"modifies" in the verb sense
1. modify
make less severe or harsh or extreme
"please modify this letter to make it more polite"
"he modified his views on same-gender marriage"
2. modify, qualify
add a modifier to a constituent
3. change, alter, modify
cause to change make different cause a transformation
"The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"
"The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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