₦airaland Forum

Rapmoney:
Some Grammatical Blunders You Should Avoid

We make some grammatical blunders everyday in our interactions with others. I once visited a private school and was disappointed that the instructors in the school were not laying a good foundation for sound grammar for the kids. Children are very sensitive to copying what they see or hear. Teachers in schools and parents at home should be mindful of this because kids copy a lot and are greatly prone to accept what they hear as correct.

Below are some grammatical blunders we should avoid while speaking, especially, to kids:

1) 'Stop matching me' (WRONG).
Instead, say ' Stop stepping on me'. To 'match'
means to walk with quick calculated steps in unison
by a group of people, especially, in the military.

2) 'He is my junior brother' (WRONG).
Instead, they 'He is my younger brother'.

3) 'On my way to Lagos, I'll branch my sister's house'
(WRONG). Instead, say 'On my way to Lagos, I'll visit
my sister or I'll go to my sister's house'. There's no
verb as 'branch' in English which means the same
thing intended by the speaker.

4) 'I saw your missed calls' (WRONG).
Instead, say 'I missed your calls'. The calls were
missed because you didn't pick or not disposed to
do that.

5) 'He is drinking mineral' (WRONG).
Instead, say 'He is drinking mineral water or soda'.
Minerals are natural deposits, they are not foods or
beverages.

6) 'My car is more better than yours' (WRONG).
Instead, say 'My car is better than yours'. MORE and
BETTER are both comparative adjectives. Two
comparative adjectives are not used in same
sentence.

7) 'On the long run' (WRONG).
instead, say 'In the long run'.

8. 'Either Bisi or Ade are coming' (WRONG).
Instead, say 'Either Bisi or Ade is coming'. There are
two subjects in the sentence but only one person will be coming which makes it singular. Remember, 'IS' is a singular verb while 'ARE' is a plural verb.

9) 'Those are the men that caught the thieves'
(WRONG).
Instead, say 'Those are the men who caught the
thieves. 'WHO' and 'THAT' are relative pronouns
in this context. While 'who' is used for humans, 'that'
is used for things and animals.

10) 'They are discussing about the weather' (WRONG).
Instead, say 'They are discussing the weather.

The rest are more of Oral English, Phonics or Speech. That's speaking right.

11) OFTEN, LISTEN - Pronounce them without the letter 'T'. Such as 'ofen' and 'lisen'.
12) PERFECT - Pronounce it as 'pefekt' and not 'pafekt'
13) ATE (past tense of eat) - Pronounce it as 'et' not 'hate'.
14) MARKET, POCKET, BUCKET, ROCKET, etc - Pronounce them as 'markit', 'pockit', 'buckit' and 'rockit'.
15) BUS - It's pronounced correctly as 'bas'.
16) SUITE (in hotels) - Pronounce it as 'sweet' and not 'suit'.
17) EXAMPLE, EXAMINATION - Pronounce them as 'eexample' and 'eexamination' respectively.
18) MILD - Pronounce it as 'mald'.
19) NEEDED (past tense of need) - Pronounce it as 'needid'.
20) COME - Pronounce it as 'cam'.

For those taking IELTS, TOEFL and other English proficiency tests, you need to pay particular attention to the LISTENING SECTION. You may easily misunderstand the speaker if you don't pay attention to things you think do not matter.

We all have an opportunity to learn everyday. Strive to learn new things everyday.

God bless you.

This is a good write up, I learnt a few things from it, but I have an objection.
Mild is pronounced as /maild/, not mald.

femi4:
We are not communicating


"Op, you said "Am" is a verb, plet can you give me an example where "Am" functions as a verb"

I responded to that part of your question to show you that AM is a verb. The Helping verb or auxiliary verb

'Am' is an example of verb 'to be' or helping verb.
Example:
I am going to the store.
In this sentence, 'am' is a helping verb, and the complete verb in the sentence is 'am going.'

You cannot make a sentence with only "Am". It must go with first person pronoun I.
For examples:
I am going home.

I am working on my computer.

The contracted form of "I am" is "I'm", and that is what some people pronounce as "am".
You can use "Am" to begin a question.
Examples:
Am I depositing enough money in the account?
The sentence: I am going home can be changed into a question like this: Am I going home?
Another examples:
Where am I right now?
With whom am I speaking?

mrkings84:
Thanks for the correction, am coming!!


But o, when can "AM" be used without involving "I', like seriously??

If you say or write, "Am coming", it is wrong.
The correct one is: I'm coming.

Bluffly:
Make a sentence with "Am"

Did you understand the explanation?
You cannot make a sentence with only "Am". It must go with first person pronoun I.
For examples:
I am going home.

I am working on my computer.

The contracted form of "I am" is "I'm", and that is what some people pronounce as "am".
You can use "Am" to begin a question.
Examples:
Am I depositing enough money in the account?
The sentence: I am going home can be changed into a question like this: Am I going home?
Here is another example: Where am I right now?

