Session Outline: Modifiers and Articles
Total Time: 60 minutes
Objective: By the end of this session, students will be able to use modifiers
effectively in sentences and demonstrate correct usage of articles (a, an,
the).
Part 1: Introduction to Modifiers
Time: 15 minutes
1.1 What are Modifiers?
Definition: Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that provide
description or detail in a sentence. They can be adjectives or adverbs.
Types of Modifiers:
o Adjectives: Describe nouns (e.g., beautiful, old).
o Adverbs: Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (e.g.,
quickly, very).
1.2 Importance of Modifiers
Modifiers add clarity, details, and enhance the vividness of writing.
o Example:
Without modifier: The dog barked.
With modifier: The large, brown dog barked loudly.
1.3 Placement of Modifiers
Modifiers should be placed close to the word they describe to avoid
confusion.
o Correct: The boy who was hungry ate quickly.
o Incorrect (misplaced modifier): The boy ate quickly who was
hungry.
1.4 Examples and Exercises
Give students simple sentences and ask them to modify them by
adding adjectives and adverbs.
o Example Sentence: The teacher spoke.
o Modified Sentence: The enthusiastic teacher spoke loudly.
Activity:
Students can rewrite these sentences with appropriate modifiers:
1. The cat slept.
2. She read a book.
Part 2: Common Modifier Errors
Time: 10 minutes
2.1 Misplaced Modifiers
Definition: When a modifier is placed too far from the word it
describes, causing confusion.
o Example:
Misplaced: She nearly drove the kids to school every day.
Correct: She drove the kids to school nearly every day.
2.2 Dangling Modifiers
Definition: When the modifier doesn't clearly refer to any word in the
sentence.
o Example:
Dangling: Walking down the street, the trees were
beautiful.
Correct: Walking down the street, I noticed the trees were
beautiful.
2.3 Practice Exercise
Give students sentences with misplaced or dangling modifiers and ask
them to correct them.
o Example Sentence: Flying over the city, the skyscrapers were
visible.
o Corrected Sentence: Flying over the city, we saw the
skyscrapers were visible.
Part 3: Articles – ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’
Time: 20 minutes
3.1 Introduction to Articles
Articles: Define whether something is specific or general.
o Indefinite Articles (a, an): Used for non-specific nouns.
a before consonant sounds (e.g., a cat).
an before vowel sounds (e.g., an apple).
o Definite Article (the): Used for specific nouns (e.g., the sun,
the book).
3.2 Rules for Using ‘a’ and ‘an’
Use ‘a’ before words that begin with a consonant sound (not
necessarily a consonant letter).
o Example: a university (sounds like you).
Use ‘an’ before words that begin with a vowel sound.
o Example: an hour (silent h).
3.3 Examples and Practice
Give students sentences and ask them to fill in the blanks with a, an,
or the.
o Examples:
1. I need ___ umbrella because it’s raining.
2. She is ___ honest person.
3. They went to ___ park.
3.4 Definite Article ‘The’ Usage
Use ‘the’ when talking about something specific or already known to
the reader/listener.
o Examples:
We went to the park near my house.
The sun sets in the west.
Special Cases:
The with unique objects: The earth, the president.
No article for general plural or uncountable nouns: Cars are
expensive.
Activity:
Provide sentences where students need to insert either "a," "an," or
"the."
o Example: "He is ___ best player in ___ team."
Part 4: Combined Practice – Modifiers and Articles
Time: 10 minutes
Exercise:
Give a paragraph with missing modifiers and articles. Students will fill
in the blanks with appropriate modifiers and articles.
Example Exercise: "___ (tall) boy bought ___ (apple). ___ (apple) was ___
(red) and delicious."
Correct Answer: The tall boy bought an apple. The apple was red and
delicious.
Discussion:
Go over the answers as a class, highlighting key points on when to use
specific modifiers and articles.
Part 5: Wrap-up and Q&A
Time: 5 minutes
Recap the key points covered: the role of modifiers in enhancing
sentences, avoiding common modifier errors, and the correct use of
articles (a, an, the).
Open the floor for questions from students.
Homework/Assignment:
Ask students to write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) using at least
3 modifiers and 3 articles correctly.
Example Assignment Prompt:
Write about your favorite hobby and describe it using appropriate modifiers
and articles.
