The use of the preposition can be most treacherous, more so because there isn’t a ready formula to guide you. A user has to learn them one by one through exposure to the indigenous speakers or the non-indigenous with the expertise of a person who was born and brought up in the land of Queen Elizabeth. We are talking about words such as: at, but, although, of, against and with.
Look at Page 4 of the Saturday, November 28 edition of the tabloid closely associated with this columnist. In what our scribbling colleague purports to be a quote attributed to one of his sources, we read:
Private institutions must create windows of engaging more women in top positions with a view OF motivating young girls.”
With a view of…? Nope! We say:…with a view TO…(doing this or that). Don’t ask us why; that is simply how it goes as per the indigenous speakers of this language who came up with this phrase. Abdi writes this weekly column WITH A VIEW to HIGHLIGHTING goofs scribblers in Bongo’s English press commit as they strive to inform, educate and entertain the reading public.
On the same page, there is a caption thus written: “The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development (sic!), John Njigu, receiving a special award from MCL’s Acting Director (sic!) Bakari Machumu in Dar es Salaam yesterday. AT left is MCL’s Chief Executive Officer (sic!), Rashid Kejo…”
At left? Sounds Swahilish, kwa kushoto; but then, even when writing captions in our good old Kiswahili, we don’t have the “kwa”, just as the preposition AT in colleague’s caption is redundant!
And the Saturday, December 28 edition of Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet had this story on Page 2, entitled, ‘TAMWA roots for action on sexual abuse’. Therein, our Zenj-based colleague says in his intro:
“…Tamwa – Zanzibar has organised a one-day walk EXERCISE to encourage youth’s behavioural change related to sexual abuse…”
The scribbler uses the expression “walk exercise” at least twice, meaning he is confident that without complimenting the word “walk” with “exercise”, his readers won’t understand what he is talking about. It is an absurd assumption, of course!
Our counterparts in the Kiswahili press entertain the same absurdity when they inform readers/listeners about ZOEZI la kutembea instead of, simply, kutembea.
Now in a story that runs from Page 1 to 3 of the same broadsheet, entitled ‘Things fall apart’, the scribbler, purporting to quote a source, writes: “On November 20 this year, NEC nominated Special seats MPs and WARD Councillors…”
Hello, need we remind colleagues that qualifying councillor with ward is indulging on tautological nonsense! Why, a councillor, whether elected or nominated, is a political creature of the ward. So, just call him/her a councillor, not a ward councillor.
The scribbler writes on: “Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai has POCKED holes into Chadema’s handling of Special Seats legislators’ saga…”
If you find faults/weaknesses and identify them in some plan, then, we will say you are POKING—from poke—(not POCKING—from pock—) holes in the same. However, there is the adjective “pocked”, which defines a surface with holes or hollow marks on it.
Our colleague reports further: “…Ndugai administered the oath of integrity (sic!) on 19 new MPs…Ms Halima Mdee took the FIRST oath.”
Hey! Ms Mdee took the first oath? How many oaths were there to be taken? Well, according reliable reports that reached us, there was only one oath, the oath of allegiance (we doubt if it was the oath of integrity). It means, the former Kawe MP took the oath first (not first oath). That is, of the 19 ladies from Chadema, she was the first one to take the oath before Hon Job Ndugai.
Our colleague writes further: “The swearing-in of opposition members MAKES A total number of House members to 278.”
Makes a total number? Sounds awkward, doesn’t it? Here is our rewrite: “The swearing-in of the 19 pushes the number of MPs to 278.”
