₦airaland Forum

English kpokwa okwu!

ladyF:
Chai ayam really guilty of almost everything that the OP posted here. Honestly, from today, I will never do this thing again...maybe Very amazing stuff....

you are not guilty of any....
he says what he does not what you do...
British has never be in tongue like this

engrchykae:
One of the reasons why our grandmothers rarely experienced husband scarcity is because they were willing and ready to share their husband with co-wives but today women can inflict all kinds of unthinkable harms and injuries on potential rivals.
Polygamy will curb this unfulfilled marital menace in our society.
In churches,i feel for pretty,educated and good income but lack husbands.

Though this is a misplaced topic, I am of the same opinion.

We are deceived with the portion of the Bible that talks about a man being a husband of one wife, forgetting that it was specifically addressing a certain group of men, those that aspired for the office of the bishop. (1 Timothy 3:1)

Meaning, If one has no such aspirations, one has no business limiting oneself to one wife thereby depriving other women of sharing in the joy.

And our women so indoctrinated builds a fantasy of it, that is at variance with reality of living.

mu2sa2:
I wonder. All the words mentioned are english words.If they were not meant to be used, how did they words come about? To me our pidgin english should be adopted as our lingua franca, because of its versatility - you are not tied to any strict rules of grammar: you are right as long as your listener understands you. The language is immaterial if the meaning is plain-lovely pidgin.

How could you say that. Sentiments apart, the English language is a beautiful language. It is very rich.

As for pidgin, it is not standard. It even differs by region. People invent pidgin words anyhow.

mu2sa2:
I wonder. All the words mentioned are english words.If they were not meant to be used, how did they words come about? To me our pidgin english should be adopted as our lingua franca, because of its versatility - you are not tied to any strict rules of grammar: you are right as long as your listener understands you. The language is immaterial if the meaning is plain-lovely pidgin.

How can you adopt a language that has no rules of grammar as lingua franca? Imagine writing our laws in such a language.

This post is NOT for lawyers. I assure yu.

U get time sha

menxer:
Though this is a misplaced topic, I am of the same opinion.

We are deceived with the portion of the Bible that talks about a man being a husband of one wife, forgetting that it was specifically addressing a certain group of men, those that aspired for the office of the bishop. (1 Timothy 3:1)

Meaning, If one has no such aspirations, one has no business limiting oneself to one wife thereby depriving other women of sharing in the joy.

And our women so indoctrinated builds a fantasy of it, that is at variance with reality of living.

If everybody begins to marry two wives, I think there will be wife scarcity. Almost all over the world, the male/birth ratio stands around 50-50. In fact, in Nigeria, at birth it is about 51-49 in favour of males. But as they age, the number drops (men don't live as long as women cos they take more risks, drive more, more involved in military, violence, hardwork, vices etc.)

In the olden days, it may have been OK for men to marry many wives since the women outnumberd men. Most societies required men to join the army and many died in wars (like in biblical times).

Today, I don't think it's really not really husband scarcity we experience. rather, I think it's spouse scarcity. Our society is a lot more tolerant of single men. Bachelors go unnoticed. The women are not so lucky.

HaneefahRN:
So we should start speaking and writing like Patrick Obahiagbon.
All those words have their use and meaning. I should go and measure a tree instead of saying , it's a very tall tree. What's sounding less smart about saying 'I went to school' as compared with 'I walked to school'?

Honestly, this write up didn't really make sense

Don't mind the OP. If my father just came back from the village and told me ' I heard you didn't go to school yesterday' . Should I tell him I walked to school yesterday or I went to school yesterday ?

Non-sense!
Tell British to remove it frm bin their language and frm dictionary.
Write an error free sentences; that is all.

Gaddafithe2nd:
Who is feeling superior?
English Language is a language that changes with time. For example, "Brethren" is an archaic word from "Brother". English language expert would tell you that "Thrice" is an archaic word for three times.
English language is a !yeye" language out of all the languages in the world. Have never seen a language that borrows words so much like English.
Mr man do research and drop this your neocolonialism mentality

What are you talking about? Overtime languages refine themselves, and there is NO language that does not borrow words from other languages. French borrowed from Arabic, even many Yoruba and Hausa words were influenced by Arabic.

