Flashcard 15 - Parts of Speech Flashcard Set for the English Basics

blue modifies car so it should be “blue car”

Adjectives and adverbs want to be right next to the word or words they modify so that there is no confusion on the part of the reader. We know the modifier in this sentence is misplaced in part because the sentence doesn’t make sense (my sister is blue?) and because if blue was really describing my sister, the that would be a who. To fix the sentence, move the adjective next to the word it is describing: “My parents bought a blue car for my sister.” Now the sentence is both more precise and more concise, with no extraneous words.