In that example, man-eating is an example of a compound modifier: two or more words that express a single concept to describe a noun, in this case fish. Using hyphens to connect words is easy. What is a Modifier? When you have a single adjective or adverb, misplaced modifiers rarely occur since they would immediately sound incorrect. Compound modifiers are grammatically equivalent to single-word modifiers, and can be used in combination with other modifiers. A modifier is a word/phrase/clause which modifies other words in a sentence. Modifier definition: A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that provides description in sentences. The basic rules for hyphenation deal with hyphenating compound modifiers, not just compounds. Let's look at some examples. In the first example above, family is a noun modifier and room too is a noun modifier. What if there are TWO instances of a compound modifier? The Coast Guard cleared the beach because of a man-eating fish. In the lower list, each example has two noun modifiers modifying one noun; for example, two-partner and … So you have a choice. … But if a compound modifier is especially common … you can leave out the hyphen. To be specific, a modifier is either an adjective or an adverb. Example: Example: Alex bought a chocolate cake yesterday. Example of Grammatical Modifier: He is a cute baby. There are many different types of postmodifiers, but the most common are prepositional phrases and relative clauses . For example, all these would take hyphens: summary-judgment motion, good-faith effort, reasonable-person standard. A compound modifier is made up of two words that work together to function like one adjective. The above example has already been verified as correct. A compound modifier is two or more words working like an adjective to modify another word, usually a noun. The adjectives modify the nouns, and the adverbs modify the verbs or the adjectives or the other adverbs. A compound modifier (also called a compound adjective, phrasal adjective, or adjectival phrase) is a compound of two or more attributive words: that is, two or more words that collectively modify a noun. Authors Günter Radden and René Dirven illustrate the types with the most common ways that qualifying modifiers are used in "Cognitive English Grammar." Picking the right words to connect is a little harder. Hyphen with Compound Modifiers: Two-Word Adjectives Before Nouns. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes another word, phrase, or clause. However, when an entire phrase is used, misplaced modifiers become more common. See the details of adjectives and adverbs. Modification by a postmodifier is called postmodification . Let’s start with compound modifiers. In general you hyphenate a compound modifier … when it comes before a noun, … but not when it comes after. Example: "The frequent-eating fallacy pervades the American lifestyle." Now, I have another question concerning this. This means the noun modifier family is modifying the noun modifier room. … For example, he's a well-known musician … but that musician is well known. But hyphenating them can seem pointless and, given that some readers don’t know the rule for compound-modifier hyphens, adding a hyphen might cause more confusion than it saves. Examples of Different Modifier Usage . … In all the examples here, the qualifiers modify the word detective and are in italics: In English grammar, a postmodifier is a modifier that follows the word or phrase it limits or qualifies. In short, a modifier is a describer. Here are a few examples of phrases as modifiers: Scared he’d be late for class, Jake ran to school. "The fallacy of frequent eating pervades the American lifestyle." A compound modifier is formed when multiple words come together to describe a subsequent noun. Early in the morning, she rose to work. Too many grammar terms in a row? Sometimes compound modifiers … We add a hyphen (or hyphens) to the mix to clarify this, as the meaning of a sentence can sometimes change or be obscured depending on how the ingredients of description fit together.