I can speak 5 languages so I know what I am saying. You can't expect a language to remain static.

Go and inform yourself bro......

DarryOsh:
How could you say that. Sentiments apart, the English language is a beautiful language. It is very rich.

As for pidgin, it is not standard. It even differs by region. People invent pidgin words anyhow.

I agree

khalhokage:
People don't have the time or the attention span to read any more words than necessary. You want your readers to hear you out, understand your message, and perhaps be entertained, right? Here's a list of words to eliminate to help you write more succinctly.

1. That
It's superfluous most of the time. Open any document you've got drafted on your desktop, and find a sentence with "that" in it. Read it out loud. Now read it again without "that." If the sentence works without it, delete it. Also? Don't use "that" when you refer to people. "I have several friends that live in the neighborhood." No. No, you don't. You have friends who . Not friends that.

2. Went
I went to school. Or the store, or to church, or to a conference, to Vegas, wherever it is you're inclined to go. Instead of "went," consider drove, skated, walked, ran, flew. There are any number of ways to move from here to there. Pick one. Don't be lazy and miss the chance to add to your story.

3. Honestly
People use "honestly" to add emphasis. The problem is, the minute you tell your reader this particular statement is honest, you've implied the rest of your words were not. #Awkward

4. Absolutely
Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. Something is either necessary, or it isn't. Absolutely necessary doesn't make it more necessary. If you recommend an essential course to your new employees, it's essential. Coincidentally, the definition of essential is absolutely necessary. Chicken or egg, eh?

5. Very
Accurate adjectives don't need qualifiers. If you need to qualify it? Replace it. "Very" is intended to magnify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. What it does is makes your statement less specific. If you're very happy? Be ecstatic. If you're very sad, perhaps you're melancholy or depressed. Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazy way of making your point. Another pitfall of using very as a modifier? It's subjective. Very cold and very tall mean different things to different people. Be specific. She's 6'3" and it's 13 degrees below freezing? These make your story better while also ensuring the reader understands the point you're making.

6. Really
Unless you're a Valley Girl, visiting from 1985, there's no need to use "really" to modify an adjective. Or a verb. Or an adverb. Pick a different word to make your point. And never repeat "really," or "very" for that matter. That's really, really bad writing.
If you are visiting from 1985? Please bring the birth certificate for my Cabbage Patch Doll on your next visit. Thanks.

7. Amazing
The word means "causing great surprise or sudden wonder." It's synonymous with wonderful, incredible, startling, marvelous, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, miraculous, surprising, mind-blowing, and staggering. You get the point, right? It's everywhere. It's in corporate slogans. It dominated the Academy Awards acceptance speeches. It's all over social media. It's discussed in pre-game shows and post-game shows.
Newsflash: If everything is amazing , nothing is.

8. Always
Absolutes lock the writer into a position, sound conceited and close-minded, and often open the door to criticism regarding inaccuracies.
Always is rarely true. Unless you're giving written commands or instruction, find another word.

9. Never
See: Always.

10. Literally
"Literally" means literal. Actually happening as stated. Without exaggeration. More often than not, when the term is used, the writer means "figuratively." Whatever is happening is being described metaphorically. No one actually "waits on pins and needles." How uncomfortable would that be?

11. Just
It's a filler word and it makes your sentence weaker, not stronger. Unless you're using it as a synonym for equitable, fair, even-handed, or impartial, don't use it at all.

12. Maybe
This makes you sound uninformed, unsure of the facts you're presenting. Regardless of the topic, do the legwork, be sure, write an informed piece. The only thing you communicate when you include these words is uncertainty.

13. Stuff
This word is casual, generic even. It serves as a placeholder for something better. If the details of the stuff aren't important enough to be included in the piece? Don't reference it at all. If you tell your reader to take your course because they'll learn a lot of stuff ? They're likely to tell you to stuff it.

14. Things
See: Stuff.

15. Irregardless
This doesn't mean what you think it means, jefe . It means regardless. It is
literally (see what I did there?) defined as: regardless. Don't use it. Save yourself the embarrassment.

