Grammar Lesson: Hunger Protest

The current economic realities in Nigeria are undeniably one of the factors that sparked the demand for better governance. This demand has been fueled by unprecedented inflation, including the rising costs of food across the nation. The increase in food prices has been negatively impacted by insurgency, with reports of thousands of farmers losing their lives to bandits over the years. In an effort to prevent a recurrence of the violent END-SARS protest, the Federal Government has taken proactive steps to urgently address some of the demands and possibly alleviate the suffering.

The essence of today’s lesson is not to criticize or applaud the government for its policies, but rather to discuss the grammar lesson related the popular phrase ‘hunger protest’ that is frequently used across various social platforms. Because of its widespread use, there is a tendency to misuse it in writing or speaking, particularly regarding the article required for correct expression. Articles are commonly known as a part of speech used for the identification and specification of nouns.

The word ‘protest’ can be both countable and uncountable. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it is defined as “a strong complaint expressing disappointment, disapproval, or opposition”.  Below are some extracted example sentences:

– Protests have been made/registered by many people who would be affected by the proposed changes.

– A formal protest was made by the German team about their disqualification from the relay final.

– Conservative groups have united in protest against the planned new road.

In another definition, the word means a situation where people carry signs, shout and stand somewhere to voice their dissatisfaction. For example, there can be a public protest against corruption. Sometimes, a peaceful protest may also be hijacked. When using the countable version of the word, it is imperative to note that using the appropriate article is important.

Other example sentences extrated from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary:

They lodged a protest with the authorities.

We held a protest in front of City Hall.

 

Additional examples include:

There was protest against bad governance in 2023. (Wrong)

There was a protest against bad governance in 2023. (Correct)

 

Hunger protest?

Hunger protest was held in various parts of the country on August 1st.

The hunger protest was held in various parts of the country on August 1st.

Use the definite article “the” for “hunger protest” when you are being specific about the ongoing display of displeasure with the situation of the economy in the country.

 

Consider the following examples:

After  the interview, the lady slumped on her way home.

 

We have two types of articles:

Definite article: This is “the”. Use it when you are being specific about a noun.

Please submit the assignment for our group.

Please enjoy the food

Please meet the lady.

Indefinite articles, such as “a” and “an”, are used based on the first sound in a word, not the first letter. For example, we say ‘a university’ because the first sound is a consonant sound, even though the first letter is a vowel.

There is a university in the community.

Following the incorrect lesson that articles are determined by the first letter of a word, why do we use ‘a’ before ‘university’ when the first letter is a vowel?

A European arrived yesterday and is currently in the hotel reading a book.

The indefinite article “a” is used for European before the first sound is a consonant sound, despite the first letter being a vowel. Don’t be fooled by the letter “E”.

A lecturer complained about the unseriousness of many students yesterday.

We saw an interesting movie last night.

Unfortunately, a car knocked down the old woman.

 

Have you ever seen an elephant?

Learn these rules:

Use “an” for every word whose letter begins with a vowel sound. Other examples include:

We spent a hour at the meeting. (Incorrect)

We spent an hour at the meeting. (Correct)

“An” works perfectly with “hour” because it begins with a vowel sound (diphthong). I hope you understand that the pronunciation of words is not determined by the arrangement of their letters. Simply put, sounds influence the enunciation of words, not letters. This is one of the reasons many English learners mispronounce words a lot.

Use “a” for every word whose letter begins with a consonant sound.

A teacher complained about the nonchallant attitude of the final-year student towards their examination.

We have a visitor in our school today.

One of the students saw a shirt in the classroom.

 

Assignment

Choose the correct answers to each of the following questions:
________ is an example of a definite article. (a) a (b) an (c) the
___________ children have destroyed the tables in their classroom. (a) the (b) an (c) a
Did you join _______ hunger protest? (a) a (b) the (c) an

Kindly forward your answers to samueltolulopealimi@gmail.com or send an SMS to 07049203179.

Names of those who answered the last questions correctly
Bolanle Olusola, Adaeze Beauty, Jeremiah Isaiah, Samuel Glory, Abdullahi Nuhu, Adesina Sofiyat, Solomon Moses, Edward Israel, Feyisayo Akorede, Shukurat Adekola, Caroline Praise, Aderibigbe Akorede, Mohammed Aishat, Philip Moses, Jerry Solomon, and Bala Aminat.