Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MANIFOLD

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explore the archives: Onefold, twofold, threefold, manifold. Primary, secondary, t_______. N_________, microsecond, millisecond. How did you do with these? :) make your point with... "MANIFOLD" With special meanings in mathematics, mechanics, and the oil industry, "manifold" serves manifold purposes! In general, manifold things are many and various. Pronunciation: MAN uh fold Part of speech: Most often an adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "manifold things." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was manifold" or "They were manifold.") Other forms: Sometimes "manifold" is a noun meaning "abundance; variety:" "a manifold of delights."  Sometimes it's an adverb meaning "many times over:" "a debt repaid manifold." Though it's also a verb meaning "multiply" or "make copies of," that's too rare for us to bother with. How to use it: Although "manifold" can also simply mean "many," I recommend sticking with the meaning "many AND various." If you mean "many," say "many." If you mean "many AND many different kinds," say "manifold." Talk about manifold problems or issues or flaws, manifold successes or failures, manifold benefits or opportunities, manifold causes or effects, manifold examples or reasons, manifold objections or contradictions, and so on. Notice how I listed only plural things so far? You can also call a singular thing manifold, but these days you won't see it used that way too often. But do it! It sounds good! Talk about a manifold singular thing when you mean that, one, there's a lot of it, and two, there are lots of different kinds of it. Arthur Conan Doyle described "the manifold wickedness of the human heart," meaning one, there's a lot of wickedness in the human heart, and two, there are lots of different kinds of wickedness there. George Cornewall Lewis wrote that "truth is one, error is manifold:" so, one, there's a lot of error going around, and two, there are lots of different kinds of error. Maybe you have a manifold hatred or a manifold love for something: you hate or love it for many reasons and in many ways. Maybe there's a concept that people think is simple but is actually manifold, involving lots of different things: like how "coffee" isn't just one plant and "cancer" isn't just one disease. examples: When journalists ignore the manifold caveats in a scientific publication--when they oversimplify and overstate the findings--nobody wins. Her eulogizer drew from Proverbs 31:10-31 ("Hymn to a Good Wife") to beautifully express the manifold goodness of our grandmother's heart. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "manifold" means when you can explain it without saying "tons" or "various." try it out: Think of something you love to do, all the time, for lots of different reasons. Fill in the blank: "For me, nothing compares to the manifold joys of (doing something in particular)."  Example: "For me, nothing compares to the manifold joys of reading." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Language Techniques: When language sounds beautiful or memorable, often there’s some particular technique responsible for that effect. Each day this month, I’ll give you a specific stylistic technique or quality, and I’d like you to recreate (as closely as you can) the quote that I’ve botched by removing it. We’ll work our way from the easiest to the hardest techniques. Enjoy! From yesterday: Without rhetorical questions, how could we be dramatic? T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" would have been all "Perhaps I should disturb the universe" and "Maybe I'll eat a peach" instead of "Do I dare disturb the universe?" and "Do I dare to eat a peach?" Michael Bolton didn't sing, "If we can't be friends, perhaps we can't be lovers." How does that line really go? Answer: "How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?"  Try this one today: A staple technique in essays, textbooks, and speeches, hypophora is raising a question and then instantly answering it yourself. My favorite example is from Oscar Wilde: "What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." Protesters wouldn't make much impact if they chanted something like, "We want fair pay. Also, we want it now." Restore the hypophora. What would they chant instead? review today's word: 1. The opposite of MANIFOLD is A. HETEROGENEOUS B. WELL-MATCHED C. SINGULAR 2. Classroom teaching demands manifold _____ and infinite patience. A. funding B. degrees C. creativity Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@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. C 2. C