Whether you're ghostwriting for your CEO, updating a corporate blog, selling a product, or finishing your doctoral thesis, you want to keep your reader engaged. These 15 words are a great place to start trimming the fat from your prose. Bonus? You’ll sound smarter.

Always give credit to the original source of your topic. Since its not your work, it's plagiarism if you don't give the credit to the original author.

Very informative thread.

Ugosample:
What are you talking about? Overtime languages refine themselves, and there is NO language that does not borrow words from other languages. French borrowed from Arabic, even many Yoruba and Hausa words were influenced by Arabic.

I can speak 5 languages so I know what I am saying. You can't expect a language to remain static.

Go and inform yourself bro......

Sorry, there is nothing bad in borrowing words but changing words year in year out it is nonsense. I understand Arabic, Arabic is so rich just like Yoruba. They don't change words like English, Yoruba also, is similar to Arabic. I have one Yoruba dictionary which was compiled in 1913. It never changed, is as fresh like the Yoruba we speak in 21st century. Your assumption is wrong

iwadobo:
Don't mind the OP. If my father just came back from the village and told me ' I heard you didn't go to school yesterday' . Should I tell him I walked to school yesterday or I went to school yesterday ?

Lolz, abi nau.

make we no kuku speak english na, , , , #teampidgin, , #trash

Go tel Ambode

Thanks for this enlightening piece.

*Honestly, i have many friends that always abolutely make mistake on stuff like this

AwesomeE:
@OP, are you a professional writer or anything close to that?

Good writing style there!

No, he is just a clown who copy/pasted an old article without credit.

These are some links to the article.

TheMuse - 15 words


USAToday - 15 words

ramalot:
No, he is just a clown who copy/pasted an old article without credit.

These are some links to the article.

15 words


15 words

lol, why so much anger at me? did I sleep with your girlfriend? am I your stepfather? are you the original owner of the work? nawa o!

You also probably eliminated the word, "source" to sound smarter right?


No. 16. "SUACE": https://www.themuse.com/advice/15-words-you-need-to-eliminate-from-your-vocabulary-to-sound-smarter

I learnt one or two things e.g I have a friend who;not,I have a friend that.Well u tried op.

Gaddafithe2nd:
Sorry, there is nothing bad in borrowing words but changing words year in year out it is nonsense. I understand Arabic, Arabic is so rich just like Yoruba. They don't change words like English, Yoruba also, is similar to Arabic. I have one Yoruba dictionary which was compiled in 1913. It never changed, is as fresh like the Yoruba we speak in 21st century. Your assumption is wrong

That's good Vous êtes polyglot aussi.

The Language ia evolving and I see no problem with it. German has also evolved, et C'est même chose en Français aussi.

ramalot:
No, he is just a clown who copy/pasted an old article without credit.

These are some links to the article.

15 words


15 words

Just wanted to sound smarter, lol

Gerrie:
You also probably eliminated the word, "source" to sound smarter right?


No. 16. "SUACE": https://www.themuse.com/advice/15-words-you-need-to-eliminate-from-your-vocabulary-to-sound-smarter

Lol, nawa for these source hounds, I've checked all your sources and I noticed that none of them credits an original writer, and they actually make money off of it, na me wey come post am for Nairaland for free so that we'll all learn no go come rest for una, I didn't claim to be the OP, so what's your beef?

Emeskhalifa:
as in eh.... no b small job hunting oooo.
esp we wey dey Abj. e no s.exy at all

same here bro, but GOD is on our side. It will all end in PRAISE.

khalhokage:
People don't have the time or the attention span to read any more words than necessary. You want your readers to hear you out, understand your message, and perhaps be entertained, right? Here's a list of words to eliminate to help you write more succinctly.

1. That
It's superfluous most of the time. Open any document you've got drafted on your desktop, and find a sentence with "that" in it. Read it out loud. Now read it again without "that." If the sentence works without it, delete it. Also? Don't use "that" when you refer to people. "I have several friends that live in the neighborhood." No. No, you don't. You have friends who . Not friends that.

