Fixed Entry
Its March 11 edition fumbled: “… not one of these dreams have (has) been achieved after close to six decades.”
“Martins: SWAN condoles (condoles with) family, berates LMC’ (DAILY SUN SPORTS, March 11) Simple alternative: SWAN consoles family—instead of sophisticated ignorance!
“In the eyes and reckoning of every Imo citizens, there has only been two administrations in the state.” Every Imo citizen or all Imo citizens…and this: there have (not has) only been two administrations in the state.
“NPA commends FG over (for) port reforms” (THISDAY Headline, January 27)
“Nigeria’s aviation industry has witnessed some changes since the administration of late Musa Umar Yar’dua….” (THISDAY Aviation, January 27) The administration of the late….
“After four years of solid performance on the saddle…”’ Let God’s will be done: in the saddle.
“Some states have seized the opportunity to make waves….” It is only in America and Nigeria that opportunities are seized. In New (Formal/Standard) English environments, you either use or take opportunities. ‘Seize’ inseparably involves the use of some measure of force or deployment of violence.
“Gowon, Jang, others pay last respect to…” No news: last respects.
Yet another headline goof from the above edition: “Tantalizers fete (fetes) kids on Valentine’s Day” Tantalizers is just a company.
“Post election panel is illegal and diversionary” Get it right: Post-election panel illegal, diversionary
“It is perhaps in this light that the series of consultative meeting .... ” Folk (popular) etymology: the series of consultative meetings.
“In this regard, one must doff one’s hat for Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr . .... ” This way: doff (also take off) one’s hat to (not for).
“In the last elections, voters had to choose between three parties essentially….” ‘Between three parties’ is simply acidulous. Formal expression: among three parties….
“The security-men who arrested Chima were eight in number (what would ‘eight’ have been?) and arrived at about 10 a .m. in the morning.” Towards Standard English for readers: at 11.a.m or about 11a.m, if there is an element of uncertainty. To employ the two in one breath is irksome. How does this sound: ’10 a.m. in the morning’? This is simply embarrassing!
“Of course film-makers should also watch them so that the public can be told the videos are not some Hollywood make-belief.” My comment: makebelieve.
“Pondering over the nation is the spectra of economic corruption and a descent into (to) chaos and anarchy.” Singular: spectrum and plural (spectra).
“It is therefore most expedient for ex-Generals like Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida to re-examine its (their) role in government and take a honourable bow from politics.” A time to quit: an honourable bow.
“Even now, no talk of regional or sub-regional integration is complete in this continent without an echo from Nigeria.” Diplomacy: on the continent.
“…am convinced that what held the audience spell-bounded (spell-bound) and excited was the fact of an Anglophone being able to tell him in their own language.”
“Instead, people compete and fall over one another for the crumbs and fallouts from the ‘high table’ (platform/dais/ rostrum) and even defend the indefensible.” ‘Fallout’ is uncountable.
“…we swept them under the carpet pretending that all was well when in actual (what for?) fact we were heading towards apocalypse.”
“…others point out the moral ground for such action (an action), given Labour’s antecedents in the past.” ‘Antecedents in the past’? This is unacceptable for obvious reasons. One of these days, somebody would write ‘future antecedents’! Delete ‘in the past’.
“As at 1985 there are (were) over 36,000 dams in the world with about 18,000 in China alone.”