Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MODULATE

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pronounce MODULATE: Say it "MOD juh late." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: You can trace our word modulate back to the Latin modus, meaning "an amount, an extent, a measure, or a manner." That explains why modulate resembles words like mode, model, modify, and accommodate. Because they all belong to the modus family, they all have something to do with ways, manners, or measures. See if you can recall three more cousins of modulate: 1. A mod___m of something is a small amount of it. 2. A mod__ o_______, often abbreviated as MO or M.O., is a normal, typical way of doing some task. 3. Latin for "way of living," a mod__ v______ can be a lifestyle, a manner of living, or a way that someone approaches or deals with major things in life. More specifically, it can also be a compromise that allows two people or groups to keep existing together or keep working together even though they have serious disagreements. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)   definition: In Latin, modulātiō means "a melody, or a rhythmic measure, or the act of singing and playing." It traces back to modus ("a measure") and probably gave us our English word "modulation." For hundreds of years in English, "modulations" were tunes, melodies, or the act of singing and playing music.  Over time, the word's meaning changed and expanded. Today, modulation is most often the act of changing or adjusting something for artistic effect, often a sound or a voice, and often a musical one. And to modulate something--again, usually something musical, like the pitch or the volume--is to change it or adjust it for artistic or emotional effect. To put that differently, to modulate something is to vary it a little bit so that it continues to please the ears. "Modulate" has more specific meanings in technical fields, especially music, but we'll focus on its general use. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Verb, most often the transitive kind: "She modulates her voice, as if careful to avoid showing anger." Sometimes the intransitive kind: "Her voice modulates, as if to hide her anger." Other forms:  Modulated, modulating; modulation; modulator(s). If you need an adjective, you can pick "modulative," "modulatory," or "modulational." Or, you might find that "modulated" or "modulating" works just fine. how to use it: "Modulate" is a formal, common word with a technical tone. Most often, we talk about people modulating their voices, usually so that it sounds exactly right for the situation. And people (and their voices) can modulate between or among different types: "Even within the same song, Jewel's voice modulates between dark and bright." We sometimes get figurative and talk about people modulating their actions, their approaches, their performances, their energy, or their style--or the mood or flow of some event, creation, or situation. If we use the word this way, we're implying that things are like music, or like voices: that they're personal, expressive, emotional, and artistic. Here's the New York Times describing a short story: "It's a brisk, efficient piece of storytelling with a skillfully modulated sense of vertigo." examples: "Her voice modulated back to a comforting purr."    — Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief, 2005 "'Good evening!' he says with that perfectly modulated voice that announcers seem to be born with."    — Sharon M. Draper, Out of My Mind, 2010 has this page helped you understand "modulate"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "modulate" without saying "tweak" or "fine-tune." try it out: Think of a time someone adjusted their approach to something--specifically in a careful, delicate, or artistic way. Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) modulated (something) into (something else)." Example 1: "When my young daughter loses control of her emotions, I try to modulate the outburst into a conversation about emotions and how to handle them." Example 2: "Ever since, Taylor and Katy have been engaged in remote sniping. There have been disparaging interviews, there have been lyrical swipes – but as time went on, Katy began to modulate the attacks into professions of hope that the pair could one day be friends again."    — Marina Hyde, The Guardian, 10 May 2018 If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is "Codenames MYP." You can play it with a partner or by yourself. It's loosely based on the fantastic game Codenames Duet.   Check out the words in the grid. Ignore the colors; they're just the ones I had on hand.  If you’re playing with a partner, pick any 2 or 3 terms from the grid, and give your partner a one-word clue to help them guess your terms--without stumbling onto any that you didn't pick. Your partner can do the same for you. No hints! Just say your clue word and the number of terms it should point toward. If you're playing solo, try to guess 2 terms in the grid by using this clue: "lost." To see these answers, scroll all the way down. If you need any definitions, give these a click:       labyrinth, somersault, millstone,      fissure, incense, barrage,      colonnade, thicket, taproot. review this word: 1. A near opposite of MODULATE is A. RIP. B. REGALE. C. REPEAT. 2. A songwriter might modulate the _____. A. percussion, eliminating it entirely B. key, lifting the song energetically into higher tones C. lyrics, silencing the human voice to allow the instruments to do the talking Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B Answers to the game question: With the clue "lost," I was trying to point you toward labyrinth and thicket. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.