In Public, Where, Were

Sample 1: “While we consider it needless to comment on the overburdened queer manner of the governor’s comportment in the public which is at variance with his exalted position…” (Osun APC tackles Adeleke over N 1 b donation to C & S Church in Lagos, Opera News, 26 August, 2024)

I draw readers’ attention to the phrase in the public which occurs as follows: “the governor’s comportment in the public”. Let’s note especially the article the occurring immediately before the word public. That article, let us note, is semantically significant. Things are said or done in public and not in the public. As for the public, it means the populace or members of the society generally.

The difference in usage between the public and in public is hereby illustrated: (1) The government has not been releasing the correct information to the public. (2) The address of the president was nothing short of an insult to the public. (3) We should be guided by the reactions of the public to the new policy. (4) Members of the public should be involved in the decision-making process. (5) How can the public sympathize with the government when it (the government) has not been sufficiently transparent in the management of the economy? (6) Members of the public deserve to know the truth, no matter how unpleasant it might be. (7) The government should avoid releasing any information that could offend the public. (8) The public had not fully recovered from the shock arising from the increase in the prices of petroleum products, when it was made to bear another burden of taxation. (9) Opinions of members of the public should count on matters affecting their welfare. (10) The public did not appreciate the efforts of the government to make life better for all citizens.

Now we illustrate the usage of the expression in public: (1) The entertainer has not appeared in public since his humiliation three months ago. (2) There are things public officers should not say or do in public. (3) The politician was accused of insulting his wife in public. (4) The actor sees nothing wrong in appearing nude in public. (5) The Minister was caught kissing his mistress in public. (6) You shouldn’t appear in public in this kind of dress. (7) The Director has not appeared in public since the EFCC’s threat to arrest him. (8) Their religion, they claim, forbids shaking hands in public. (9) Fighting in public is not considered an offence by members of that group. (10) In some cultures, housewives are not permitted to dance in public.

To repeat, there is a difference between the expressions in public and the public. It is not good English to say in the public, precisely because of the intrusive article the. These two expressions (in public and the public) should not be confused with the adjective public: (1) This information is not for public consumption. (2) Public officers should behave decently in public. (3) All human beings hate public disgrace. (4) She has not made any public appearance since last year. (5) Public institutions should not be personalized by government officials.

Sample 2: “One Ibrahim in whose possession several looted items were allegedly found denied the accusation, insisting that he only showed the security agents were the items were kept in Ebute Meta.” (Six policemen, four civilians killed in Lagos violence, Opera News, 27 October, 2020)

I would like our readers to pay attention to the form were which occurs as follows: “he only showed the security agents were the items were kept…” It should be obvious that form (were) is a contextual oddity. The appropriate form is not were but where. It is astounding that anyone would insert the word were in that structural position.

My guess is that the error stems from a pronunciation crisis on the part of some Nigerians who often pronounce were as where (and presumably vice versa). It is likely the case that they would select where or were blindly in a context requiring just one of them. In other words, the two words remain undifferentiated in reality. Elementary as these issues are, it is expedient to illustrate the usage of the words involved to avoid the risk of misleading young and vulnerable readers.

Please read the following sentences illustrating the usage of the verb were: 1) If I were you, I would not borrow a kobo for the burial of such a useless relative. 2) Janet and Ajetunmobi were husband and wife until December last year. 3) The girls were punished for coming late. 4) All the bills were thrown out by the National Assembly because they were allegedly sponsored by the opposition party. 5) The patients were discharged prematurely because the health workers had gone on strike. 6) The children were always complaining about their father’s absence from home. 7) The two women were always trading insults in public. 8) The five names that were initially on the reserve list were later brought to the main list. 9) The villagers were not interested in talking to the police. 10) The offensive clauses were later removed from the constitution.

Please note that like is, am, was, and are, the word were is a form of BE. It occurs in contexts similar to those in which the other forms of BE occur. But specifically, it is: 1) used with plural nouns 2) in its past form. Actually, it is the past form of are.

Now compare its usage with that of where: 1) Where were you when the inspector arrived? 2) Where would you like to spend the next holidays? 3) Where in western Nigeria is the place in which hot water is flowing side by side with cold water? 4) Where are you living? 5) Nobody seems to know where the information leaked. 6) You should know that where your right ends is where another person’s right begins. 7) Where else in Africa is the press as vibrant as our own? 8) He is so energetic that one sometimes wonders where the energy comes from. 9) I will continue to live in Lagos, where I have lived for the past ten years. 10) I don’t even know where to start from. 11) Where is your faith, you doubting Thomas?

At any rate, the required form in the context is: where.

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