You Had Better…Not ‘You Better’
FROM JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, comes this introduction: “Individual institutions can decide on who to admit or not based on age, (needless comma) or any other criteria (criterion ).” Singular: criterion; plural: criteria. “Why did 4 (four, professionally and methodically) women (a comma) dressed in white (another comma) walked (walk) around where T.B. Joshua is (was) laid…?”
“Assailant, vigilante member die in gun duel” Get it right: vigilance member. Alternatively: Assailant, vigilante die in gun duel.
“Woman arrested with AK-47, 148 live ammunitions”The last word in the extract is uncountable. The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) period is gone!
“This will remove the possibility of passing the bulk (buck)” No pedestrian English.
“The organized private sector took the bull by the horn recently….” For a better society: take the bull by the horns.
“Britain handed over the reigns of power to the politicians.” Modern English: reins of government.
“One even wonders why government did not adopt that method from the onset (outset).”
“This is true given the restricted and guarded comments from those who have been priviledged to view the clips.” Spellings count: privileged.
“Government needs to put (get) its acts together and prosecute the kidnappers.” My own comment: get its act (not acts) together.
“Vigilante group accused of murder“…Get it right: vigilance group.
“Apart from all these, the debt recovery (a hyphen confirms class) level of the banks have not been any issue of interest to NDIC.” Question CBN has to answer, debt recovery has (not have).
“It is believed in some quarters that the Nigerian Police has….”THE NATION: the Nigerian Police have.
“And the leaders, being new on the saddle of political leadership (another comma) were.…”The challenges of good grammar: in the saddle.
“Efforts by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his group to remove Akintola from office was (were) fiercely resisted.”Why the discord?
“As a new democracy, there was (were) bound to be problems.”
“In the course of the crisis, Awo and some of his lieutenants were arrested and charged for (with)….”
“The ethnic colouration of the coup led to a counter coup (a hyphen) in July 1966.” Spell-check: coloration.
“Have the previous exercises impacted meaningfully on the lives (life) of the average Nigerian?”
“This could not have been possible if they had been outrightly liquidated .”‘ Out rightly’ isa Nigerian creation! The right word ‘outright’ functions as an adverb and an adjective. Therefore, it does not require any inflexion. In other words: This could not have been possible if they had been liquidated outright. Even at that, ‘liquidation’ does not need any qualification because of its causative finality. So, if they had been liquidated.
‘Reopening’ abhors hyphenation. It is not automatic that any word with a prefix must go with a hyphen, except where there is a vowel replication. For instance: re-entry, but readmit, readjust, etcetera.
“Legislators, oil chiefs parley on industry enhancing issues” Imagine the classical excellence a hyphen between ‘industry’ and ‘enhancing’ would have conferred on the headline.
“I said these are (were) beggars and I told my wife I better (I had better) get money ready for them.”
“…the grassroots population of our people will remain the lifewire of the UBE scheme.” Adult literacy: livewire.
“The remains of the Ovie, sources in the town revealed, was (were) later tied….”
“And just last Friday, it was reported that the police has (had) arrested the APC governorship candidate….”
“The meetings were about some developments alright .... ”‘Alright’ (non-standard) is unacceptable for ‘all right’ in formal settings.
“My suggestion, therefore, is that our National Assembly members should tow (toe) the line of reason.”
”…especially those public officers who remain suspect with regards (regard) to their qualifications and credibility to hold public offices” Alternatively, as regards their qualifications….
“The nation has (had) in the past pardoned and forgiven it’s (sic) past leaders and citizens who committed one offence or the other (or another).”
“Such citizens had since been integrated back (reintegrated) into the system.”
“A recent summit in Kaduna on education in the northern states provided the appropriate forum to revisit, once again….” ‘Revisit’ cannot co-function with ‘again.’“Gone are the days when government can (could) go it alone.”
“Infact (In fact) every loving parents .... ” Parentage: either every loving parent or all loving parents
“In the agricultural sector, the two countries can learn a lot from one another (each other).”
“Soldiers take over troubled spots” Let peace reign: trouble spots.
“Post election violence spreads”Towards a better life for the people: Post-election violence….
“…lost his life in a ghastly auto crash in Greece.” It was a fatal (not ghastly) accident.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed sadness over the sporadic violent protest (protests)….”
“Police arrest four over Maiduguri explosion”Do we arrest the entire editorial team for (not over) lexical recklessness?
“Bribery enthrones mediocrity and crucify merit.”The Tabernacle of bribery crucifies merit.
“Gang up against Buhari will fail” Phrasal verb: gang up; noun: gang-up (which applies here).
“We were treated to another similar incidence.…” All newspapers should know the difference between ‘incidence’ and ‘incident’ (which applies here).
“Although the governor’s last minute romance with the main opposition party is held against him.…” Saturday People: last-minute (take note of the hyphen) romance
“Thus, a core investor…with regards to optimal use of the machinery.…” Either: as regards or with regard to….
“In the heydays of the goggled General when fuel was often unavailable…” Stranglehold of oil workers: heyday (uncountable).
“Last year, many houses of the Igbo in Ajegunle, a suburb of Lagos, were razed down.…” No word abuse: simply razed (not razed down). Discard the contrary views by some registers!
Yet another headline gaffe: “Restrictions on inter-bank foreign exchange trading is (are) killing the market.”
“Armed robbers now have good company–street thugs and unofficial vigilante groups.” Democracy as a disincentive: vigilance group.
“PDP points accusing fingers at INEC….” People in the news: Buhari points the finger. No obtuse addition.
“Nigeria is at a crossroad” Fixed expression: at a/the crossroads.
“Stationeries badly needed by.…”‘Stationery’ is non-count.
“But what appears criminal is the desire of these offsprings of.…”‘Offspring’ does not take any inflection.
”…the process of economic integration from which will emerge an economic block (bloc).…”
“There is a tussle going on between these two (would it have been three?) arms of government.”
“Nigerian leaders and politicians have continued to adopt and acquiesce to (in).…” “Globacom sets (set) to rule domestic market” “I have been briefed that the wrangling among the leaders of PDP are (is) over.”
“Now that the Police has (have) taken over the supervision of the….”
“…and ensure it does not reoccur again.”‘Reoccur again’? Run for cover, my dear reader! Just recur. Recur, recurrence, recurrent. Occur, occurred, occurrence.
“Lack of incentives anger( angers) local manufacturers ”“They provide temporary relief .”‘ Temporary relief ’? I strongly object to that clumsy expression because there is no permanence in ‘relief.’
“The patients pay for each act of ‘healing’ through their noses.” Get it right: they pay through the nose. “At the launching programme (launch) in Abuja.…” “A cursory look at the figures show (shows) that.…” “The end point is that people wait for between three to five hours to pay in their drafts.” English without tears: between three and five.