Between Criterion & Criteria
CLASSIC FM 97.3 Front Page News Review of September 26 welcomes us today for the first time with this non-classical entry: “What is the criteria for…?” Get it right: criterion (singular) and criteria (plural). So, what are the criteria for…? “Rumble in the ‘Desert’: ‘Joshua needs confident (confidence) to over come (overcome) Ruiz” (WEEKEND SPORTINGSUN Headline, October 5)
“Mr. Quality Projects is a labour friendly (labourfriendly) governor” (Full-page advertorial signed by the Rivers State Government, September 25, 2019)
“We invite you to the commissioning ceremony (We invite you to the inauguration) on Wednesday….” (Source: as above)
“Reps (Reps’) minority crisis: PDP torn between devil and deep blue sea” (Politics & Power, September 25) This way: between the devil and the deep blue sea (fixed/stock idiomatic expression that should not be altered).
“Banks in last minute (last-minute) rush to meet new lending ratio” (DAILY SUN Headline, September 25) “Independence: Onitsha Main Market, other markets shutdown (shut down) in Anambra” (South East News, September 25)
FromArewa News of September 25 comes the next headline solecism: “Kebbi invests N4bn on (in) new settlements infrastructure”
“Zimbabwe opposition lawmakers walk out on president” Either Zimbabwe’s opposition or Zimbabwean opposition
“Okowa preaches fair play, as Delta principals’ cup kicks-off (kicks off)” DAILY Sun Editorial of September 18 takes over the baton with three slip-ups: “Recent statistics from the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) indicate that hundreds of Nigerians are presently (sic) in (on) death row in some countries….”
“There should be proper legal assistance to (for) our citizens accused of trafficking….”
“…if any of its citizens is properly tried or convicted or (for) any offense abroad”
“Payback period is between 3-10 years.” (Fullpage advertisement byAccess Bank, THISDAY, September 21) More than banking: between 3 and 10 years or from 3-10 years
The next three headline slips are from THISDAY of September 21, 2019: “Police charge 15 for (with) allegedly planning to kill Patience Jonathan” “Woman stabs 2 months (months’) old or 2-month-old baby”
“Police uncover fake hospital in Edo, nabs (why?) killer of 3 policemen”
Now, a special report: “He said he does (did) not know, that the urge comes to him just like that….”
“It is designed to nurture grassroot (grassroots) talents and future football stars for the State (sic) and the Nation.”
“The FootballAcademy will be commissioned (inaugurated/auspicated) by his Excellency….” (Full-page advertorial by the Rivers State Government, THISDAY, September 21)
“Adron Homes unveil (unveils) Rufai,Ali, Onyali as its ambassadors”
“SuperSport to view (air, broadcast or televise) IAAF World Championship live” (Global Soccer, September 21)
“As at press time, he neither answered (took) his call nor did replied (reply) text messages.”
“Over the years, she has proven (proved) to be a woman of excellence and repute….” Another form: He is a proven case of incompetency!
“The appearance of Tiwa as one of the models gave the charity a big boast (boost).” (THISDAY, September 21) “We’ll handover (hand over) recalcitrant debtors to EFCC…”
The next three oversights are from a full-page advertorial, THISDAY, October 5, signed byAlhaji Hamza KosheAkuyam, chairman, PDP, Bauchi State: “I…join our teaming (teeming) citizens to wish you a very Happy Birthday (unnecessary capitalization).”
“You are a Boss (sic) who inspire (inspires) us with your courage, humility and service for (to) the people.”“Adelegate of the PDP in Ogun State…slumped and died in the early hours of Thursday in an hotel inAbeokuta, the state capital.” This is certainly the old school genre. New class: a hotel.
“Police absolves security agencies of electoral fraud” It would be astounding for the Nigeria Police to indict fellow state gangsters!And, of course: police absolve (not absolves).
“…even if it means going extra miles….” I will go the extra mile (note the fixed expression) to ensure that this column appears unfailingly every week. “And like (as) someone said recently….”
“…in the evacuation of dead bodies to mortuary.” On a clinical note: corpses instead of ‘dead bodies’ and a mortuary or mortuaries, depending on the fact of the matter.
“…as well as condoning the place and evacuating the dead and survivors to nearest health facilities.” Bomb blasts and conflicting figures: cordoning off (take note of the spelling and correct entry) the place.
“There seems (seem) to be stiff competitions among the foreign media and local press as well as….”
“…politicians are also culprits in overheating the system with provocative statements in blaming their opponents over (for) every misdeed.”
“Baring few skirmishes which regrettably led to the death of four persons….”An anatomy of the season of linguistic violence: there is a world of distinction between ‘a few’ (which correctly applies here) and ‘few’, which connotatively suggests an expectation of more skirmishes—except if the writer has a weird denotative inclination towards potentialities for more skirmishes! Otherwise, the extract is lexically absurd because of his regret.
“Just imagine a young man that rounded up his apprenticeship as a welder.” This is an indication of the current malaise in scholarship: a situation where a lecturer cannot distinguish between phrasal verbs, ‘round up’ and ‘round off’ (which applies here).
“Will anybody please let us know which country became a super-power by allowing its best brains to roam about the world?” ‘Roam’ encompasses ‘about’.
“News from the universities are no longer about innovation.…” News is news (uncountable). “The condition, which is said to be due to an abnormality in either the number or structure of the chromosomes, cuts across every races.” Get it right: every race or all races.
“Janet, a twelve-year-old and the third child of her parents’ four offsprings and the only one with the problem…” ‘Offspring’ is non-count.
“Since 1993, funding of oil exploration have (has) been beset by different levels of problems.”
“In answering this question we classify the outcomes into long term and short term implications.” The greatest problem of journalists: unnecessary embellishment (outcome) of words.