2. Went
I went to school. Or the store, or to church, or to a conference, to Vegas, wherever it is you're inclined to go. Instead of "went," consider drove, skated, walked, ran, flew. There are any number of ways to move from here to there. Pick one. Don't be lazy and miss the chance to add to your story.

3. Honestly
People use "honestly" to add emphasis. The problem is, the minute you tell your reader this particular statement is honest, you've implied the rest of your words were not. #Awkward

4. Absolutely
Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. Something is either necessary, or it isn't. Absolutely necessary doesn't make it more necessary. If you recommend an essential course to your new employees, it's essential. Coincidentally, the definition of essential is absolutely necessary. Chicken or egg, eh?

5. Very
Accurate adjectives don't need qualifiers. If you need to qualify it? Replace it. "Very" is intended to magnify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. What it does is makes your statement less specific. If you're very happy? Be ecstatic. If you're very sad, perhaps you're melancholy or depressed. Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazy way of making your point. Another pitfall of using very as a modifier? It's subjective. Very cold and very tall mean different things to different people. Be specific. She's 6'3" and it's 13 degrees below freezing? These make your story better while also ensuring the reader understands the point you're making.

6. Really
Unless you're a Valley Girl, visiting from 1985, there's no need to use "really" to modify an adjective. Or a verb. Or an adverb. Pick a different word to make your point. And never repeat "really," or "very" for that matter. That's really, really bad writing.
If you are visiting from 1985? Please bring the birth certificate for my Cabbage Patch Doll on your next visit. Thanks.

7. Amazing
The word means "causing great surprise or sudden wonder." It's synonymous with wonderful, incredible, startling, marvelous, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, miraculous, surprising, mind-blowing, and staggering. You get the point, right? It's everywhere. It's in corporate slogans. It dominated the Academy Awards acceptance speeches. It's all over social media. It's discussed in pre-game shows and post-game shows.
Newsflash: If everything is amazing , nothing is.

8. Always
Absolutes lock the writer into a position, sound conceited and close-minded, and often open the door to criticism regarding inaccuracies.
Always is rarely true. Unless you're giving written commands or instruction, find another word.

9. Never
See: Always.

10. Literally
"Literally" means literal. Actually happening as stated. Without exaggeration. More often than not, when the term is used, the writer means "figuratively." Whatever is happening is being described metaphorically. No one actually "waits on pins and needles." How uncomfortable would that be?

11. Just
It's a filler word and it makes your sentence weaker, not stronger. Unless you're using it as a synonym for equitable, fair, even-handed, or impartial, don't use it at all.

12. Maybe
This makes you sound uninformed, unsure of the facts you're presenting. Regardless of the topic, do the legwork, be sure, write an informed piece. The only thing you communicate when you include these words is uncertainty.

13. Stuff
This word is casual, generic even. It serves as a placeholder for something better. If the details of the stuff aren't important enough to be included in the piece? Don't reference it at all. If you tell your reader to take your course because they'll learn a lot of stuff ? They're likely to tell you to stuff it.

14. Things
See: Stuff.

15. Irregardless
This doesn't mean what you think it means, jefe . It means regardless. It is
literally (see what I did there?) defined as: regardless. Don't use it. Save yourself the embarrassment.

Whether you're ghostwriting for your CEO, updating a corporate blog, selling a product, or finishing your doctoral thesis, you want to keep your reader engaged. These 15 words are a great place to start trimming the fat from your prose. Bonus? You’ll sound smarter.

Very incisive piece, and a whole lot to learn from it!

khalhokage:
People don't have the time or the attention span to read any more words than necessary. You want your readers to hear you out, understand your message, and perhaps be entertained, right? Here's a list of words to eliminate to help you write more succinctly.

1. That
It's superfluous most of the time. Open any document you've got drafted on your desktop, and find a sentence with "that" in it. Read it out loud. Now read it again without "that." If the sentence works without it, delete it. Also? Don't use "that" when you refer to people. "I have several friends that live in the neighborhood." No. No, you don't. You have friends who . Not friends that.

