Dates, troop, and troupe

SAMPLE 1: “On July 1998 when the news of MKO Abiola’s hit the streets, I along with other students of OAU in Ile-Ife participated in a peaceful rally organized by the Students Union in honour of Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election…The next day students trooped out en masse to the hospital, volunteering to donate blood…”(June 12 Honours: Remember us Too, The Sunday Sun, June 17, 2018)

I draw readers’ attention to the expression, “on July 1918”. Let’s note especially the particle on that introduces the expression. Furthermore, it is observable that no particular date such as 20th or 15th or 27th day of the month is mentioned. Here lies the problem. It would have been appropriate to use the particle on if a particular date is indicated. As the expression stands, however, the appropriate particle is in and not on. Please read the following sentences: 1) Nigeria gained her independence on October 1, 1960. 2) On February 13, 1976, something of immense historical importance happened in this great country. 3) I will arrive, by God’s grace, on Friday September 5. 4) The protest is scheduled to take place on the first day of January, 2016. 5) The meeting will be held on 17th August, 2015. 6) The controversial election took place on June 12, 1993. 7) Every four years, the newly elected public officers are sworn in on the 29th day of May.

Further examples of contexts in which the preposition on is used: 1) Let’s meet on Thursday next week. 2) The dialogue took place on Monday last week. 3) Are you sure you will be there on Wednesday? 4) I hope to see you on Saturday morning. 5) When I visited him on Sunday morning, I found out that he wasn’t preparing to go to church. 6) I was with the family on Christmas day. 7) She woke up on that fateful day, happy, cheerful and upbeat. 8) On the day of his coronation, his wife could not receive visitors.

The following sentences exemplify the context in which the particle in appears: 1) Born in 1962 in Nigeria, the man has been to all the continents of the world. 2) The Nigerian Civil War started in 1967 and ended in 1970. 3) In what year did Nigeria become a Federal Republic? 4) Rains usually start in March every year. 5) I propose that the programme should come up early in the year. 6) The current democratic experience started in 1999.

Next, we note the expression “trooped out en masse.” The last part of the expression, en masse, meaning in large numbers, is unnecessary. Why? Because the verb troop already entails a multitude of people.

It is more crucial, however, to note the difference between troop and troupe, two words often confused by some Nigerian writers. It is interesting that the two words, troop and troupe, have identical pronunciation. But apart from being spelt differently, they are as far apart semantically as any two words can be.

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Now, the noun troupe is used to denote a group of actors, dancers or singers who perform together, moving from one place to the other. Please read the following sentences: 1)Led by a veteran musician, dynamic and entertaining, the troupe treated us to a thrilling performance that I had never seen in the last two decades. 2)In spite of its great performances, the troupe always faces the problem of insufficient funding. 3)As the leader of our school’s cultural troupe, it was my duty to ensure that every performance was successfully carried out. 4)As a Youth Corps member, I organized a cultural troupe for the school where I carried out my primary assignment, a troupe, I’m told, is still active till today. 5)The dancing troupe is made up of ladies only as dancers and men as drummers. 6)The NTA troupe performs only during festive seasons. 7) A cultural troupe, formed, funded, and encouraged by the palace, is being arranged to entertain the guests. 8) The national troupe is very versatile, capable of entertaining guests with a medley of performances reflecting the diversity of the Nigerian cultures. 9) As a burgeoning group, the first performance of the troupe was at the National Theatre. 10) After about five performances, the troupe lost focus, became weak and died.

As we have noted, the verb form of the word troupe is very rare except in its very technical or professional sense. Here are examples of its usage in the verb form: 1) Hubert Ogunde was said to have trouped his plays to such distant places as the northern Nigeria. 2) The pioneer travelling actors like Oyin Adejobi trouped their performances all over the country, not because of the money they made from the performances, but because of the fulfilment they gave them. 3) To troupe plays requires considerable effort and dedication.

The word troop basically denotes a group of soldiers. It can be used in its singular or plural form. Let’s read the following sentences: 1) The Federal Government has deployed troops in the troubled states of the North East of Nigeria. 2) Now that peace is returning to the war-torn country, the foreign troops are being withdrawn. 3) The troops are on their way to Somalia on a peace-keeping mission. 4) Brigadier Taiye Ojopagogo is leading a troop to the zone to assist in quelling the civil unrest that is beyond the capacity of the police. 5) Member nations of the African Union have agreed to contribute troops towards restoring peace to a region that has been ravaged by war. 6) During the civil war, the Federal troops were said to have committed all sorts of atrocities, including rapes. 7) The troops were weakened by the activities of moles and deserters. 8) In disarray, the troops retreated and requested for reinforcement.

We have used the word troop as a noun in each of those sentences, and the sense has been that of soldiers in or ready for action.

But the noun can also refer to a group of people, non-soldiers moving to a place. Now read the following sentences: 1) We met a troop of young boys poaching animals and having fun.  2) There they  were, a troop of angry, tired and frustrated retirees, seeking sympathy and justice. 3) We were distracted by the chatter of a troop of schoolchildren on their way to the football field. 4) It all happened in the middle of the dry season when troops of women went to distant places in search of water. 5) The advertisement displayed in front of the building attracted a troop of job seekers, anxious and desperate, shouting themselves hoarse. 6) We saw a troop  of tenants marching to the police station to report the misconduct of their landlord. 7) A troop of militant students blocked the road, protesting the lack of electricity.

Each of the seven sentences demonstrates the usage of the noun troop in its figurative sense. But the figurative sense can also be used in the verb form. Let’s consider the following sentences: 1)The villagers trooped out to see the white men who were visiting the palace. 2) Almost the entire town trooped out to welcome the president. 3) After the football match, spectators trooped into streets, leading to a terrible traffic jam. 4)The masses have been advised to troop out on the day of the election and vote for the candidate of their choice. 5) I expect the box office takings to be in hundreds of thousands in view of the rate at which spectators trooped into the cinema. 6) In those days when public execution of armed robbers was common, members of the public could be seen trooping out to watch the gory sights. 7)Following the series of armed robbery attacks, members trooped into the meeting called to discuss security issues. 8) It was the closing time and students trooped out of the school compound.