Flurry of Activity, Not ‘Activities’
Expression BY Ebere Wabara
WE kick off this way today: “Christians and Muslims have been killing each other (one another) over series (a series) of attacks by the Islamic militants, Boko Haram.”
The Views Page of the above medium collects the baton in perpetuation of solecisms: “Our level of humanity and development should be measured by our strict adherent (adherence) to the spirit and letters of democracy (sic).” Existential humanism: the spirit of the law or the letter of the law (democracy in this application).”
“…states that didn’t have universities now have ones.” Yank away the last word in the extract.
“…but violence arising there from (sic) never lasted more than few (a few) hours.”
“A desperate decease (disease) requires a desperate cure.”
“In its absent (absence), the state is a failed one.”
Even the Editorial of the paper under review consolidated the front page infraction: “…the latest in series (a series) of coups that have punctuated modern Thai history.”
“IATA urges governments, operators to tackle passengers (passengers’) excesses”
“FG tasks Nigerians on climate change induced (change-induced) activities”
“FCT minister’s wife distributes items to destitutes” Community Mirror: the destitute (noun and plural).
Finally from the Back Page of the medium under focus which withheld some etymological facts: “…the former GMD of Zenith Bank resumed (assumed) office as the new governor of CBN….” I cannot understand this elementary goof! If Emefiele had returned it would have been ‘resumption’—not the instant case.
“The flurry of activities (activity) that day prompted the acting governor….”
“Associated to (with) this is the….”
“It will specifically serve to identify those transacting business with Automated Teller Machines (ATM) (ATMs) and Point of Sales (Sale) (PoS) machines.”
“…that has potentials (potential or potentialities) to rev up the economy and create jobs.”
“In the next 10 days or thereabout….” Voice of the people: thereabouts
“Reps passes 2024 budget (sic)” Get it right: House of Reps passes or Reps pass 2024 Budget”
“PDP picks hole (holes) in passed 2024 budget (sic)”
“…etched his name on marble on (in) many thorny cases, both constitutional and in various other areas of the profession.”
“World Bank cat and mouse game with Nigeria” Get it right adjectivally: cat-and-mouse game
“…flattering the country’s potentials” Again, ‘potential’ is non-count, unlike ‘potentiality’.
“NOSDRA boss commends JTF over (for/on) arrest of oil thieves”
“Not surprisingly (Unsurprisingly), when it comes to Nigeria’s recent and not so recent (not-so-recent) history….”
“The Ministry of Youth and Development created by the federal government only concentrates on the high profile overaged Nigerian youths….” Not a challenge: overage Nigerian youths.
“Like a bad dream, the sore issue of fuel scarcity has refused to go away, posing serious (a serious) challenge to commuters and motorists.”
“20-year-old man remanded in prison for raping a minor” A rewrite: 20-year-old man remanded for raping minor
“…it is scandalous to learn that the Federal Government plans to import electricity into Nigeria from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a much smaller and less endowed African country.” (EDITORIAL) Please delete ‘into Nigeria’ to avoid lexical shame!
“…lead to a blind ally (alley).” (Source: as above)
“A progressive who believed in the good of majority (the majority) over the opulence of minority (the minority).” Additionally, this is a hanging sentence!
“…has not hidden her grouse on (about) the role played by America and the West in the disintegration of the former Russian federation.”
“…it is admittedly near impossible for anyone of voting age not to hold an opinion one way or the other (one way or another).”
“Owing to lack of support funding, the centre could not survive after few (a few) years.”
“Death for jobs latest” Abuja Metro: Death-for-jobs latest
The March online edition of POLITICAL ECONOMIST spread a few slip-ups: “The sight of a man, probably in his early fifties, raging at a staff (an employee/a worker) of a bank right inside the banking hall….”
“…all may not be well with the use of ATM afterall (after all).”
“Customs raises alarm (the alarm) over fake auction papers syndicate”
“Gates said he will (would) closely advise new Microsoft Chief Executive….”
Lastly from the monthly publication: “…who only see their appointments as a money making (money-making) venture.”
“…there is the additional tradition of ferrying loots abroad.” ‘Loot’ is uncountable.
“…said it uncovered late (the late) Gen. Sani Abacha’s loot of….”
“I was also given a ring and an handkerchief among other things I cannot mention here.” Life & Living: a handkerchief, a hotel, a European….
“I love seeing smile on people’s face.” Style Cover: people’s faces
“Kiddies world” (Logo) Get it right: Kiddies’ World
Wrong: Last but not the least; right: last but not least
“ICPC boss laments high rate of ‘sex for grades’ (sex-for-grades) in schools”
“Despite the huge money expended in (on) these periodic maintenance exercises, the nation’s refineries have remained unproductive, forcing the country to depend so much on imported petroleum products at exorbitant rates.”
Daily Independent Online of March 2 backs the floodgate of goofs this week: “The result is that many under-aged (sic) children are routinely subjected to abuse….” All the facts, all the sides: overage and underage (not ‘overaged’ or ‘underaged’) children.
The politics page of the above medium raises the tone with four slip-ups: “The Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference recently kick started (kick-started) its sitting in Akure….”
“These facts have contributed greatly in (to) the level of congestion in the courts.”
“…enjoy their loots and still aspire for (to) higher offices.” Again, ‘loot’ is uncountable—and you aspire to, not for!
Repeat by popular demand: In order to address the divergent views on the plurality of ‘machinery’, I visited Wiktionary, an online portal on Google platform and here is the result: ‘Machinery (countable and uncountable, plural machinery) (1.) The machines constituting a production apparatus, in a plant etc., collectively. (2) The working parts of a machine as a group. (3) The collective parts of something which allow it to function. (4) (Figuratively): The literary devices used in a work, notably for dramatic effect.’ ‘Machinery’ is an assemblage of machines or mechanical apparatuses. If you must use a plural form for ‘machine’, use the word ‘machines’, not ‘machineries’ to avoid needless morphological controversies. The machinery, not ‘machineries’, of government.
