How to modify? (For ENGLISH speakers / ENGLISH speakers learning JAPANESE and vice-versa)
Okay, I was wondering what "modifying" in terms of English meant, of just how to "modify" a noun (I hear this term in English a lot, but I just never got it.) and if you feel like it, also how you would apply this to a sentence conjugation with a "-na adjective" in the past tense (what is modifying and what is doing the modifying)?
Example Sentence: Tom likes kind people/Tom is like a kind person トムは好きが親切な人だ. Thanks.

Question

How to modify? (For ENGLISH speakers / ENGLISH speakers learning JAPANESE and vice-versa)
Okay, I was wondering what "modifying" in terms of English meant, of just how to "modify" a noun (I hear this term in English a lot, but I just never got it.) and if you feel like it, also how you would apply this to a sentence conjugation with a "-na adjective" in the past tense (what is modifying and what is doing the modifying)? 
Example Sentence: Tom likes kind people/Tom is like a kind person >> トムは好きが親切な人だ.  Thanks.

Answer

You are welcome. どういたしまして。

Answer

Thank you for the correction Ryoko. I did not notice my errors before. :)

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Actually, I didn't understand your question perfectly for my English. So I'd like to correct your Japanese sentences. "Tom likes kind people." = トムは親切な人が好きです。"Tom is like / seems a kind person." = トムは親切な人みたいです / 親切そうな人です。I hope this was helpful.

Answer

Good question, 元気(Genki: Healthy) is a good example. 元気 by itself is not modifying anything, of course. Like your example　「好き」　「元気」 is a な adjective.

Since it's a "な" adjective, we use the な to connect it to a noun.

Examples: 元気な猫 - Healthy cat.
                 元気な人 Healthy person.

Good luck in your studying, hope this helps. Here's a resource I used when I was starting out: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/complete

Answers · 4

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