Beehive of Activities’ Wrong

Ebere Wabara

DAILY Trust of September 27 welcomes us with copious grammatical crises: “We’ll restore peace in (to) APGA—Factional leader”

Next is its views page: “Parents have thus out of greed or fear of discharging their responsibilities to the (their) children, (needless comma—except if there had been one after ‘thus give (given) them out….”

“Both the federal and states (sic) government (federal and state governments) must take steps to ensure that….”

“There is thus the need to separate politicking from electioneering campaign.” ‘Electioneering’ encompasses ‘campaign.’

“…and the ousted leadership of the school’s parents/teachers’ association.” Education Today: parent-teacher association

“St. Saviour’s school commissions (why this particular verb when there are copious others?) N200m classrooms”

“Forex reserves drops (drop) 0.17% to three month (three-month) low” Because of its grouping role, the hyphen forms adjectives. Otherwise, some lexical combinations will become awkward and ambiguous.

Please note that ‘but’ and ‘however’ cannot co-function. And this: ‘at’ applies to a definite time; while ‘about’ refers to an approximate time. Therefore, to use both in the same environment is contradictory and confusing. But you can say ‘at or about’…in an informal setting that allows such escapist latitude! Lastly: ‘likes’ take ‘compare with’ and unlike terms ‘compare to.’ An example, talking football: You can compare MLS striker Lionel Messi with former Real Madrid playmaker Christiano Ronaldo, but Messi to Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man. However, at a classical level, some likes are incomparable with one another: Nigerian local league players cannot be compared with, but to, either Messi or Ronaldo!

Still on Daily Trust: “…activities of unlicensed designers is (are) shrinking its market in Nigeria.”

“Air-purifying, energy saving (why omit the second hyphen?) AC unveiled as Panasonic stirs competition”

“Police counsel Ogun monarchs on grassroot (grassroots) policing”

“Unlawful possession of firearms: Vigilante boss exonerated” Community Mirror: vigilance boss or vigilantes’ boss

“Ota DPO calls for concerted efforts (effort) in traffic management”

Finally from the Back Page of Daily Trust which circulated three blunders: “In this critical area, this government has failed woefully (abysmally)….”

“Another job creating (job-creating) initiative like the….”

“…functional national infrastructure which are still lacking in our oil dependent (oil-dependent) economy.”

Last Saturday’s edition of Leadership lied in defence of its advertorial freedom: “Mama, tens of decades of exemplary contributions to the upliftment (uplift) of common people….” There is no such word known as ‘upliftment’ in the English language lexicon.

Blueprint of September 12 did not practise robust journalism, as it advocates, on nine occasions: “Enjoy round the clock banking!” (Full-page advertisement by GT Bank) At your service adjectivally: round-the-clock banking!

“HICC pledge (pledges) to support FG’s war against corruption.”

“Our daddy, on this auspicious occasion of your birthday anniversary….” ‘Birthday’ and ‘anniversary’ cannot co-function in the same environment.

“I am not an advocate for albinos to marry themselves (one another)….”

“It was a beehive of activities…as the celebrant’s (celebrator’s) parents….” Fairground: a hive of activity (not a beehive of activities)!

“Your fight for the less privilege (underprivileged) and down trodden (downtrodden) has (had) indeed changed lives for the better, (a full stop) you are (were) indeed a rare gem.” (Full-page advertorial)

Vanguard Views Page of September 20 takes over the baton with two errors: “There is a marked difference between political activities and electioneering campaigns.” In the interest of existential humanism, let us end it at ‘electioneering’ which includes ‘campaigns.’

“…the interest of the common man in the street.” The man in the street is basically common! Do not aggravate his circumstance by adding ‘common’!

“Glo’s Move to Greener Pastures (Move-to-Greener-Pastures) campaign hits over 50, 000 views (sic)”

“Man charged for (with) tossing wife off cruise ship”

The last slipshod entry from Vanguard just before its editorial: “Italy’s first back (black) minister gets death threat”

“…which are interpreted to include the right for (to) sexual preferences.”

Nigerian Tribune of September 19 goofed on many occasions: “FG says its (it’s) suffering (suffering from) cash crunch”

“Globacom to storm eight cities with Glo slide and bounce tour” Get it right: Glo slide-and-bounce tour. Does the telecommunications company have issues with hyphenation?

“Encomium galore as Anambra council boss bags award” City Beats: Encomiums galore

“The Lagos PDP, until recently, was bedevilled by intra-party crisis (an intra-party crisis) that has made….” Another possible entry: intra-party cries

“Obituary announcement” Just obituary!

“Corruption destroying the fabrics (fabric) of Nigeria”

“Eagles (Eagles’) attack worries Eguavoen” 

“Aba IPP was commissioned (inaugurated/launched…) in August—Prof. Nnaji”

 “…the set-up that has proved to be every inch a drain of (on) public purse…” (The Guardian, September 18)

 “…and that these have the potential to trigger off crisis (a crisis) the end of which nobody could fathom.”

Next is a special extract from the edition under review: “Reports said no fewer than 44 people were slaughtered penultimate Tuesday night by some unknown gunmen (we can never know the gunmen—so spare readers the ‘unknown’ trite!) at Dumba village on the outskirt (outskirts) of Baga town in the Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.”

“Our members have earned the allowances by working for the money and therefore we are not begging for crump (crumbs) from government.”

“She said the motive is (was) still unknown….”

Lastly from Daily Trust under examination: “Police cordons town hall over crisis” A rewrite: Police cordon off town hall after crisis

Daily Independent Online of August 28 committed juvenile errors: “…dignitaries at the event took their turn (turns) to thrash out the problems politicians have infested Nigeria with.”

“Influx of people stretch (stretches) our security—FCT CP”

“UN seeks Nigeria’s help to (at) restoring constitutional order in (to) Guinea Bissau”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY of October 13 fumbled copiously: “…Ehoe division responded to a distress call at about 3.30 pm (at 3.30 p.m. or about 3.30 p.m.) that….” Both cannot co-function.

“Traders commend FG over (for) intervention on (in) closed shops”

“…in this interview with reporters, he said the North’s allegations that they are currently marginalized was (were) baseless….”

Daily Trust of August 21 offered readers a clownish mistake: “4 family members arrested in Abia over murder of kinsman” A rewrite: 4 family members arrested for kinsman’s murder