A Nigerian English usage expert, Dr David Iluebe, has identified common grammatical and formal-usage errors frequently made by professionals across different sectors in the country.
Iluebe, of the Grammar Doctor English Usage Clinic, listed lawyers, journalists, bankers, civil servants, teachers, police officers, Nollywood actors, politicians, drivers and students among groups whose everyday expressions, according to him, sometimes contain grammatical errors.
In a post titled “Professional English: Grammatical Errors to Avoid (Part 1),” Iluebe noted that while professional fields had their own terminologies and jargon, proper grammar and formal usage remained important in professional communication.
For lawyers, he cautioned against expressions such as “I will sue you to court,” recommending “I will sue you,” as well as “He was charged for stealing,” which he said should be “He was charged with stealing.”
He also drew attention to the expression “We are in the court premises,” recommending “We are on the court premises.”
Among journalists, Iluebe highlighted phrases such as “the way and manner,” which he said could be simplified to either “the way” or “the manner.” He also cited “knowing fully well” and “matching order,” recommending “knowing full” and “matching orders,” respectively.
For bankers, he pointed to the expression “BVN number,” noting that the abbreviation already contains the word “number,” and suggested simply saying “BVN.” He also recommended “in the queue” rather than “on the queue.”
In the civil service, Iluebe identified expressions including “sign your signature,” “my boss is not on seat” and “I will revert back to you.” He suggested “Sign here,” “My boss is not at his desk,” and “I will revert to you,” respectively.
He similarly advised teachers to use “Can you hear me?” instead of “Are you hearing me?” and “Do you understand me?” instead of “Are you understanding me?” He also recommended “Raise your hand” rather than “Raise up your hand.”
For police officers, Iluebe cited “Police is your friend,” recommending “Police are your friends,” while also pointing out the plural form “handcuffs” and advising against the expression “Shut up your mouth.”
Turning to Nollywood actors, he highlighted expressions such as “Anyways,” “the both of you” and “kneel down,” recommending “Anyway,” “both of you,” and “kneel,” respectively, in formal usage.
He also drew attention to some expressions commonly associated with political discourse, including “Nigerian should be splited,” “I casted my vote” and “My names are.” He recommended “Nigeria should be split/divided,” “I cast my vote,” and “My name is,” respectively.
Iluebe further addressed expressions associated with electricity supply, including “cut your light” and “off the light,” recommending “disconnect your electricity” and “turn off the light.”
For motorists, he cited “Reverse back the car” and “He hited my car from behind,” recommending “Reverse the car” and “He hit my car from behind.”
He also included students in the list, highlighting expressions such as “We are much in our class,” “I am not hearing you, sir,” and “I haven’t binded my project.” His suggested alternatives were “We are many in our class,” “I can’t hear you, sir,” and “I haven’t bound my project.”
Iluebe said the exercise was intended to encourage professionals and students to pay greater attention to their use of English, particularly in formal communication.
He described the publication as Part 1 of the series and invited readers to suggest professions that should be examined in greater detail in subsequent editions.
