Basics
What is the purpose of a summative modifier?
To summarize the previous clause or sentence and add a new comment or direction.
“The company faced a crisis, a crisis that was slow to recognize.”
What kind of modifier is that?
Resumptive
Change this sentence, using summative modifiers:
“The city expanded rapidly. Its growth caused problems.”
“The city expanded rapidly, growth that caused problems.”
What is the purpose of a resumptive modifier?
To repeat a key word from the previous clause and extend the idea.
“The team lost the final game, a loss that devastated their fans.”
What kind of modifier is that?
Summative
Change this sentence to include a resumptive modifier:
"The artist painted a mural. The mural was colorful and abstract"
The artist painted a mural, a mural that was colorful and abstract.
What is the difference between resumptive and summative modifier?
Resumptive modifiers repeat the noun from the main clause and modify it, summative modifiers add a term that sums up the substance of the previous sentence.
"The artist unveiled her painting, a masterpiece that captured the essence of the city."
Appositive
Change the sentence with relative clause into a sentence with summative modifier:
Resource scarcity, rising global temperatures, and mounting scientific evidence compelled governments and corporations to invest in renewable energy technologies, which was accelerated by the pioneering research that Dr. James Hansen conducted on climate modeling and atmospheric carbon trends in the 1980s.
Resource scarcity, rising global temperatures, and mounting scientific evidence compelled governments and corporations to invest in renewable energy technologies, a movement accelerated by the pioneering research that Dr. James Hansen conducted on climate modeling and atmospheric carbon trends in the 1980s.