₦airaland Forum

Harbay0101:
op yaff vex o

who e epp?

oga, no 8 is wrong. "u" and "a" shouldn't be silent.

Thanks for the information.

Rapmoney:
Pick up English Grammar books and see if you are not entirely wrong for saying the first and second points are wrong! You don't just sit somewhere and assume that what someone has posted is wrong without you doing any research to find out the facts! I challenge you today to do better than this. Are you trying to tell me that you know English more than the English man? Who introduced the language to you? Was it introduced to you by your ancestors? Or you think this is African tradition we are discussing?

OGA OP, your pronunciation of February as FEBRY is a total flop. .it looked like you didn't do your research well,therefore making some of your acclaimed facts not true. Get your facts right and don't mislead people!.
I love the purpose of this write-up anyway, it teaches and gives knowledge. Thumbs up to you on that. Don't think otherwise

N:B : to all my fellow nairalanders, just as my beloved mentor do say "don't just believe or attest to anything, make your research as well to confirm the statement"

Peace!!

I no gree wt no 9 & 10...
in d first place, why letter 'D' appears in WEDNESDAY and letter 'O' appears in POLICE, when they will be silent in pronunciation?
Make I face my YORUBA Language well...cos, INGLISH Language is a Bleep....
Proudly AFRICAN man.
learn how to promote ur local language.

babyfaceafrica:
There is more to language than picking up English grammar books? Even the English man himself is confused?why do we have various shades of English ,the Briton has his own version(even within Britain the variant someone from newcastle(scouse) speaks is different from the liverpoon(toon)),while the Americans has its own,likewise the Canadians and Aussies!!!...My friend even the English that you so much defend is an accumulation of different of indo-germanic languages.English is crap!!!!!!....what do they have?...see different dictionaries with different phonetic transcriptions all by renowned linguist and English scholars!!!!.....Just go and sit down!!!!!....Speak and be understood...yeye

english isnt crap broda, you just didnt study deep enough to see there is every rule that binds every expression in english.

Qudbell:
english isnt crap broda, you just didnt study deep enough to see there is every rule that binds every expression in english.

Agreed but there are exceptions to those rules.my point basically is english is not as straighforward has the OP thinks!!

babyfaceafrica:
That you no 1 and 2 is crap!!!!!....there is absolutely nothing wrong in saying who is that?..who is it sometimes is even demeaning,as it is used for animals or inanimate entities.my advise to anyone just saying who is that ,is that such individual should use''please".because it might be an elder...say who is that please? Or please,who is that?...you could also say who is there ,please?..

To your number 2,there are questions that we call yes or no questions,therefore telling me to answer in full sentence sound funny.If someone should as me,are you at home? And I answer yes.what's wrong with that!!!!....am I not clear enough?...language is all about competence and performance....comprehension is paramount....Nice points from 3 though

My advice to you is that....... And not "my advise"...., take note!

MOGPman:
My advice to you is that....... And not "my advise"...., take note!

thanks...one is a verb and the other a noun...made an error!!!

Rapmoney:
People like you hardly learn! Why not move to the Celebrity Section if you don't have anything meaningful to say here? Busy body!!!

Lol u really should hv done ur research.

Rapmoney:
As humans, we learn new things everyday. Only a dead man that doesn't learn and the foolish man picks offence unnecessarily when he's corrected! I'm not perfect and you, yes, you over there, reading this, can't be too. We all learn but it's good you share the knowledge you have because there could be others out there who might need whatever you have to share. You can also learn from what others have to share. Below are 10 common grammatical blunders we make in Nigeria when speaking:

1) 'Who is that'? People often ask this question when they hear a knock on their door. The proper question to ask should be: 'Who is it'? This is because you don't know who's at your door. It's even preferable to ask: 'Who be that'? At least, we know you are speaking Pidgin English

2) Answering a question with just a simple YES or NO only. This is very wrong. Example1: 'Do you work on Sundays'? Instead of answering 'No', you should say 'No, I don't'. Example2: 'Do you know him'? Instead of saying just 'Yes' if you know who the first speaker is referring to, you should say 'Yes, I do'. That makes it a complete answer.

