The Context Modulator

The term 'modulator' is derived from its verb form 'modulate' which means ' to adapt or adjust'. So the function of a modulator is to adapt or adjust one thing to another. (In music, however, modulation means changing or passing from one key to another.) If you need to express two different sets of ideas in your paragraph, you will require a context modulator to adjust them. It is a sentence which provides a transition between the different sets of ideas. It is through this sentence that you will pass from one group of developers to the other. It is, therefore, a kind of bridge between two sets of ideas.

As far as its function is concerned, the context modulator does not appear in every paragraph. It occurs only in those paragraphs which contain more than one group of developers. It is, therefore, an additional element of a paragraph. You certainly know that the essential elements of a well written paragraph are its topic sentence, developers and terminator.

The very topic suggestion of a paragraph will tell you whether it will need a context modulator or not. For example, you are asked to write a paragraph on "The Amenities of Town Life". This obviously suggests that your paragraph will contain only one kind of developers. All of them will belong to one group only and they will describe the pleasant things of town life. So in writing this paragraph, you will not require any context modulator. On the other hand, if the topic suggestion is "Advantages and Disadvantages of a Joint Family", it is clear that some of your developers are to be about the advantages of a joint family and some about the disadvantages. Obviously, you have to incorporate two separate groups of developers.

First, you will list some advantages in one group and then some disadvantages in another group and between these two groups you will have to write a transition sentence to connect the two different sets of ideas. If you do not use this transitional device, your jump from one thing to another will be risky and abrupt and thereby your paragraph will lose an important element.

Here is a paragraph with two sets of ideas. There is a context modulator in it. As you read the paragraph, try to understand where and how the transition takes place.

Nature and Source of the Major Food

Elements

We need three major food elements to keep our body strong and healthy. In the very first place, we need protein which is a nitrogenous compound found in the fluids and tissues of all living organisms. Secondly, we require fat. It is an oily and greasy substance. Thirdly, we are in need of carbohydrate, a compound of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. We obtain these elements from various sources. For example, protein comes from meat, fish, milk and eggs. On the other hand, fat is obtained from both vegetable and animal sources and carbohydrate is generally derived from fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals. So if our diet is sufficiently varied, it will provide us with all the essential vitamins and minerals.

You must have noticed that this paragraph contains two sets of ideas. In the first set, the three major food elements are named and their nature is described. On the other hand, the second set deals with the sources of these three elements. And in order to connect these different sets of ideas we have used a context modulator, namely "We obtain these elements from various sources." It has provided a smooth transition from the first group of developers to the second.

MAIN POINTS

          i) The function of a context modulator is to provide a transition between two sets Of  ideas.

          ii) It occurs only in those paragraphs which contain more than one set of ideas.

VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT

   amenities — things that make life easy or pleasant

   cereals - any kind of grain used for food

   (to) derive from — have as a source or origin

   device - something adapted for a special purpose

   diet — sort of food eaten by a person

   fluid — liquid substance

   greasy - covered with grease; slippery

   key - scale of notes

   organism - individual animal or plant

   tissue — mass of cells

   topic suggestion - title

   transition - changing from one condition to another

   varied — full of variety; of different sorts

EXERCISES

1. Identify the context modulator in the following paragraph:-

Merits and Demerits of student Politics

Everything has its merits and demerits. So h as student politics. So far its merits are concerned, by practicing politics students can train themselves for the future administration. Secondly, being a great force they can have a positive influence on the Government activities. Moreover, under the banner of their party they can participate in various national programs.  But these merits are often outweighed by its glaring demerits. As we see now-a-days, students are badly used by the political leaders for their selfish gains. They are often equipped with arms and hence they engage themselves in serious clashes. Moreover, the political activities of students badly destroy their academic career. So when we think of student politics, we must think of both its good and evil.

2. Read the following paragraphs and insert a context modulator in each if and where it is necessary:-

       
a) The plan of the village school was good but unsuccessful. If it had been implemented,! the small children would not have to walk to the distant school of the neighboring village. As a result, more children would take the chance of educating themselves.. The first reason of its failure is that the members of the governing body of the proposed school were divided in their opinions* Secondly, the villagers could not ensure the requisite financial support for the implementation of the program. That is why the hopes for having a new school could not materialize.

       
b) An arranged marriage has its advantages and disadvantages. The first happy thing about it is that you can please your guardians by marrying a man/woman of their choice. Secondly, you can expect that the selection of your spouse by your guardians will be more reasonable than yours. Moreover, you can enjoy the thrill of meeting an unknown person after your marriage. The first problem is that you yourself may feel unhappy if the guardians do not value your opinion. Secondly, in most cases arranged marriages are determined by a dowry which causes sheer unhappiness in the married life. Moreover, the spouses previously unknown to each other may find it very difficult to build up a mental adjustment. We can, therefore, see that arranged marriages have both merits and demerits.