
• [ ] Coordinate adjectives are separated by commas; cumulative sequences are not.
• [ ] Intensifiers (very, highly, significantly) are replaced with quantitative statements where possible.
• [ ] Prepositional stacks are minimized; long stacks are converted into clauses or compound nouns.
• [ ] Preposition choices match idiom (dependent on, consistent with, evidence for/of).
• [ ] No dangling or squinting modifiers remain; sentences read unambiguously on first pass.
• [ ] Time/place prepositions are correct (at 10:00; on 12 July; in 2025).

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8) Final Thoughts

Adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions are not decoration; they are tools for precision. In scientific prose, use them to answer the reader’s pragmatic questions—which one?, how much?, how?, when?, where?—without obscuring the core argument. Keep modifiers close to what they modify, prefer measures to mood, and choose prepositions idiomatically. When in doubt, read the sentence aloud: if your voice hesitates at a cluster of modifiers, your reader’s eye will, too. Trim, reposition, or rephrase until the meaning is unmistakable.

Need help polishing modifier use in a manuscript or thesis? Our academic editors can line-edit for clarity, fix modifier placement, and standardize prepositional idioms across British or American English to match your target journal’s style.