Raining, Rainy, and Reigning

Sample 1: “Bianca Ojukwu hinted that she didn’t want to attack her but after warning Ebele Obiano to stop touching her while reigning insults and she refused, she had to defend herself by slapping the former first lady…She alleged that Ebele Obiano was drunk because stench of whiskey oozed out of her mouth when she was reigning insults.” (I gave the ex-Governor’s wife a dirty slap…News Opera, 18 March, 2022).

Let’s note the word reigning which occurs twice as follows: “touching her while reigning insults”; “when she was reigning insults”. Intended as a figure of speech denoting an avalanche of insults, ceaseless insults, insults pouring down non-stop, the word reigning has been chosen on the basis of mistaken identity. Yes, the words rain and reign have almost identical pronunciation, but they are as far apart semantically as any two unrelated words can be. We note upfront that the appropriate word for the reporter’s context is raining (and not reigning).

To have a clear understanding of the difference between the two words, it is expedient to illustrate their respective usage in sentences: 1) It rained for hours yesterday. 2) It has not rained for more than six months. 3) The latter rains are usually less frequent but heavier than the earlier. 4) The vegetation is lush and green as a result of constant and heavy rains.5) It is too early to start planting maize; the rains may stop abruptly. 6) It sometimes rains, even heavily, in the middle of a dry season. 7) It has been raining for three days continually. 8) It was raining when I drove in. 9) Children should not be allowed to go out alone when it is raining. 10) The recent rains have caused major flooding. 11) The rains of September are often accompanied by thunder and lightning. 12) The rainy season is often a season of children’s minor diseases. 13) Some people prefer the rainy season to the dry. 14) The rainy season lasts longer than the dry season. 15) The culverts and the roads should be repaired before the next rainy season. 16) The earlier part of the rainy season is the time of planting. 17) Children should eat warm food during the rainy season. 18) Do farmers leave their farms when it is raining?  19) It began to rain shortly after I left the house. 20) When workers ask, ‘When will it rain?’ they sometimes mean, ‘When will the salary be paid?’ 21) During the special Prayer Convention, there will be a rain of blessings. 22) The musical concert was followed by a rain of prayers. 23) God often rains blessings on His people. 24) The malicious old pagan rained curses on the young boys. 25) Every rational human being should save some money for a rainy day.

Please note the following forms: rain, rains, raining, rainy.

Now read the following sentences: 1) The traditional ruler enjoyed an unusually long reign. 2) His reign was long and peaceful. 3) The king’s reign was interrupted by wars and raids intended to catch would-be slaves. 4) When the kingdom of God is fully established, peace will rule and reign. 5) Few reigning monarchs can be as tolerant as our ruler. 6) The man did not enjoy his reign because he was said not to have come from the royal family. 7) There is the reign of terror in many parts of Africa. 8) The king-elect would not be allowed to rule and reign until he has gone through the “ipebi”, the ritual and spiritual preparatory seclusion. 9) When Jerusalem was conquered and annexed, David was the reigning king of Israel. 10) Why should we allow lawlessness to reign in our land? 11) There cannot be peace and stability in this nation until righteousness begins to reign. 12) Unlike the President or the Governor, the reigning king enjoys very limited power in the modern scheme of things. 13) The reigning monarch has little power that is derived from the constitution. 14) Unfortunately, we live in a society in which money reigns.   

Sample 2: “The defendant pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge bothering on conspiracy, impersonation, and fraud preferred against him by the DSS.” (DSS arraigns man for impersonating medical doctor in Osun, Opera News, 20 February, 2022)

The word whose form and meaning are striking is bothering which occurs in the following context: “three-count charge bothering on conspiracy, impersonation, and fraud.”  This is a strange piece of communication and the strangeness derives from the more than curious use of the lexeme bothering in the context. It is obvious that the reporter has betrayed a failure to differentiate usefully between the lexemes border and bother, a failure emanating from a glaring pronunciation weakness. 

This is not the first time we have complained about our public writers’ inability to effectively differentiate between the sound represented in writing as –th and that represented as –d. It is this failure that lies at the heart of their failure to differentiate between border and bother. What is the difference between these words?

The word bother, let us note, has to do with emotional trouble, distress of the soul, anxiety about a person or thing. Please read the following sentences: 1) Many parents are bothered when their children do not seem to be making satisfactory progress in their academic work. 2) The miserable state of power supply in Nigeria should bother any responsible government. 3) I have deliberately refrained from bothering you with my financial challenges. 4) The health condition of the boy has been a source of perpetual bother to the father. 5) The constant clashes between farmers and the Fulani herdsmen are a bother to the state governments concerned.

When we say something borders on another thing, we mean the former is almost the same as the latter, is not completely different from the latter, is as good or as bad as the latter. Let’s read the following sentences: 1) The patient suffers from a delirium that borders on insanity. 2) They live in a financial condition that borders on absolute poverty. 3) After four years in the university, many students still demonstrate a level of competence in the use of English that borders on illiteracy. 4) The conflicts and disagreements between the two countries have degenerated to a level that borders on a state of war. 5) The dubious calculations border on fraud. 6) The frozen relationship between the couple borders on separation or even divorce.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE: NNPC shuts down Port Harcourt refinery

The word border can also be used as a noun: 1)A huge tree marks the border between the two towns. 2) The woman with the issue of blood touched the border of the garment of Jesus. 3) The American president-elect has said he will erect a massive fence on the border between America and Mexico. 4) There is a dispute over the border between the two communities. 5) It is the duty of the Immigration and Police Officers to patrol the borders. 6) Illicit trade usually takes place in border towns. 7) The President has complained that our borders are porous. 8) Illegal immigrants cross the border freely.

At any rate, the word bordering should replace bothering in the context under review.