3) Using the word 'offer' in school subjects. Many teachers make this terrible mistake!!! You would hear statements like 'My students don't offer Literature' or 'If you know you are not offering Government, leave the class'. WRONG!!! Students don't OFFER subjects; they TAKE subjects! To offer means to give or present something to someone. Does it mean you are presenting something to Literature or Government? Naija teachers, una no go kill person!

4) Using a plural verb for collective pronouns: 'Everybody ARE coming'. EVERYBODY is a collective pronoun. Collective pronouns (Collective nouns inclusive), carry a singular verb which is 'IS' and not 'ARE'. Many people also make the mistake of adding 'S' to staff, when addressing a collection of workers in an organisation. Don't say 'All the staffs in this firm'. Instead, say 'All the staff in this firm'.

5) 'I want to buy COOK egg' (Lol, not even cooked egg! ). It's a common blunder when we go to the neighbourhood shop. Bros, it's either you are buying a boiled egg or one that is not cooked (raw) because even the one that's fried is cooked!

6) 'The shoes do not size me'. Wrong!!! 'SIZE', in this context, is a noun! It cannot function as a verb here. The correct way to say this is: 'The shoes do not fit me' or 'The shoes are not my size'. You can still say 'The shoes are over-sized or under-sized'.

7) 'My stomach or my head is paining me'. WRONG! It's not only a terrible mistake to make grammatically; it's also a useless statement!!! Why add ING to PAIN to create a verb that's not only useless but non-existent? You can say 'My stomach aches' or 'I feel pain in my stomach'.

The following are more of Oral English (correct pronunciation; that's speaking right).

Pronouncing FEBRUARY as 'FEBUARY'. When you pronounce this word, the 'U' and 'A' are to be silent. Pronounce it as if you are saying 'FEBRY'.

9) When you pronounce WEDNESDAY, the 'D' should be silent. It should come as 'WENSDAY'.

10) When you pronounce POLICE, the 'O' should be silent. It should come as 'Plice'.

Godbless!

You try wella, but i disagree with part of your assertion in 3, as much as the instance provided is just but in line, offer can mean different things in different contexts. For example it is correct to say that: my school does not offer Physics major, in this case it does not mean to present something to someone but it means to make available.In fact that sentence is not entirely wrong, it would be more appropriate to say it is incomplete, for example it is correct to say that: my students do not offer literature as one of their electives. Which means they did not offer literature inorder to be granted their school leaving certificate. I stand to be corrected.

U sabi grammer

Thanks OP To live is to learn !

No 4 is tantamount to grammatical inconguiety

Jarus:
Answering question with "yes" or "no" is not "grammatical blunder" as your title says.

You may say it is not the best way to answer someone, but it is not a blunder. It's perfectly grammatically correct.

Hello Jarus,

I trust you are fine.

I believe you are a tax professional and consultant. I would need your professional advise on Withholding Tax. How do I contact you?

Thanks.

who is it, is very right. Jackson even sang it. In all the foreign movies I have watched, I have never read or heard "who is that" except naija movies. OP nice one.
I even have issues with words like stuffs, Youths and Staffs.

who is it, is very right. Jackson even sang it. In all the foreign movies I have watched, I have never read or heard "who is that" except naija movies. OP nice one.
I even have issues with words like stuffs, Youths and Staffs. I am wondering why people use these words on daily basis.

Ose New Teacher

Plice bawo.... Na den dem go say you dey form phoneh

Rapmoney:
As humans, we learn new things everyday. Only a dead man that doesn't learn and the foolish man picks offence unnecessarily when he's corrected! I'm not perfect and you, yes, you over there, reading this, can't be too. We all learn but it's good you share the knowledge you have because there could be others out there who might need whatever you have to share. You can also learn from what others have to share. Below are 10 common grammatical blunders we make in Nigeria when speaking:

1) 'Who is that'? People often ask this question when they hear a knock on their door. The proper question to ask should be: 'Who is it'? This is because you don't know who's at your door. It's even preferable to ask: 'Who be that'? At least, we know you are speaking Pidgin English

2) Answering a question with just a simple YES or NO only. This is very wrong. Example1: 'Do you work on Sundays'? Instead of answering 'No', you should say 'No, I don't'. Example2: 'Do you know him'? Instead of saying just 'Yes' if you know who the first speaker is referring to, you should say 'Yes, I do'. That makes it a complete answer.

