‘Grouse Against’ Incorrect

EXPRESSION BY Ebere Wabara

YOU are welcome to our language clinic: “I feel that the ultimate emphasise should be on….” (THISDAY COMMENT, November 30) Beyond Waziri’s dismissal: emphasis. No lexical sin is weightier than the other!

DAILY INDEPENDENT of November 29 carried a kindergarten goof: “…the issue of cost and fees are bound to come up.” The issue…is (not are) bound to come up!

“Marwa talks tough, takes over NDLEA leadership” (BUSINESSDAY Headline, June 29) Let’s not put the cart before the horse: the man took over before talking tough. There is logical sequence in collocation.

“Bayelsa, Adamawa: PDP playing double standards” (DAILY TRUST Inside Politics, November 29) Trust is a burden: double standard.

The next two headline blunders are from DAILY INDEPENDENT of November 29: “MTN trains media practitioners” Nobody practises media—what we have are media professionals.

“Electricity consumers lampoon NUEE over incessant industrial action” Why not actions?

THE GUARDIAN Banner of November 24 embarrassed some of its teeming cerebral readers: “Foundation donates stationeries, bags to Lagos public schools” Stationery/cutlery/bedding/loot/furniture/equipment, et al, are uncountable. Technically, it is called number restriction on nouns.

Henceforth, I will try as hard as possible to be diagnostic in error identification (and correction). I do not want to be dismissed as a surgeon who cures ailments without knowing their names by the Managing Director of The Guardian Newspapers and profound language activist who shares ‘grammatical cousinship’ with me, Mr. Martins Oloja. By the way, one of my professorial friends pointed out last week that, indeed, some nouns (accountancy profession/highway patrol, etc.) can double as adjectives contrary to my inadvertent assertion last week! Again, there is no infallibility or perfection in information management—we keep striving after excellence without, however, falling below universally acceptable level of communicative quintessence which informs this column.

The only challenge I have is that such didactic comprehensiveness may make this column boring to numerous readers—and even the columnist! It is not for lack of classical scholarship, but a function of style.

“Reneging on the FG-ASUU agreement is palpably reprehensible and an affront on (to) the sensibility of Nigerians.”

“Indeed, some gender sensitive (a hyphen, please) critics were to charge him for (with) not maintaining a high profile and sustained enthusiasm and support for their cause.”

“We congratulate Archbishop George Carey for (on/upon) holding his own acre of Christendom….”

“According to the source, which is usually infallible, the late Shagari openly endorsed Buhari and enjoined Babangida and his supporters to do same.” Get it right: supporters to do the same.

“…the mass exodus of members to other parties should be a source of worry to the leadership of the party.” ‘Exodus’ involves massive movement.

“You better get down on your knees and do what I am doing right now.” The end of illusions as we put the expression right: You had better get down on your knees and do what I am doing right now.

“Every detail of our daily life furnish (furnishes) compelling reasons for pessimism.”

“NNPP paths way with NDP” This way: parts (not paths) company…

“In fact when it is not a victim of communal clashes, it suffers fallouts of….” ‘Fall-out’ is uncountable.

‘There is the erroneous tendency to blame all the shortcomings in the electoral process at the doorstep of the Independent National Electoral Commission.” Get it right: blame on (not at).

“Though recent amendments to the Electoral Act have changed some deadlines with regards to the submission of the lists of candidates.…” Either as regards or with regard to

“Four years ago, when the former governor proclaimed his presidential aspirations with palpable bravado and fanfare under (on) the platform of the PDP….”

“The politician’s so-called grouse with Obasanjo is not….” This way: grouse about (not with) OBJ.

“As the governor observed during his tour of the troubled spots….” Get it right: trouble spots.

“Arab leaders appeared not to have put their acts together to join the global movement.” Iraq: get their act (not acts) together.

“I remember once when he came to Port Harcourt we worked on a case till 5 a.m. in the morning” No! Just end it at 5 a.m.

“…disagreement ensued resulting into shooting to death of one of the ‘okada’ members by the police.” This Life: resulting in.

“It was sometimes (sometime) this year while I was still in Abuja….”

“For a NAFDAC that has in almost two years been performing creditably towards ensuring that food and drugs need of Nigerians are (is) given standard manufacturing preparation….”

“…his predecessors who were on (in) seat for years without actually doing the work for which they were paid.”

“Most of the indictments the National Assembly levelled on (at, against) the President….”

“Whose actions or inactions rubs (rub) off negatively almost all the time on the image of the industry?”

“Out of 50 years of Nigeria’s independence, the military held the reins of power for a period of 29 years.” Standard phrase: reins of government.

“…with Muhammadu Buhari on (in) the saddle as the….”

“Coalition of parties protest election results in Bayelsa” Not yet proximity: coalition of parties protests.

“It is perhaps in this light that the series of consultative meeting….” Get it right: the series of consultative meetings.

“There was no doubt about the involvement of an officer like late Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.” Learning everyday: an officer like the late Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

“Of course (a comma) film-makers should also watch them so that the public can be told the videos are not some comical make-belief.” My authoritative comment: make-believe.

“The distressing state of the nation cannot give room for any pomp and pageantry.” This way: pomp and ceremony/pomp and circumstance or, simply, pomp.