Particles and idioms revisited

SAMPLE 1: “Oyedepo said the issue of school fees paid by students of the university was a Godly agenda to meet the demands of raising Godly children in an environment conducive for learning.”(Oyedepo Cautions Critics of Fees Charged by his Varsity, The Nation, Sunday, November 6, 2016)

The raison d’etre for the choice of this excerpt for analysis is the phrase “conducive for learning.” Of particular interest is the relationship between the adjective conducive and the particle for following it directly. It has been noted repeatedly in this place that idioms are stretches of language whose syntactic structure and lexical composition are not amenable to any form of variation: the ordering of words and the words themselves are inflexible. Any attempt to vary them will result is distortions of varying degrees of stylistic and discoursive seriousness.

The point we are leading readers to is that the particle for does not collocate with the word conducive. The particle that collocates invariably with that adjective is to.

In each of the following sentences, the particle for is wrongly attached to the word conducive: (1) The authorities are working hard to create an environment that is totally conducive for learning. (2) This hotel is certainly not conducive for sound sleep. (3) I don’t think this environment is conducive for the workshop we are planning to have. (4) In spite of the colossal sum of money spent on the campuses, few of them are conducive for teaching and learning. (5) The school I have in mind is such that will be so conducive for learning that nobody would think of travelling abroad to receive education. (6) With all sorts of people around, this place is not conducive for the kind of discussion we want to have.

The problem with each of these sentences is the inclusion of the particle for where to is the appropriate one. The sentences are corrected as follows: (1) (b) The authorities are working hard to create an environment that is totally conducive to learning. (2) (b) This hotel is certainly not conducive to sound sleep. (3) (b) I don’t think this environment is conducive to the workshop we are planning to have. (4) (b) In spite of the colossal sum of money spent on the campuses, few of them are conduciveto teaching and learning. (5) (b) The school I have in mind is such that will be so conducive to learning that nobody would think of travelling abroad to receive education. (6) (b) With all sorts of people around, this place is not conducive to the kind of discussion we want to have.

There are other serious challenges with the usage of idioms by some Nigerians. A few of such issues are raised and addressed as follows.

Some Nigerians habitually attach the particle at to the word detriment in confusion with the usage of the word expense. It is proper to allow the particle at to collocate with expense, but it is certainly wrong to attach that particle to detriment. The following sentences involving the use of the word detriment are erroneous precisely because the particle at is attached to that noun in each of them: (1) He spends many hours reading during the night at the detriment of his health. (2) Huge sums of money are stashed away in foreign banks at the detriment of the Nigerian economy. (3) Many youths take drugs at the detriment of their health. (4) Some workers were sacked at the detriment of the company. (5) Dangerous fumes are being released at the detriment of our health. (6) Justice is both delayed and denied at the detriment of the society.

Of course the particle to should replace at in the context in which the word detriment appears. In addition, in each of the sentences, the word expense could conveniently replace detriment: (1) (b) He spends many hours reading during the night to the detriment of his health. Or: (1) (c) He spends many hours reading during the night at the expense of his health. (2) (b) Huge sums of money are stashed away in foreign banks to the detriment of the Nigerian economy. Or: (2) (c) Huge sums of money are stashed away in foreign banks at the expense of the Nigerian economy. (3) (b) Many youths take drugs to the detriment of their health. Or: (3) (c) Many youths take drugs at the expense of their health. (4) (b) Some workers were sacked to the detriment of the company. Or: (4) (c) Some workers were sacked at the expense of the company. (5) (b) Dangerous fumes are being released to the detriment of our health. Or: (5) (c) Dangerous fumes are being released at the expense of our health.

Next we consider the word alongside, a word that does not take any particle but to which some Nigerians attach the particle with. The confusion, we suspect, must have come from the observed usage of the word along which takes the particle with. Although the two expressions are similar in meaning, they differ in their usage, particularly with respect to the use of particles.

The following sentences are defective because they each contain the particle with in collocation with the word alongside: (1) The politician was murdered alongside with his Personal Assistant. (2) I was given a heavy responsibility alongside with my other assignments. (3) The car moved alongside with another car which later blocked its way. (4) The less known musician was singing alongside with the prominent one. (5) In any major city in the world, slums exist alongside with eyebrow areas. (6) Private schools are run alongside with government – owned schools.

As we have indicated, the error in each of these sentences is to be found in the inclusion of the particle with. We must dispense with that particle so that our sentences now read: (1) (b) The politician was murdered alongside his Personal Assistant. (2) (b) I was given a heavy responsibility alongside my other assignments. (3) (b) The car moved alongside another car which later blocked its way. (4) (b) The less known musician was singing alongside the prominent one. (5) In any major city in the world, slums exist alongside eyebrow areas. (6) Private schools are run alongside government – owned schools.

We can now focus attention on the expression along with: (1) The politician was murdered along with his Personal Assistant. (2) The minor ailment was treated along with cancer. (3) The hens were delivered along with the eggs. (4) She was sentenced along with other criminals. (5) The phone was stolen along with its charger. (6) The visitor came into the room along with his luggage. To repeat, the word along takes the particle with, but the word alongside does not.

Next, we examine the usage of the verb behoves. This verb does not take any particle, but Nigerians wrongly attach the particle on to it. Some Nigerians would write: (1) It behoves on the rich to help the poor. (2) As the rainy season is approaching, it behoves on the community to construct a new drainage system. (3) It behoves on all communication service providers to inform their customers whenever there is a network problem. (4) It behoves on teachers to serve as models of excellence and discipline. (5) It behoves on the commercial drivers to keep their vehicles in a proper condition. (6) It behoves on journalists to report events accurately.

The particle on should be dropped immediately after the verb behove in each of those sentences: (1) (b) It behoves the rich to help the poor. (2) (b) As the rainy season is approaching, it behoves the community to construct a new drainage system. (3) (b) It behoves all communication service providers to inform their customers whenever there is a network problem. (4) (b) It behoves teachers to serve as models of excellence and discipline. (5) (b) It behoves the commercial drivers to keep their vehicles in a proper condition. (6) (b) It behoves journalists to report events accurately.