Hello everybody. This is a thread about Standard British English (SBE). A lot will be revealed here. We will also use this thread to talk about Americanism (very common these days). Dissenting views are also allowed. Welcome all.

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?

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?

Hellooooooooo,
Whereabouts.
did you know that the afore-mentioned word is of North American origin?
As a noun, it is uncountable (always plural) and it goes with singular/plural verb.
Eg. Their whereabouts are/is still unknown.
Before, verb 'is' was the only correct version.
But English, being a living language, now accommodates both 'are/is'.
I still prefer 'is', though.

This word is also an Adverb.
Eg. Whereabouts did you go?

What do you think, my people?

Wao! This is amazing!!
Slangs X
Grassroots X
Thank you Sir!

^^^Odunnu,
u are welcome ooo.
Thank you.

Jarus signing . .

okie dokie

im here

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

Hi,
Another word we should examine is 'FAST'.

Incorrect: He writes fastly.
Correct version: He writes fast.

'Fastly' is unknown to English language. Fast is the adjective, also the adverbial form.

Besides, there is no noun related to FAST. So, avoid 'fastness'. Use speed (noun) or 'quickness' instead (depending on the context; not in all sentences).

And, 'faster' and 'quicker' are ADVERBS in most sentences.
Consider these sentences:

Can you drive faster (adverb)?
He is much quicker (adverb).

In the sentences above, one is modifying a verb (drive), the other an adjective (much). An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

Again, why are we doing this?.

English is a dynamic language. It accommodates changes. It is not static. A language that is not dynamic will die. This led to the extinction of Latin and Greek. It is also affecting the french language. A language that had/has (not sure here) a body that barricade(d)s the incursion of foreign languages.

A competent and effective user of English must be dynamic, he must be aware of the changes. He must know what is archaic or dated and refrain from using it.
We are doing this because nobody can be his own proof reader.
We will attend to malapropism, Americanism, Nigerianism in English as well as threadbare English.

WELCOME on BOARD!

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'.

@Jarus and tkb, na you say make we do am oo. Thanks.
From now on, there will be a section for posers.

It will be called 'POSER'.
Nairalanders will do THEIR own mini research on a particular word before I reveal what should be known about the word in question.

Today's POSER is 'Educating'.
I mean as an adjective not as a present participle. Does it serve as an adjective at all?
Eg. The book is very educating.

Is it correct? Or wrong?

Oya, make una comment.

@Jarus,
Please, help me to move this thread to the Education section. It is lively in there.

Please.

ola olabiy:

Hellooooooooo,
Whereabouts.
did you know that the afore-mentioned word is of North American origin?
As a noun, it is uncountable (always plural) and it goes with singular/plural verb.
Eg. Their whereabouts are/is still unknown.
Before, verb 'is' was the only correct version.
But English, being a living language, now accommodates both 'are/is'.
I still prefer 'is', though.

This word is also an Adverb.
Eg. Whereabouts did you go?

What do you think, my people?

I thought where abouts were two separate words

subscribing as well.

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?

Interesting as i've always written this as a compound word.

Adonike Chidera Kingsley
signs in,

@All
thank you ooo. I actually wrote an errors-and-mistakes book(abegi oo, booklet) in 1999 (jan).

Hi all,
Answer to the poser.

Please, do not use 'educating' as an adjective. It is only a word when used as a present participle (from verb 'educate').
The correct word here is 'Educative'.

Another word in this category is 'Appreciating'.
The correct version is 'Appreciative'.

I mean as an adjective.

Eg.appreciative comments.

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

These words NKO?

Academician;
Academic.

What is the difference?

Academician: A member of an academy (a type of officail organization which aims to encourage literature, art or science.

Academic: A person who teaches and/or does research at a university or college. Eg. A university professor.

So, don't call a boffin an academician. He/she is an academic.

Check your dictionary.

What do you think?

Exclamation mark (!).

Incorrect: Fantastic! Fantastic!! Fantastic!!!
Correct version: Fantastic! Fantastic! Fantastic!

Why do people use this '!!'? Or this '!!!'? Why?

Does that mean you can also use this '??'

Or this ',,,'?

Multiple exclamation marks make no sense, please.

Ileke-IdI:

I thought where abouts were two separate words

ILEKE L'OMO. Kaabo.

POSER.

What do you think about this phrase: Comprise of?

Right? Wrong?

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.

Great Job! Keep it up.

Pidgin english is the reason for our bad english structure in Nigeria

^^^^^
You are wrong!
Do they speak pidgin in London? How many people there care about SBE (Standard British English)?

ola olabiy:

Exclamation mark (!).

Incorrect: Fantastic! Fantastic!! Fantastic!!!
Correct version: Fantastic! Fantastic! Fantastic!

Why do people use this '!!'? Or this '!!!'? Why?

Does that mean you can also use this '??'

Or this ',,,'?

Multiple exclamation marks make no sense, please.

Wao! I use the double exclamation even in official reports to emphasise a 'shock'.
I thought it was okay. Thank You Sir!

ola olabiy:

^^^^^
You are wrong!
Do they speak pidgin in London? How many people there care about SBE (Standard British English)?

Hey man im not entirely wrong, isnt that part of it? If im wrong that means that isnt a reason affecting for the debate,

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