submodifier 
noun Grammar
An adverb used in front of an adjective or another adverb to modify its meaning, for example very in very cold or unusually in an unusually large house.Some phrases, called submodifiers, can be used to exaggerate or minimise the difference between things....
- You'll learn more that way than if I try to prattle on about submodifiers in combination, intensifiers and the like.
- Yet all Group I adjectives can be used with a submodifier or adverb, such as ‘very’ or ‘really’ and they can also have comparative and superlative forms.
Derivatives
submodification
- Satisfying all four criteria for full adjectival status, these adjectives are gradable, allow submodification by intensifiers like very, quite, rather and extremely and may occur in both attributive and predicative position.
- Unlike descriptive adjectives, classifying adjectives do not allow comparison or submodification by intensifiers.
submodify
- However, adjectives used to identify a process can be submodified by adverbs which describe the speed at which the process happens.