Nairaland Forum

STACYM:

Incorrect- still yet
Correct -still or yet
Incorrect-toast
Correct-woo

known before

ola olabiy:

Surprise! Surprise!
Before I go to bed, let me surprise you all. Yeah, you all! At least most of you.
Even journalists and teachers/lecturers of English make this mistake.

So, what is the word?
And the word is:

OUTRIGHTLY. Yes, outrightly! Wrong! Very wrong!

Did you know that this is NOT a word?

OUTRIGHT: an adjective
OUTRIGHT: an adverb.
Thus, 'outrightly' is unEnglish.

Incorrect: Neither candidate won outrightly.
Correct version: Neither candidate won outright.

It works exactly like 'fast'. Not 'fastly'.

Got my drift?

I will 'surprise' you with a 'bigger surprise' in the next 24 hours.

Stay glued.

known

ola olabiy:

My people, let's talk about this one:

'Spot'

This is WRONG!
The correct word is 'Sport'.
Consider these sentences:

Incorrect: He was spoting a blue dress.

Correct version: He was sporting a blue dress.

'Sport' means to wear

Just knowing. Thanks

ola olabiy:

Abeg, one more, jare.

And the word is 'RENTED'. Yeah! Very common ooooooooo.

Incorrect: Sounds of gunshots rented the air.
Correct version: Sounds of gunshots rent the air.

The present tense of the correct word is actually 'REND'. Not 'RENT'.
And the past tense of 'REND' is 'RENT'. Not 'RENTED'.

Just knowing this as well.
But how about 'rented crowd', the reigning lexicon in our politics?

ola olabiy:

Hello,
How do we abbreviate this word: Retired?
Rtd?. . . NO. WRONG!
The correct version of this is RET . Or RETD.
Please, check.

Thanks. Known before but I always take it for granted.

ola olabiy:

Helloooooo,
Let's talk about ''grassroots'' as well.

Incorrect: We need to mobilize the grassroots.

Correct version: We need to mobilize the grass roots.

The word 'grass roots' is always written seperately. And always PLURAL.
Check your dictionary.

What do you think?

I used to write this one as the spirit directs me. Sometimes, space, sometimes written together as one word. Henceforth, I'll take note of it.

ola olabiy:

Let's talk about two words today.

EVIDENCES;
SLANGS.

Please note:
The word EVIDENCE has no plural form. It could however be plural when it relates to scientific facts/objects. BUT never plural when it relates to information used in court.

Incorrect: Evidences are legion of unjust arrest and brutalisation of people.
Correct version: Evidence are legion of unjust arrest and brutalisation of people.

Also, the word SLANG has no plural form.

Incorrect: Such slangs are common among students.
Correct version: Such slang is common among students.

You can also say: Slang words/terms/expressions.


What do you think?

Thanks oga, just knowing these too, especially 'slangs'.

ola olabiy:

POSER.

What do you think about this phrase: Comprise of?

Right? Wrong?

Wrong. Either 'consists of' or 'comprises'. The team comprises five male and three female, not 'the team comprises of five male and three female'.

QUESTION
I heard it is now acceptable to write 'everything are'. Na true?

@Jarus,
Thanks for visiting, again. And, thanks for the painstaking analysis.

You asked about 'rented crowd'. You and politics, sha.
This is correct.
'Rented' above is an adjective.

As a verb, the word (rent) is of North American origin.
The British equivalent is 'hire'.
Many Brits now use it instead of 'hire'.

@Jarus,
You are the first person to respond to my POSERS.
And you examined it well. Nothing to add.

Jarus:

QUESTION[/b]
I heard it is now acceptable to write 'everything are'. Na true?

No ooooooo, Jarus. Nah Nah Nah Nah (apologies to Pussycat Dolls)
Only rappers think so.

Don't mind them.

What about everyday and every day?

ferdiii:

What about everyday and every day?

Hi ferdiii,
Everyday is used only before a noun. And it means something that happens every day (I have managed to explain both words here)
It also means 'ordinary'. Eg.A cream for everyday use.

Now, examine this.
'I go to her house every day. Did you notice the difference? This is not before a noun.
'Every day ' is used to show how often something happens or is done. The emphasis is on 'every' here. Eg. Every 10 hours.

POSER


'Full well' or 'Fully well'?

Please, try to tell us the correct one.Just try.

I will reveal the answer.

"Fully Well".

Am I right?

Mai darling.
I didn't want to say this (Simon Cowell's style) but you're WRONG.
The phrase is an IDIOM and it can't be changed.

The answer is 'full well'. I think it means 'quite clearly'.

Are you ok, my D?

When one is not serious, do we say UNSERIOUS?

uhn? Unserious? No. That's unEnglish!
'Unserious' is not a word.

Use instead 'laid back'. Or 'non-serious'.

