Ghastly and Fatal Accidents

Common Errors in English With Samuel Alimi

Accidents often occur unexpextedly, and it is unfortunate that they can sometimes result in severe physical injuries or even sudden deaths. Just two days ago, I came aross a news report on Facebook about an individual who had his arms amputated after surviving an electric shock. Thousands of people on the app expressed sympathy and offered to help by asking for his account number, as he is financially unable to cope with the situation.

Today’s lesson provides the opportunity to learn the major differences between the words ‘ghastly’ and ‘fatal’ as they are commonly used to describe accidents. It is imperative to discuss them to avoid unnecessary confusion and enhance clarity regarding their usage in your speaking and writing skills.

The first point to note is that both words are adjectives, but they have different meanings. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, ‘ghastly’ means ‘horrifyingly shocking’. It also means ‘extremely bad’. It is important to understand that this does not necessarily indicate any cases of death. Therefore, a ghastly accident can be referred to as an accident in which no lives are lost.

For example, two people were involved in a ghastly accident on the Lekki-Ibadan Expressway. Thankfully, none of them died as a result.

The Cambridge Dictionary describes ‘fatal’ as ‘causing death (of illness, accidents, etc)’. Below are some examples sentences extracted from the Cambridge English Corpus:

Men, in turn, suffer increased fatal chronic illnesses and less acute illnesses.

Of 17 877 patients treated, 20 developed serious non-neurological reactions, one of them fatal.

In conclusion, if anyone dies during an accident, it should be considered fatal. I hope you have learnt the distinctions.

Blue-Collar Jobs

Blue-collar jobs are typically characterized by manual labour. Unlike white-collar jobs, which require certifications and formal settings, blue-collar jobs do not require professional certifications or higher education.

For example, ‘bricklaying’ is a blue-collar job.

‘Every day’ and ‘Everyday’

The phrase ‘every day’ means ‘daily’ or ‘each day’.

Does Professor Uche travel to the UK everyday? (Wrong)

Does Professor Uche travel to the UK every day? (Correct)

Do you read your books everyday? (Wrong)

Do you read your books every day? (Correct)

The term ‘everyday’ is an adjective that means ‘used or seen daily’. It should not be used to end sentences.

We learn English for every day conversations. (Wrong)

We learn English for everyday conversations. (Correct)

Crayfish should be added to your every day food. (Wrong)

Crayfish should be added to your everyday food. (Correct)

Dispose

When getting rid of something, use the word ‘dispose’ with the preposition ‘of’.

Study the following sentences:

The teacher told two students to dispose the old books. (Wrong)

The teacher told two students to dispose of the old books. (Correct)

Another example sentence from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is, I dispose of my trash in the garbage can.

REPLY TO

She did not reply my message. (Incorrect)

She did not reply to my message. (Correct)

WHEREABOUTS

Mum, I don’t know Femi’s whereabout. (Incorrect)

Mum, I don’t know Femi’s whereabouts. (Correct)

Not adding an ‘s’ to ‘whereabout’ is incorrect.

As a noun, ‘whereabouts’ means ‘location’ or ‘where seomething is situated’.  As an adverb, it means ‘in, at or near what location’.

For example, ask “whereabouts do you stay?” or “where do you stay”.

TWO LAPS?

You do not have two laps. The word ‘lap’ refers to ‘the upper legs of a seated person’.

Note the phrase ‘upper legs’. Therefore, it is incorrect to say: sit on my laps.

I will not board the driver’s car again. My lap almost broke while travelling to Ondo State. (Correct)

The names of those who answered  the last questions correctly are:  Johnson Blessing, Olive Alimi, Jimoh Barakat, John Solomon, Yakub Abigail, Babatunde Esther, Adebayo Bukola, Adeyemi Abigael, Adeniji Micheal, Abdullahi Nuhu, Okere Chigozie, and Ahmed Roqeeb, Bello Sulaimon, Yahyah Aishat, Olalomirin Pelumi,  Rasheed Fatah, and Adewake Adegbare.