Cashing in on…

SAMPLE 1: “Of all these however, the only functional ones today is the convention centre and the about one kilometre monorail, which is rarely in use.” (Gallery of Waste 2: Sad Tales of Abandoned Concrete Multi-billion Naira Carcasses, The Nation, Sunday, 19 November, 2017)

Let me draw readers’ attention to the singular verb-form (is) which occurs immediately after the word today: “the only functional ones today is the convention centre and the about one kilometre monorail.”The construction is faulty on account of the reporter’s choice of the singular verb-form: is. The subject is indisputably plural: functional ones. The choice of the singular verb-form is curious given the conspicuous plurality of the word ones. Even the subject complement is plural: “the convention centre and the about one kilometre monorail.”

At any rate, the singular verb-form should be replaced with its plural counterpart: are.

Sample 2: “While denying allegations that funds meant for the scheme was mismanaged over the years, ITF’s Director General, Joseph Ari, said the allegation that the scheme had been mismanaged over the years is incorrect.”(ITF Refutes Allegations of N13b Fraud, The Nation, Sunday, 19 November, 2017)

Here again is a case of faulty concord. We note the singular verb-form (was) occurring between the nounscheme and the verb mismanaged: “allegations thatfunds meant for the scheme was mismanaged.” Our first assignment is to identify the subject noun phrase that the singular verb-form (was) is supposedly in concord with. Logic and grammar point clearly in the direction of the noun funds as the subject of the verb. The question is: Is the noun funds a singular or plural noun? The answer is too obvious to warrant any controversy. From elementary grammar we do know that any noun that carries a final s or es or ies is in the plural.

That being the case, as it obviously is, the verb should be changed to its plural form: were. It may well have been the case that the reporter allowed himself to be misled by the singular noun (scheme) that is the closest to the verb slot. The fact is that a respectable writer should rise above this tendency to be ensnared by irrelevant verbal contiguity.

Sample 3: “Traditionally, motorists often catch on the massive traffic, which characterizes the yuletide, by hiking transport fares.”(Harsh Economy Robs Nigerians of Christmas Excitements, The Sun, Sunday 24 December, 2017)

We note the expression catch on which occurs in the following context: “motorists often catch on the massive traffic…by hiking transport fares.” Contextually, the expression is intended to mean: to take advantage of; to capitalize on. The problem word is catch, a word that blemishes the entire expression. Confused by his pronunciation incompetence, the reporter inevitably confuses the word catch with cash. Many Nigerians find it difficult to differentiate in pronunciation between words spelt with –sh and those spelt with –ch. They find it difficult to differentiate between wash and watch; between wish and witch; between dish and ditch; between marsh and march; between mush and much; etc.

This same problem is at play in the reporter’s choice of catch instead of cash. Actually the idiomatic expression available in the English lexicon is: cash in on. Note that in addition to the confusion in pronunciation leading the reporter to substitute catch for cash, the particle in is missing. To cash in on a situation is to take advantage of it or capitalize on it. Please read the following sentences: 1) The opposition seemed to be poised to cash in on the scandal troubling our party. 2) Let’s cash in on the prosecution’s inability to produce the critical witness in court and tell the judge that the witness is deliberately being hidden for fraudulent reasons. 3) Not surprisingly, other newspapers cashed in on the absence on the vendors’ stands of the most popular newspaper proscribed for its political activism. 4) Owners of fuel stations are cashing in on the scarcity of the petroleum products by hoarding the products and selling them at abnormally high prices. 5) At that time, Nigeria cashed in on the crisis in the Gulf and not only sold her crude at a high price per barrel but also increased the quantity it sold at the world market. 6) The man cashed in on the lady’s disagreement with her husband and proposed to her, thus sweeping her off her feet. 7) Miscreants cashed in on the fire disaster and looted those shops not affected by fire. 8) Cashing in on the riots in the neighbourhood, the policemen began to make indiscriminate arrests and extort money from innocent passersby. 9) The wild inmates cashed in on the perpetual blackout, started a riot and engaged in a jail break. 10) The private clinics cashed in on the strike in the public health sector and demanded enormous deposits from patients before they could be attended to.

As we have noted, the expression is cash in on and not catch in on. Furthermore, we need to note there is a difference between the words catch and cash. The past tense of cash is cashed; its past participle is also cashed. The past tense of catch is caught; its past participle is also caught.

Now read the following sentences: 1) I am in a hurry; I want to catch the 9 o‘clock plane. 2) They were out for hours catching fun. 3) They broke into a house and were caught by the owners of the house in the very act. 4) Anybody caught violating the rules will be made to bear the full weight of the law. 5) She was sent out of her matrimonial home because her husband caught her in bed with his best friend. 6) Rumours have it that he was caught in an intimate position with his wife’s friend. 7) That you have never been caught does not mean that you have never done anything contrary to the Bible before. 8) Almost all children have been caught at one time or the other stealing from their mothers’ pots of soup. 9) She was caught stealing into the young man’s room in the middle of the night. 10) The boy was caught with his boss’s phone. 11) If you catch me in that kind of situation, please don’t spare me. 12) Fishermen usually catch plenty of fish at night.