Bluffly:
How do you know which was pronounced. Give more examples in writing usage

"Am" is the first person singular of the verb be, and it is used only for First Person Singular Pronoun “I”.
This also means that you cannot start a sentence with "am". Example: Am going to be a father next week. This is grammatically wrong.
The correct one is: I am going to be a father next week.

titiloyeblog:
Is "Am" really a verb?

"Am" is the first person singular of the verb be, and it is used only for First Person Singular Pronoun “I”.

cr7lomo:
Well, I'm not surprised at the way u reason ... So remove Ronaldo out of Madrid all these yrs and tell me how many straight league titles Barca wud hv won... Now, if he was that great, y did it take him 4 yrs to score in the quarters if the CL or play in the semis ... Y hasn't he won world best in 4yrs... So he is busy winning league titles alone and that makes him the greatest.... What is the difference btw Barca, juve, PSG,and Bayern Munich...it's only in the EPL that winning the league title is a difficult task... So assists against Greece , Nigeria, south Korea makes him the best...it's u Barca fans that started this assist nonsense ....ok...y doesn't he have the highest assist in the CL?? Do u hear Ronaldo fans talk about assist even as he has the highest assist in the CL....so messi scored a hat trick against Brazil, what did that achieve him in the end...y do u reason like a child?? Ronaldo scored a hat trick in the WC against a former champion and no one is talking about it... Has messi ever scored a former WC champion in the WC?? He still can't win a major cup with another team, even copa America that they play every two yrs, he can't win... Destroyed by Venezuela and he ran away again... Maradona won titles with Argentina WC and copa, won titles with Boca juniors, won with Barca and Napoli...that's who u call a great player

What is this guy's problem with the success of Messi? Why is it paining you to your bone marrow?

Where are those goro chewing aboki?
All they could do is to be shouting boko haram upadan.

Emu4life:
Oga forget that thing. Even if they re do the electoral process like 10 times, Atiku will still lose.

Are you saying he will lose in a free and fair election?

This man can lie like a devil. Which of the airport did he go to that the floor is dirty?
I was in Lagos MMIA and MM2 airports last week and this week, none of these airports was dirty.
I think he is proud. Just because he was asked to take off his shoes does not give him the impetus to paint the airport black. Even the oyibos are removing their shoes at each terminal and they are not complaining.

afroniger:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/apologise-to-nigerians-coalition-tells-atiku/

A won ode poni kontri yi sha.

I am right in the MMIA. On my way to Mozambique.

naturefellow:
I could travel doen to KD to avoid all the stress really!

But the cost of coming to Kaduna is something else. Can you afford to pay for everything?

Sorry for all the stress you have gone through. This Nigeria for you. The system is not working well at all.
If you were in Kaduna I would have helped you on this with the sum of #25,000 and you will get it within two days.
I did mine with the sum of #23,000 and got it within 2 days.

Naijaguy12345:
A fat guy with no WAEC is about to sit at the top of affairs of great Osun state . Bad time is here for Osun people. The looting hawk will descend on your allocation .

Teachers be ready to be owed 4 years wages.
Times of inflated budget is here.
Your new governor can eat 16 times a day.

Sorry, I can see you are in sifia pain.

fk001:
Let's wait and see how he will become the governor.




Osun state is APC no one can change that, not even the rule of law.

Let's watch out for this guy, he sounds like haya killer

sexiestharam:
Lol. Na babe I be o

Okay, I'm sorry for addressing you as a guy.

sexiestharam:
I used to be interested in Nigeria's politics but I realised today that it is a complete waste of time. Whatever they do is no longer my business. Let me just make my own money jejely in peace. Useless nation!

You are right my guy. I have also resolved to this because the leadership system is a fraud.

hammerFC:
THESE ONES ARE EVEN MORE WICKED THAN THE FULANI.


WHO TAKES DEM SERIOUSLY.


U CAN IMAGINE AFTER, THEY WILL STILL GATHER TO VOTE IN ANOTHER FULANI HERDSMEN AS THEIR GOV AND PRESIDENT.


WHO DOES DAT?




IGBO ARE THE ONLY REAL PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.


NDIIGBO NO MEANS NO AND YES MEANS YES..


IF IGBO REFUSE U, GOD HAS ALSO REFUSE U.

Can you keep quiet and stop saying what you don't know? Southern Kaduna did not vote for Elrufai. They voted massively for Ashiru but it was rigged in favour of APC. In fact, some local governments where PDP won were cancelled for no genuine reason.
As for your claim that Igbo are the real people in Nigeria, you lied. Igbo are not politically inclined and most of your leaders in government today are betrayals of Igbo people. They have sold their conscience for money and they are ready to sell you and your land too. The leadership structure in Igbo land is very weak compare to that of the Hausas and Yorubas.

truthfulparrot:
I said it that PMB is not foolish like some Zombies on Nairaland. I know that PMB will not want to jeopardize the gains of the presidential elections by playing to the gallary in the various governorship elections in the states.

