Alumni, Alumnae: Plural Nouns

Ebere Wabara

You are welcome to our language clinic: “Presidential poll theatricals: Legal fireworks begins (sic) next week”

Now the inside pages starting with advertorials: “This is yet another landmark in the life of a philantropist” Spell-check: philanthropist

“Generousity (sic) per (sic) excellence again.” There should be no full stop because it is not a sentence. A rewrite: Generosity par excellence again  

“Uzodinma hails police for returning peace to Imo” Is Online Daily Champion of June 29 insinuating that the police took away ‘peace’ in Imo and are now returning it with Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State as the crown witness? The police are merely restoring peace—not returning it! These Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu’s ‘boys’ can misrepresent someone!

We move to the Views Page: “Some of them go about on (in) private aircraft with security agents at their beck and calls (call).”

Education Today pages are next: “Adeola Odutola College alumni inaugurates (inaugurate) lecture theatre”  

“Recent crackdowns on examination malpractice…has (have) led to hundreds of prosecutions and scores of convictions.”

“Tuition: EKSU students laud instalment payment” Campus News: instalment plan (not payment)

Let’s vacate Daily Trust of June 6 after this journalistic trademark: “….reports that majority (a majority) of Nigerians are going through….”

The word ‘followership’ is a Nigerian coinage. The approved entry is ‘following’ or ‘followers.’ An example: The APC has a large following or many followers. Also note that ‘witch-hunt’ is not a verb as many people often use it! It is a countable noun. 

The Guardian of June 4 posted a sentence wrongly: “So could the instances of delayed tax remittance and clear failure by FIRS to mete out sanctions on (to) defaulters….” 

“Service can only be enjoyed on MMS enabled (MMS-enabled) phones that have the correct MTN data settings.” (Full-page advertisement by MTN)

Still on THE GUARDIAN: “Borno engages 64,000 youths in poverty reduction schemes” Appointments: poverty-reduction schemes

“The federal government must, therefore, set up a special task force to monitor all its activities, projects and make sure that they are commissioned (inaugurated) on time.”

“Explore the possibilities of world class (world-class) education within the country at Elizade University.” (Full-page advertisement)

“…in addition to sitting for our post UTME (post-UTME) scheduled to hold on….” (Source: as above)

Last week’s edition of this medium fumbled on five occasions: “Saraki’s media aide added that after the closed door meeting….” Truth in defence of freedom: meeting behind closed doors (not closed door meeting)!

“According to him, the video was not an official recording of the forum, and, as such, remained untameable (untenable).”

“Real reason Olu Akanmu quits (quit) Airtel”

“The estranged couple, we gathered, still remains (remain) friends for the sake of their four children.”

Lastly from this platform: “Firms’ profits re-open (reopen) cement glut claims” Phrasal verbs abhor hyphenation.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER of June 3, goofed: “Even before this season rounded-off (rounded off), players and coaches (coaches’) transfer news have (had) even overshadowed some matches….” Global soccer summer transfer: ‘news’ is uncountable 

“Below are photographs of personalities at (on) the occasion.” (Source: as above)

“Don’t miss out on the thrills and anxiety (anxieties) every week as thousands of talented singers battle for the grand prize of N24 million and the career changing (career-changing) Sony Music Contract.” (Full-page advertisement by Glo Unlimited)

“Count me out of governors (governors’) leadership crisis, says (name withheld)” This is sheer gobbledygook by a politician! Such prevarications are best for the marines! It is better to be silent at a time like this than to be misleadingly loquacious and manifestly daft! Most Nigerians are not dullards. 

“School holds inter house (inter-house) cultural competition”

“Fraud free (Fraud-free) immigration to Canada”

“South-South Monarchs (Monarchs’) Forum”

“Quality all purpose equipments at GOOFA Nigeria Limited” A rewrite: Quality all-purpose equipment (uncountable)

Wrong: “Go and on/off the generator”; right: Go and put on/off the generator

Wrong: “Wash hand basin”; right: Finger bowl

Wrong: “Use the packer to pack the dirt”; right: Use the dust pan (not ‘packer’)…. 

The next two blunders are from Stv Early Morning News Scroll of May 21: “Preventing external agression” Spell-check: aggression

“Aviation workers suspends (why?) strike, FG intervenes” 

“Clearing drainages in Delta” (THE NATION ON SUNDAY, May 28) ‘Drainage’ is non-count and is a system of drains—the right entry here should be ‘drains’ and not their collectivization.

THISDAY of May 18 offered readers three juvenile errors: “Court winds-up (winds up) firm, jails officials over My Pikin mixture”

“Churning out series (a series) of life-transforming soap operas endeared….”

“The group though had fought against government and its agencies on many occasions but came into the nation’s consciousness when….” The Saturday Newspaper Cover: ‘Though’ and ‘but’ cannot function in the same environment—‘it’ should take the place of ‘but’ to foreclose lexical insurgency!

“It is not that I see Igbo land as an (a) hostile region….”

“Jos, the capital of Plateau State (another comma, please) is one of the few cosmopolitan towns in the country that have (has) enjoyed peaceful co-existence relatively.”

“…the president and other stakeholders in the nation’s well-being rubbed minds (brainstormed, exchanged ideas/views.…)” It is not possible to ‘rub minds’!

“He had ordered more soldiers posted to the troubled (trouble) spots of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa with an instruction….”

“Ebonyi: Women miners lament rising gender based (gender-based) violence” 

“Mammoth crowd cheers Peter Obi in Kogi” Get it right: ‘Mammoth’ has become an old-fashioned expression—be creative by employing fresh (novel possibly) expressions like ‘gigantic’, ‘enormous’—among others.

“Happy 64th Birthday Anniversary” This way: Just Happy 64th Birthday

“Pictures and video clips of underage voting were circulated on (in) the social media to the chagrin of many people.”

“…police officers had actually taken law into their hands….” Extra-judicial killings: taken the law into their own hands….

“Our education system is in shambles (in a shambles)….”

“Majority (A majority) of our graduates are graduating into unemployment….”

The next disaster is from DAILY INDEPENDENT of June 9: “…Dickson paying his last respect to his departed colleague….” A rewrite: Dickson paying last respects to his colleague. 

THE GUARDIAN of June 8 disseminated copious goofs: “Imo offers reward for information on doctor abductors” This way: doctor’s abductors

“Years after, thousands in N/Korea mourn late leader” Would they have mourned their living leader? Fatalistic thinking! North Koreans mourn ex-leader

Still on The Guardian which contributed three more solecisms: “But the lawmakers failed to tell Nigerians what they plan to do about the siege currently laid on (to) the country by armed gangs.”

“…armed bandits ravaging the country is worrisome.” Conscience, Nurtured by Truth: banditry inevitably involves the use of arms/weaponry. So, delete ‘armed’!

“Besides, are there genuine political reasons behind the activities of terror organizations such as Boko Haram and how could it (they) be addressed?”