Common Errors In English With Samuel Alimi
Writing without using the appropriate punctuation mark can be challenging and intolerable, especially for English students both in secondary schools and tertiary institutions. A content creator once lamented the reductions of mark he got after he misused the punctuation marks in the essay given to his class. I also recall that a friend who is also a writer lamented about the negative review she received from a client in the United Kingdom about her wrong use of punctuation marks. She felt heartbroken and inconsolable because her works were rejected and there was no payment despite the stress she passed through.
To be an expert at writing, it is imperative to painstakingly study the rules and apply them correctly to avoid confusion and misinterpretation. One of the ways to easily identify a bad writer is their inappropriate application of punctuation marks. This is why some English users struggle to express their thoughts and connect with their readers because they have not mastered them well.
THE FULL STOP IN BRITISH ENGLISH
Mr Femi just rounded off the tasks assigned to him.
Dr Eze prayed for the prosperity of Nigeria and aksed his students to be optimistic despite the challenging economy
Mrs Nuhu was once arrested for cyberstalking and bullying before the President ordered her immediate release from police custody.
(Dr, Mr, and Mrs do not require the full stop in British English. However, they are important in American English)
THE OXFORD COMMA
This style requires using a comma before ‘and’ in a serial list. It is grammatically correct.
Examples:
Fola, Segun, and Bisola are nearby.
I know three popular states in Nigeria: Lagos, Rivers, and Kano
USE SEMICOLONS FOR CLOSELY RELATED SENTENCES
Study the following sentences:
Professor Ngozi Eze went on sabbatical in 2022 in the United States; she lectured at the University of Walze in Canada.
Femi just lost his father to cancer in London; he has been disheartened since morning.
The academic is also a practising doctor; he studied medicine and surgery at the World Vision University.
Nuhu was sued for defamation of character by the controversial politician; his claims were indefensible and irrefutable.
In each of the expressions above, there is a connection between the two sentences separated by a semicolon. For example, the professor lectured at the University of Walze during her sabbatical in 2022.
Examine its wrong version: Professor Ngozi Eze went on sabbatical in 2022 in the United States; three hundred students failed the Unified Tertiary Examination in March.
The question is, what is the correlation between the academic’s sabbatical and the students who failed the UTME? This is how many writers miss it! They carelessly use semicolons for sentences without any logical connection.
Below are the example sentences related to this topic in Grammarly Blog (2023).
We can go to the museum to do some research; Mondays are pretty quiet there.
I ordered a cheeseburger for lunch; life is too short for counting calories.
Martha has gone to the library; her sister has gone to play soccer.
Note:
Semicolons are not interchangeable with full stops and commas. Of course, it is possible to divide the sentences with full stops. But do not forget to apply one of the rules of capitalization, i.e. the first letter of the sentence must be written in a capital letter.
I ordered a cheeseburger for lunch, life is short. (Wrong)
I ordered a cheeseburger for lunch. life is short. (Wrong)
I ordered a cheeseburger for lunch. Life is short. (Correct)
The children are very happy, they just presented a gift to their parents. (Wrong)
The children are very happy. they just presented a gift to their parents. (Wrong)
The children are very happy; they just presented a gift to their parents. (Correct)
SEMICOLONS IN A SERIAL LIST
Whenever a list contain internal punctuation, use semicolons to divide it.
These leaders are members of the All Progressive Congress: Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, and Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani. (Wrong)
These leaders are members of the All Progressive Congress: Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago; and Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani. (Correct)
The difference between the two lists above is obvious. The latter is understandable, while the former is an eyesore.
SEMICOLONS AND CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
Conjunctive adverbs are moreover, nevertheless, finally, therefore, then, likewise, indeed, otherwise, consequently, and many others. So, whenever you link two independent clauses with any of those conjunctive adverbs, use semicolons.
Reports emerged that the economy is dwindling and unstable; indeed, the masses are in the soup.
Our final results have been released by the ICT department; finally, our minds will be at rest.
Prospective corps members have been advised against travelling at night; however, some of them failed to heed the advice.
Assignment
Punctuate the following sentences correctly:
The white men visited three cities in Nigeria: Abeokuta__Ogun State; Ikorodu, Lagos State; and Port Harcourt, River State. (a), (b) – (c) !
The politician was guilty of the allegation of financial misappropriation___(a). (b) , (c) &
In British English, ________ are always used for direct speech. (a) double quotation marks (b) single quotation marks (c) half quotation marks
Kindly forward your answers to samueltolulopealimi@gmail.com or 07049203179 via SMS.
Names of those who answered the last questions correctly
Farooq Lawal, Phillip Solomon, Korede Boluwatife, Samuel Joy, Bello Sulaimon, Odebiyi Wilson, Precious Adaeze, Olive Alimi, Ephraim Innocent, Oreshade Gbenga, Eze John, Ahmed Roqeeb, Bankole Richard, Shaibu Mercy, Sultan Musa, Okere Chigozie, Phillip Solomon, Oladunjoye Oluwafemi, Adeyemi Abigael, Tolu Olorundero, Adebayo Bukola, Yahyah Aisha and John Solomon.
