Uncountable Noun: Slang

Common Errors In English With Samuel Alimi

samueltolulopealimi@gmail.com

Last week, a large number of my students were flummoxed when I emphasized that ‘feedbacks’ is a non-existent word in the English language. Of course, it is one of the prevalent errors popularly adopted in writings on social media platforms and published work. It is quite hilarious to recall that one of them unconstructively objected to the lesson I posted on my WhatsApp status about the topic. However, he became silent after I referred him to his dictionary for confirmation. I had no time for vacuous argument since there are various authoritative dictionaries on phones that can assist in understanding the word better.

Study the following expressions:

I do not like the feedbacks I received from my colleagues. (Wrong)

I do not like the feedback I received from my colleagues. (Correct)

Here are other example sentences from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

The company uses customer feedback to improve its products.

He asked for some feedback from his boss.

The computer makes adjustments based on feedback from its sensors.

We were getting some feedback from the microphone.

Since the noun is uncountable, none of the above sentences have ‘feedbacks’.

Slang

An editor posted an interesting topic on his Facebook timeline to engage his audience. Many readers responded, with some expressed their surprise after learning the correct expression. While browsing through the comments on the post, I came across the section where a netizen wrote, “There are other slangs that are accepted in British English”. I laughed and expected the editor to correct the sentence, which he did after a few minutes.

The crux of this discussion is that it is grammatically incorrect to add an ‘s’ to the noun ‘slang’. It is an eyesore to every grammarian who possesses an in-depth understanding of words that do not require ‘s’. The Cambridge Dictionary explains that slang is vocabulary adopted by people within the same group or with a close relationship. It is considered informal language and can be provocative to those outside the group who do not know each other well. The source also notes that slang words are primarily used in speech rather than writing and can include longer expressions and idioms.

Below are the example sentences cited by the source:

He is a geek. (someone who is felt to be strange because they spend all their time studying)

(teenager, speaking about some elderly people in a park)

Look at those old fogeys on the bench!

It is all gone pear-shaped. (wrong, not as we expected)

Is ‘accident’ a countable noun?

The man had accident last July. (Wrong)

The man had an accident last July. (Correct)

Over 50 accidents occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in 2023. (Correct)

This justifies the use of the indefinite article preceding the noun in the first example sentence.

Working Experience or Work Experience?

Job hunting can be emotionally stressful, especially for fresh graduates who have little knowledge about the highly competitive labour market in a country where foreign businesses are closing due to its unstable economy, with no viable solutions at present. Once, an applicant asked me, “Sam, can you explain the difference between ‘work experience’ and ‘working experience’?”. I replied, “Working experience simply means ‘an experience that is working’, while ‘work experience’ means ‘professional experience’.” Take a minute to review your curriculum vitae. What did you write on it? Confirm and make any necessary adjustments if the incorrect word appears. It is quite amusing to remember that some hiring managers are unaware that ‘working experience’ is incorrect.

Example:

How many years of work experience do you have?

Between the Ghastly Accident and the Fatal Accident

Ghastly and fatal are both adjectives, but they have different meanings. It is incorrect to confuse them.

A ghastly accident is one in which no lives are lost.

For example, two people had a ghastly accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. None of them died. It was a ghastly accident, not fatal.

A fatal accident involves the loss of one or more lives.

In summary, if anyone dies during an accident, it should be considered fatal.