3) Using the word 'offer' in school subjects. Many teachers make this terrible mistake!!! You would hear statements like 'My students don't offer Literature' or 'If you know you are not offering Government, leave the class'. WRONG!!! Students don't OFFER subjects; they TAKE subjects! To offer means to give or present something to someone. Does it mean you are presenting something to Literature or Government? Naija teachers, una no go kill person!

4) Using a plural verb for collective pronouns: 'Everybody ARE coming'. EVERYBODY is a collective pronoun. Collective pronouns (Collective nouns inclusive), carry a singular verb which is 'IS' and not 'ARE'. Many people also make the mistake of adding 'S' to staff, when addressing a collection of workers in an organisation. Don't say 'All the staffs in this firm'. Instead, say 'All the staff in this firm'.

5) 'I want to buy COOK egg' (Lol, not even cooked egg! ). It's a common blunder when we go to the neighbourhood shop. Bros, it's either you are buying a boiled egg or one that is not cooked (raw) because even the one that's fried is cooked!

6) 'The shoes do not size me'. Wrong!!! 'SIZE', in this context, is a noun! It cannot function as a verb here. The correct way to say this is: 'The shoes do not fit me' or 'The shoes are not my size'. You can still say 'The shoes are over-sized or under-sized'.

7) 'My stomach or my head is paining me'. WRONG! It's not only a terrible mistake to make grammatically; it's also a useless statement!!! Why add ING to PAIN to create a verb that's not only useless but non-existent? You can say 'My stomach aches' or 'I feel pain in my stomach'.

The following are more of Oral English (correct pronunciation; that's speaking right).

Pronouncing FEBRUARY as 'FEBUARY'. When you pronounce this word, the 'U' and 'A' are to be silent. Pronounce it as if you are saying 'FEBRY'.

9) When you pronounce WEDNESDAY, the 'D' should be silent. It should come as 'WENSDAY'.

10) When you pronounce POLICE, the 'O' should be silent. It should come as 'Plice'.

Godbless!

What's this

babyfaceafrica:
That you no 1 and 2 is crap!!!!!....there is absolutely nothing wrong in saying who is that?..who is it sometimes is even demeaning,as it is used for animals or inanimate entities.my advise to anyone just saying who is that ,is that such individual should use''please".because it might be an elder...say who is that please? Or please,who is that?...you could also say who is there ,please?..

I disagree with adding please to such questions,



How can you add please when you're not asking for favor.

kaboninc:
Hello Jarus,

I trust you are fine.

I believe you are a tax professional and consultant. I would need your professional advise on Withholding Tax. How do I contact you?

Thanks.

Ok

K9blunt:
I disagree with adding please to such questions,



How can you add please when you're not asking for favor.

its just to show respect!!!!!...optional though

Rapmoney:
Chill and take a glass of water. Sorry, you can claim to have more knowledge than the English man when it comes to your local language! Not on this one! Bye!

I think you should take a chill pill. I actually agree with some of the points the other guy raised earlier, and there are one or two more wrong stuff on your list.

Thanks for the correct ones though. lol

Prof rapmoney, God bless you.

Imagine this common mistake we Nigerians often make.

I cannot touch the meat "TALKLESS" of eating it. Haba TALKLESS is absolutely a grammatical blunder in this sentence. Replace it with "LET ALONE"

Do you someone currently drinking beer, referring him or her as a "drunkard" is wrong instead A "drinker".

lol Thank you for these corrections. English is not our mother tongue so I'd advise that before you make correction, you should do adequate research. for No 1 and 2,"who is that" and "yes"/"no" answers are all grammatically correct and well spoken. I have noticed the native speakers avoid using "it" to refer to people as it usually used to refer to inanimate objects and babies in general.
Your correction on Wednesday is valid, It's just that the 'S' actually pronounces as "Z".
Your correction on No 9 and 10 are valid in fast speech. In slow speech, the 'u', 'a' and 'o' is not entirely silent.