The INEC chairman will also want to protect his image and prevent sanctions on himself and his family members by International communities. The infractions at the February 23 elections was an eye openers to INEC and International community.Even PMB is fully aware that the process that gave him second term was not pure and he will not want to carry his luck too far.

We have to give it to the North. They are better strategists when it comes to politics. The fact is that the North is already regrouping and strategically positioning for 2023 presidency.

Southwest will be shocked at the political dynamics of 2023. I am sure that APC will attempt to present a Northern candidate in 2023 and if the likes of Tinubu and Oshimole proves stubborn, the North will support a PDP candidate from the North.

Are you the president spokesman? Do you know what is in his mind? INEC has an electoral body has failed Nigerians. This their new step is a pretentious one. They will still favour the ruling party by the time they announce the result.
Nigeria is a country that is full of injustice. What has been done to the soldiers that snatched ballot boxes in Rivers and other States during the election? The Kano Deputy Governor that tore ballot papers was just taken away and nothing more. The Kano state CP that declined to be manipulated has been transferred.
In Kaduna state, Barnawa and Kajuru votes were cancelled for no genuine reason and no one is talking about it. If the affected party goes to court, the case will be swept under the carpet sooner or later. No Justice in Nigeria again.

I wonder why some people cannot see the decay in this nation. There is no truth again and people are singing the praises of evil men. Black colour has suddenly become white colour.
About the election, it was a show of shame. 142 billion naira was given to INEC to organise a free and fair election but it was a waste of money and no one is talking about it. The electoral body is now like a TV set while the FG is holding its remote. Inconclusive election is now the order of the day. Once the result does not favour the ruling party, it is inconclusive. So many irregularities marred the conduct of the elections and people are still happy with these. We saw how millions of ballot papers were thumb printed before the elections. Soldiers and policemen that were meant to ensure peace for free and fair election were the ones that snatched ballot boxes and intimidated voters from voting. They killed innocent souls and some people are still happy with this evil.
142 billion naira was wasted to conduct a conducted election. If 5 million naira was given to each citizen in this country from that money, it will go a long way in curbing poverty and unemployment. Nothing is working well in Nigeria for now. But I believe God for His divine intervention.

ghettochild4u:
Fokoshere

Guy, you no well at all ooo.

Front0lane:
I have said it not once not twice Wike can never ever win a free & fair election in Rivers state.The will of the people supersede all others and Rivers electorate vote must count, no longer will Wike be allowed to write election result in his bedroom nor will Ebele Patience be allowed to loot Rivers treasury only to forfeit it to Buhari.

It is finished for Wike and the ugly fat bitch Patience Ebele

Guy, are you from Rivers state? Why is your blood temperature going up?

Please where is Kaduna gubernatorial result? INEC has refused to release it. Does anyone have idea of what is happening?

akinblog:
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has attributed the low turn-out of voters in the ongoing governorship and state assembly elections to alleged rigging of the presidential poll.

Atiku spoke after casting his ballot at the Ajiya polling unit 02, Gwadabawa ward of Yola north local government of Adamawa state.

“There is low voter turn out and I believe it’s because of the last election which was marred by a lot of irregularities,” he said.

Atiku said the involvement of the military in the election is unconstitutional, urging the electorate to be law-abiding.

Speaking on his loss, Atiku said he was committed to challenging the result f the election in court.

He called on his supporters to remain calm and await the outcome of the legal action.

Earlier, President Muhammadu Buhari said he expected Atiku to challenge the presidential election in court.

https://all-gists..com/2019/03/Many-didnt-vote-today-because-presidential-poll-was-rigged-Atiku.html?m=1

This is the reason I decided not to vote today. There is no election in Nigeria but selection.

yemi15:
True human being that decided to vote for their oppressors Abi? Those people are no different from animals o. I have said my own.

They aren't animals. Besides, not all of them voted for Buhari. So stop venting your anger on all of them.

delugajackson:
And we are supposed to applaud this? Nothing seems right in these pictures. From the groom, to the bride, the cake, the picture quality. Everything looks gloomy.

Poverty has really limited a lot of individuals, thereby making them accept mediocrity as a standard. There is no way on earth this sham of an arrangement can be recognized as a wedding. It is this same mediocre, below-par mentality that is holding us back in this country. What the hell!

Must everybody spend extravagantly in wedding ceremony? These people put their resources together and managed it and you are here bad mouthing them. Your opinion does not count and they don't need you to validate them.

Olukologia24592:
This is good for the north. � you have not seen anything yet... Anybody shouldn't post #Pray4TheNorth

Please be reasonable in your comment next time. The Hausas are not the only people in the north and if at all they are, they are also humans. So leave politics behind and show some sympathy to the dead as a sign of true human being.

It is allowed islamically because the founder was a pioneer. If it is in the north, the family of the girl will just give her out to the man. Shikena, case close.

Boxer007:
Brother forget her. Females are useless.
Let me put your great lip into great use. Bring it sir

Do you remember you have mother and sisters
at all?