HomeEducationNo Fall Victim to Grammar Overgeneralisation, My People!

No Fall Victim to Grammar Overgeneralisation, My People!

Abeg, my Naija pipo, make I gist you small about language wey dey confuse plenty people. You don hear about overgeneralisation before? Na when person dey use language rule wey no suppose apply, ehn!

For example, you go hear person talk say ‘discuss about’. Wetin be ‘discuss about’? Na wah! ‘Discuss’ don already mean say you dey talk about something. So no need to add ‘about’ wey no follow. Na tautology wey be repeat of meaning, abeg!

Now, make I add some grammar jam for the mix. E get some adjectives wey go fit confuse person wey dey try use dem well. You sabi verbal adjectives? Na dem ones wey we dey add d/ed at the back. Like ‘added advantage’ and ‘broken door’. But make you no go stretch am too much! E get some adjectives wey no follow that pattern, like ‘mature’ and ‘secure’. No go talk say ‘matured’; e no correct, my brother! E go be ‘mature’.

You fit also get some wahala for subjunctive mood, na where e dey throw confusion wey no be small. If you don sabi grammar well, e go be time wey you dey define wetin no make sense, but e still correct! Like when person dey say, ‘it’s time we go.’ Kai! No be that one, o! Na ‘it’s time we went’ we go talk, else dem go dey laugh you.

And make we talk about spelling matter small. You know say dem dey make error wey come from overgeneralisation too? Like if you spell ‘privilege’ as ‘priviledge’ just because you don see ‘d’ for ‘knowledge’. E sure say dem don jam you for that one, right? Na grammar error, no go follow that road!

Next week, we go dive deeper as we check how pronunciation fit mix us up again. So update your grammar sabi, you no wan be inside grammar wahala!


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