One of the readers, who stumbled upon my post on Facebook, presented a strong argument against the lesson I wrote about the non-existence of “off heart” in Standard English. In his words, “Mr. Samuel, it is misleading to discourage the use of ‘off heart’ in our expressions.” Of course, I was not baffled as to why he reacted against the topic because the phrase has been erroneously adopted by many speakers and writers of the language. Although I had no time for a heated debate about the incorrectness of the phrase, I implored him to consult his dictionary and forward the information about it to me. Unfortunately, he vanished into thin air in his unsuccessful attempt to critique the extensively researched topic.
First off, I searched out the prepositional phrase “by heart” in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and discovered that it means “from unaided memory and in full detail”. The question is, why do many English users prefer the substandard, flawed version of this recognized phrase? Well, this is one of the grammatical mistakes that makes one sick to the stomach.
Study the following sentences:
The pupils recite the national anthem off heart every day. (Wrong)
The pupils recite the national anthem by heart every day. (Correct)
Can your friend remember his matriculation number off heart? (Wrong)
Can your friend remember his matriculation number by heart? (Correct)
Below is an example sentence in the authoritative dictionary:
I have dailled the number so many times I know it by heart.
Alternatively, “off by heart” can be used since it is also recognized in British English.
Bimpe has learnt the 44 sounds of English off by heart.
Some people believe that all law graduates can quote the Nigerian constitution off by heart.
Professor Musa recalls the history of Nigeria off by heart.
Child’s play
During the last celebration of Nigeria’s Independence Day, an influential content creator on Facebook lamented the severity of the Nigerian economy and prayed earnestly for the glowing success of the current administration. The post generated controversial reactions from some of her ardent followers who are seriously frustrated by the economic woes. One of them replied, “Living in Nigeria is not a child’s play” instead of “Living in Nigeria is not child’s play”.
I am not a grammar police. But I penned down the comment for our analysis in today’s class. This is the correction: Adding the article “a” to the phrase is not necessary. I looked up the idiom in different dictionaries and could not find where the article was added to it.
Below are the example sentences in five reliable dictionaries:
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: Compared to my last job, this is child’s play.
The Cambridge Dictionary: For her, computer programming is child’s play.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Figuring out the password was child’s play.
The Britannica Dictionary: Landing a job should be child’s play for someone with his skills.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: I’ve cooked for 200 people before now. So, tonight is child’s play by comparison.
In hospital or at hospital?
Arguably, “in” and “on” are the most confusable prepositions among English speakers.
Use “in” when you are talking about a patient.
Examples:
The girl has been in hospital with serious health issues.
Is the man still in hospital? I thought he had recovered.
Hello, I heard that you have been in hospital. Hope you are getting better.
Use “at” when you are on a visit.
I was at the hospital to pray for the lawyer.
The children were at the hospital when their father died.
Sule’s friends sustained injuries last week. Their parents are at the hospital to pay for their bills.
Upcoming and Up-and-coming
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “upcoming” means “happening or appearing in the relatively near future”. So it is grammatically wrong to claim that someone is “about to happen”. The adjective should be exclusively reserved for events, elections, shows and other related nouns.
The upcoming general elections have been postponed by the electoral commission.
The poor should be considered for financial assistance in the upcoming budget.
“Up-and-coming” means “likely to be successful ”. Therefore, it is grammatically OK to use it to describe those rising in their chosen fields.
Some up-and-coming musicians lost opportunities to visit their fans in the UK in 2020. (Correct)
Some upcoming musicians lost opportunities to visit their fans in the UK in 2020. (Wrong)
Nigeria is indeed blessed with many up-and-coming comedians. (Correct)
Nigeria is indeed blessed with many upcoming comedians. (Wrong)
Is Wizkid an up-and-coming singer? (Correct)
Is Wizkid an upcoming singer? (Wrong)
