How to recognize a modifier
Modifiers are words,phrases, or clauses that provide description in sentences. Modifiers give the reader more information and make a text more interesting. Modifiers add "spice" to your writing. Take a look at this "bland" sentence:
The dog ran.
Now read what several well placed modifiers can do to spice up the sentence:
The brown, spotted dog quickly ran, down the road, after the orange striped cat.
All of the underlined words, above, are modifiers.
Modifiers can be adjectives,adjective clauses, adverbs, adverb clauese,absolute phrases,infinative phrases,participle phrases, and prepositional phrases.
If it tells you gives you more information about who, what, where and/or when, then it is likely a modifier.
Source: Purdue Owl
Most Common Modifiers
Adjective: Describe a noun
Example: brown dog
Adjective clause = The adjective clause will follow one of these two patterns:
relative pronoun or adverb + subject + verb
relative pronoun as subject + verb
Example: Students who are intelligent understand adjectives.
Adverb: Describe a verb or adjective
Example: quickly ran
Adverb clause : Contains a subject and verb and subordinate conjuction that keeps the clause from expressing a complete thought. It will answer how, when and/or why.
Example: as a tarantula wiggled out of his cheese omelet.
Infinitive (phrase): An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb
Example: We must study to learn.
Participle phrase: A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed
Example: gagging with disgust.
Prepositional phrase: Prepositions work in combination with a noun or pronoun to create phrases that modify verbs, nouns/pronouns, or adjectives. Prepositional phrases convey a spatial, temporal, or directional meaning.
Example: on the cafeteria tray.
Source: http://www.chompchomp.com