2. Went
I went to school. Or the store, or to church, or to a conference, to Vegas, wherever it is you're inclined to go. Instead of "went," consider drove, skated, walked, ran, flew. There are any number of ways to move from here to there. Pick one. Don't be lazy and miss the chance to add to your story.

3. Honestly
People use "honestly" to add emphasis. The problem is, the minute you tell your reader this particular statement is honest, you've implied the rest of your words were not. #Awkward

4. Absolutely
Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. Something is either necessary, or it isn't. Absolutely necessary doesn't make it more necessary. If you recommend an essential course to your new employees, it's essential. Coincidentally, the definition of essential is absolutely necessary. Chicken or egg, eh?

5. Very
Accurate adjectives don't need qualifiers. If you need to qualify it? Replace it. "Very" is intended to magnify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. What it does is makes your statement less specific. If you're very happy? Be ecstatic. If you're very sad, perhaps you're melancholy or depressed. Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazy way of making your point. Another pitfall of using very as a modifier? It's subjective. Very cold and very tall mean different things to different people. Be specific. She's 6'3" and it's 13 degrees below freezing? These make your story better while also ensuring the reader understands the point you're making.

6. Really
Unless you're a Valley Girl, visiting from 1985, there's no need to use "really" to modify an adjective. Or a verb. Or an adverb. Pick a different word to make your point. And never repeat "really," or "very" for that matter. That's really, really bad writing.
If you are visiting from 1985? Please bring the birth certificate for my Cabbage Patch Doll on your next visit. Thanks.

7. Amazing
The word means "causing great surprise or sudden wonder." It's synonymous with wonderful, incredible, startling, marvelous, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, miraculous, surprising, mind-blowing, and staggering. You get the point, right? It's everywhere. It's in corporate slogans. It dominated the Academy Awards acceptance speeches. It's all over social media. It's discussed in pre-game shows and post-game shows.
Newsflash: If everything is amazing , nothing is.

8. Always
Absolutes lock the writer into a position, sound conceited and close-minded, and often open the door to criticism regarding inaccuracies.
Always is rarely true. Unless you're giving written commands or instruction, find another word.

9. Never
See: Always.

10. Literally
"Literally" means literal. Actually happening as stated. Without exaggeration. More often than not, when the term is used, the writer means "figuratively." Whatever is happening is being described metaphorically. No one actually "waits on pins and needles." How uncomfortable would that be?

11. Just
It's a filler word and it makes your sentence weaker, not stronger. Unless you're using it as a synonym for equitable, fair, even-handed, or impartial, don't use it at all.

12. Maybe
This makes you sound uninformed, unsure of the facts you're presenting. Regardless of the topic, do the legwork, be sure, write an informed piece. The only thing you communicate when you include these words is uncertainty.

13. Stuff
This word is casual, generic even. It serves as a placeholder for something better. If the details of the stuff aren't important enough to be included in the piece? Don't reference it at all. If you tell your reader to take your course because they'll learn a lot of stuff ? They're likely to tell you to stuff it.

14. Things
See: Stuff.

15. Irregardless
This doesn't mean what you think it means, jefe . It means regardless. It is
literally (see what I did there?) defined as: regardless. Don't use it. Save yourself the embarrassment.

Whether you're ghostwriting for your CEO, updating a corporate blog, selling a product, or finishing your doctoral thesis, you want to keep your reader engaged. These 15 words are a great place to start trimming the fat from your prose. Bonus? You’ll sound smarter.

What's this

mu2sa2:
I wonder. All the words mentioned are english words.If they were not meant to be used, how did they words come about? To me our pidgin english should be adopted as our lingua franca, because of its versatility - you are not tied to any strict rules of grammar: you are right as long as your listener understands you. The language is immaterial if the meaning is plain-lovely pidgin.

Seriously

hmmmmm student get carry over in school for English as a course. People get embarrassed everyday because they no use British English...fine. Pigin English is only meant for illiterates... good! but truth must be told,of all these punishment good English no fit give us work not to talk of better work. How many Oyibo they suffer like this to learn any of our native language? I'm not saying that to learn English is bad but its not a do or die affair; after all no be everybody wan enter England while London dey(lol).
Please is England capital of London?
I envy the days of our fore fathers....