Quotes About Modifiers

Death to all modifiers, he declared one day, and out of every letter that passed through his hands went every adverb and every adjective.

To get maximum effect, put adverbs at the beginning or end of the sentence: "Angrily, he walked away." Or, "He walked away angrily." Though special cases may justify "He walked angrily away," or the like, most often the effect of the modifier upon the reader is lost.

The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.

Death to all modifiers, he declared one day, and out of every letter that passed through his hands went every adverb and every adjective.

Even the little bit that must be known will block easy entry to the story if it delays the action line. The secret, Hunter Thompson said, is to "blend, blend, blend." You launch action immediately and then blend the exposition into it, submerging it in modifiers, subordinate clauses, appositives, and the like.