Incorrect: They want to expel unserious students.
Correct: They want to expel non-serious students.

ola olabiy:

Mai darling.
I didn't want to say this (Simon Cowell's style) but you're WRONG.
The phrase is an IDIOM and it can't be changed.

The answer is 'full well'. I think it means 'quite clearly'.

Are you ok, my D?

So that was Simon Cowell style? I'm hurt.

Thanks, keep them coming.

POSERS.

AVERSED.
Eg. I discussed it with him and he wasn't AVERSED to the idea. Correct? Wrong?

Let us know.

What about these ones:
OPPORTUNED;
IMMUNED; and
TANTAMOUNTED?

Do you really understand how to use those words?
Oya, comment.

Help yourself here:

Advice/Advise (very easy but so common a mistake, help yourself )
Can not/ Cannot [Not that easy(?) but try to understand the difference]
Lose/Loose (help yourself )
Save/Safe (help yourself )
Diffuse/Defuse (I will explain this)
Center/Centre (help yourself )

ola olabiy:

POSERS.

AVERSED.
Eg. I discussed it with him and he wasn't AVERSED to the idea. Correct? Wrong?

Let us know.

What about these ones:
OPPORTUNED;
IMMUNED; and
TANTAMOUNTED?

Do you really understand how to use those words?
Oya, comment.

Averse is the correct form

Good! Odunnu,
what about others?

^^^^^^Odunnu,
Why is it 'AVERSE'? And not 'AVERSED'?

What is the MAIN reason for this?

ola olabiy:

^^^^^^Odunnu,
Why is it 'AVERSE'? And not 'AVERSED'?

What is the MAIN reason for this?

Similar here is the common mistake people make using 'awashed', instead of 'awash'.
The media is awash with news of his death, not 'the media is awashed with news of his death'.

^^^
Good one, Jarus.
Thanks for that.

ola olabiy:

POSERS.

AVERSED.
Eg. I discussed it with him and he wasn't AVERSED to the idea. Correct? Wrong?

Let us know.

What about these ones:
OPPORTUNED;
IMMUNED; and
TANTAMOUNTED?

Do you really understand how to use those words?
Oya, comment.

^^^
These words are adjectives. They can't be used as VERBS. So, no past tense or past participle.
'IMMUNE' is the most abused.

Let's examine this word today: 'Gateman'.

I love this word, though. It is an English word 'made' in Nigeria. This is one of our contributions to the English language. It will surely be recognized and become part of the lexicon.

This word, simply put, is unEnglish. The correct word is 'Gatekeeper'.

This word must be included in the next edition of Oxford dico.

Incorrect: He is a mediocre.

Correct: He is a mediocrity.

Please not, 'mediocre' is an adjective and NOT a noun.

What about this one:

master of ceremony?

WRONG!

The correct version is 'master of ceremonies'.

'LOOT' is another uncountable noun.

Incorrect: The dictator and his loots.

Correct: The dictator and his loot.

1.Price sth
2.Ask the price of sth.

I think the first one applies to the shop owner as he tags the prices on his goods.But we misuse it with the second.

For Example: You ask the price of a shirt and Not price the shirt.

Guys, throw more light here.

ola olabiy:

Let's examine this word today: 'Gateman'.

I love this word, though. It is an English word 'made' in Nigeria. This is one of our contributions to the English language. It will surely be recognized and become part of the lexicon.

This word, simply put, is unEnglish. The correct word is 'Gatekeeper'.

This word must be included in the next edition of Oxford dico.

Yes oh.Now vuvuzela has made it as a noun/verb. Example: Don't vuvuzela your knowledge of English Language. Please do, don't mind me, we are appreciating it.

@ ola olabiy
This is EDUCATIVE, really.
Thanks for that on the exclamation - I don fumble, no be small.

What about these:
1) I misplaced my phone / I lost my phone.
2) I left my pen in the car / I forgot my pen in the car.
3) Head paper / Headed paper.

If I should go there first:  Nigerians are using if and should at the same thing and the same goes to can be able-Let's correct these.

Incorrect: I used a letter-headed paper to write the letter.

Correct version: I used a letterhead to write the letter.

Please note, this word 'letterhead' is of North American origin.

Incorrect: The clergies of other denominations will soon join us.

Correct: The clergy of other denominations will soon join us.

'Clergy' is an uncountable noun.

This word is also of North American origin.

Incorrect: The clergy is . . .

Correct: The clergy are. . ,  (Plural)

It is also used with determiner 'the'. The clergy, that is.

Incorrect: There will be a wake-keeping for Tony Curtis.

Correct version: There will be a wake for Tony Curtis.

ferdiii:

If I should go there first:  Nigerians are using if and should at the same thing and the same goes to can be able-Let's correct these.

Both are tautologous.

Avoid these phrase:

'Very great'.
Why?

'Great is a word that is not 'confortable' with superlatives.