Escape From These Bluders Now!
English grammar, perhaps, is quite trickery (note: not trickish). Anyone who craves for proficiency both in speech and writing must readily set to master all the intricacies that constitute global acceptability. Language, indeed, varies according to its respective social use. However, the unification of all varieties of any language is mutual intelligibility where speakers of the language across the world can engage in communication with some level of understanding. That is, a language user who desires global relevance must find route to escape from all forms of grammatical blunders so as to use the language as his/her other global counterparts for effective communication.
On this standpoint, this piece sets out to address some erroneous utterances which many a leaner of English, especially most Nigerian users, make during conversation. To start with, to charge someone to work or prepare harder ahead of a task is simply to tell them to “buckle down.’’ The forgoing may be contradicting to what many a person would say; “buckle up’’ which denotatively means to fasten one's seat belt or safety belt for safety measure.
Moving on, readership of this short treatise should be aware that neither a “toasting machine’’ nor a “toast bread’’ does exist in English lexicon. For clarification, what many may refer to as “toasting machine’’ is simply called a “toaster’’ while a “toast bread’’ in Nigerian context is identified as a “toast’’ in standard language context and it refers to some loaves of bread toasted via an exposure to fire, or other forms of heat to make it brown. In addition, describing someone as a “goal getter’’ gives no meaning in the English language. Instead, call such person a “go-getter’’ when he/ she is aggressively or excessively striving to achieve something.
Going forward, let it be noted that it is grammatical wrong to say something “skip your mind’’. Yes! Rather, you could say the thing “slip your mind’’. In perspective, when something “slip your mind’’, it means you inadvertently, unintentionally and temporarily forget about it. For instance, I can say: “Reading Dr GAB's daily lessons cannot slip my mind’’. On the contrary, the utterance “skip my mind’’ does not, as of today, exist in the English language, let alone being used synonymously with the foregoing context. However, one can “skip a page/ chapter of a book’’ when one does not intend to read it.
To round off (not round up), it is somewhat erroneous to say “I have a year working experience for teaching’’ or “I am just undertaking a low-paying job on a part-time basis’’. For mutual understanding, it will be correct to say: “I have a year work experience for teaching’’ and “I am just undertaking this low-paid job on a part-time basis’’ respectively. By the way, to escape from more of these grammatical goofs, it is imperatively requires of you to be consistent, diligent, committed and curious to know the standard usages of the language. And, take note, this writer will attempt to take you through the journey. Till next week, have a great week!
©️ 31st of August 2022,
Damilare Adeleye.