Jarus:
. Sms only

Thanks. I'll send a text shortly.

babyfaceafrica:
That you no 1 and 2 is crap!!!!!....there is absolutely nothing wrong in saying who is that?..who is it sometimes is even demeaning,as it is used for animals or inanimate entities.my advise to anyone just saying who is that ,is that such individual should use''please".because it might be an elder...say who is that please? Or please,who is that?...you could also say who is there ,please?..

To your number 2,there are questions that we call yes or no questions,therefore telling me to answer in full sentence sounds funny,if someone should ask me;are you at home? And I answer yes.what's wrong with that!!!!....am I not clear enough?...language is all about competence and performance....comprehension is paramount....Nice points from 3 though

GREAT contribution my BIG BROS. kudos and 1 love.

Rapmoney:
As humans, we learn new things everyday. Only a dead man that doesn't learn and the foolish man picks offence unnecessarily when he's corrected! I'm not perfect and you, yes, you over there, reading this, can't be too. We all learn but it's good you share the knowledge you have because there could be others out there who might need whatever you have to share. You can also learn from what others have to share. Below are 10 common grammatical blunders we make in Nigeria when speaking:

1) 'Who is that'? People often ask this question when they hear a knock on their door. The proper question to ask should be: 'Who is it'? This is because you don't know who's at your door. It's even preferable to ask: 'Who be that'? At least, we know you are speaking Pidgin English

2) Answering a question with just a simple YES or NO only. This is very wrong. Example1: 'Do you work on Sundays'? Instead of answering 'No', you should say 'No, I don't'. Example2: 'Do you know him'? Instead of saying just 'Yes' if you know who the first speaker is referring to, you should say 'Yes, I do'. That makes it a complete answer.

3) Using the word 'offer' in school subjects. Many teachers make this terrible mistake!!! You would hear statements like 'My students don't offer Literature' or 'If you know you are not offering Government, leave the class'. WRONG!!! Students don't OFFER subjects; they TAKE subjects! To offer means to give or present something to someone. Does it mean you are presenting something to Literature or Government? Naija teachers, una no go kill person!

4) Using a plural verb for collective pronouns: 'Everybody ARE coming'. EVERYBODY is a collective pronoun. Collective pronouns (Collective nouns inclusive), carry a singular verb which is 'IS' and not 'ARE'. Many people also make the mistake of adding 'S' to staff, when addressing a collection of workers in an organisation. Don't say 'All the staffs in this firm'. Instead, say 'All the staff in this firm'.

5) 'I want to buy COOK egg' (Lol, not even cooked egg! ). It's a common blunder when we go to the neighbourhood shop. Bros, it's either you are buying a boiled egg or one that is not cooked (raw) because even the one that's fried is cooked!

6) 'The shoes do not size me'. Wrong!!! 'SIZE', in this context, is a noun! It cannot function as a verb here. The correct way to say this is: 'The shoes do not fit me' or 'The shoes are not my size'. You can still say 'The shoes are over-sized or under-sized'.

7) 'My stomach or my head is paining me'. WRONG! It's not only a terrible mistake to make grammatically; it's also a useless statement!!! Why add ING to PAIN to create a verb that's not only useless but non-existent? You can say 'My stomach aches' or 'I feel pain in my stomach'.

The following are more of Oral English (correct pronunciation; that's speaking right).

Pronouncing FEBRUARY as 'FEBUARY'. When you pronounce this word, the 'U' and 'A' are to be silent. Pronounce it as if you are saying 'FEBRY'.

9) When you pronounce WEDNESDAY, the 'D' should be silent. It should come as 'WENSDAY'.

10) When you pronounce POLICE, the 'O' should be silent. It should come as 'Plice'.

Godbless!

God bless you.

baba dey well English na jst formality....you wan tell me say person no dey cook egg na boil...baba long as person undastand u no yawa

No one ever wants to be corrected by his mate but if we really want to improve in life we must learn from one and other. Great work Man!

"PAINING" is a correct word. Use your dictionary.