Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MALLEABLE

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"MALLEABLE" Meaning: To malleate something is to beat it into shape with a hammer. So, something or someone malleable is easily shaped or easily influenced, as if bending easily under a hammer. Pronunciation: Several ways are correct. I prefer "MAL yuh bull." Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a malleable memory." 2. After a linking verb, as in "The memory was malleable.") Other forms: malleability How to use it: You can be literal and talk about malleable metals that remain in the shape you hammer them into, the malleable clay that lets you form it into a vase or a cup, your malleable hair that stays curly after you curl it, a malleable pipe cleaner that stays in the shape of a flower after you bend it that way, and so on. We'll focus on figurative meanings, though. Talk about a malleable mind or personality, a malleable group of people (like a malleable workforce or a malleable kindergarten class), a malleable set of morals or beliefs, a malleable attitude or way of looking at things, a malleable memory of an event, someone's malleable behavior or use of language, and so on. You sometimes say that one thing is malleable to the thing that's influencing it: "a vast command of language malleable to your mood and purpose," "an obstinate woman malleable to no words of persuasion." Learning a foreign language is much easier to do when you're young, when your mind is more malleable. In these modern times, when psychological studies have clearly demonstrated the malleability of our opinions and memories, the fact that we still convict people using juries and witnesses is baffling. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "malleable" means when you can explain it without saying "hammer-able" or "easy to influence." Think of a time when you were easily influenced, and fill in the blanks: "At the age of _____, my (mind/behavior) was malleable to (something in particular that influenced you)." Example: "At the age of twenty, my mind was malleable to any and all of my professors' exhortations about how to think and how to live." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words:  We're playing with clichés this month, examining the origins of some colorful ones. I’ll give you a cliché (some of which you might also call a proverb and/or an idiom) and pose a multiple-choice question about its origin. (I used this nifty book as a reference!) Yesterday's question: If you “feel something in your bones,” you’ve got a gut feeling about it. Is this cliché from Beowulf, a Shakespearean play, or a Charles Dickens novel? Answer: It’s from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, which probably didn’t make it onto your high school reading list. Try this one today: When you talk about how great something is by saying it’s “of the first magnitude,” are you (perhaps unknowingly) referencing the strength of earthquakes, the skill of generals, or the brightness of stars? A Point Well Made: Elizabeth Gilbert: “Anyhow, the older I get, the less impressed I become with originality. These days, I’m far more moved by authenticity… Share whatever you are driven to share.” 1. The opposite of MALLEABLE is A. ADAMANT B. AMBIGUOUS C. RELUCTANT 2.  _____ is a forum for people whose opinions are malleable to evidence and arguments. A. Echo Chamber B. Change My View C. Shower Thoughts Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B Exploring the archives: Like in "knowledgeable," "noticeable," and "peaceable," make sure you include that middle "e" in today's "malleable." Here are some of our other words that are a bit tricky to spell. Can you recall the right spelling for each? - When something bothers and annoys you endlessly, does it beleager you or beleaguer you? - When you've got a situation that's violent and chaotic, is it a maelstrom or a maelstorm? - Speaking of tricky spelling, we're all imperfect creatures, and likely to make mistakes. Are we fallable or fallible?