Shoot, Shot, Short, Shut

SAMPLE 1: “Despite Barau’s efforts to shut down the bill…the majority of lawmakers supported it…” (Who is the current Senator of FCT? She is Yoruba…Opera News, June 7, 2024)

We are interested in the form shut which occurs in the following context: “despite Barau’s efforts to shut down the bill.” No doubt, the writer means shot, the past tense/past participle of the verb shoot. Even then, the presence of the infinitive marker, to, will prohibit shot from that context. We are left with only one option: shoot.

Four forms require illustrative and analytic attention. These are: shoot, shot, short, and shut. We start with the verb shoot. Please read the following sentences: 1) Don’t shoot directly into the hands of the goalkeeper. 2) Policemen are not expected to shoot live ammunition during riots. 3) You can shoot straight into the net if you are reasonably sure of scoring. 4) It is better to shoot into the air than risk killing many people. 5) Hunters shoot animals; soldiers and policemen sometimes have to shoot human beings. 6) The politician’s plan was to shoot down his opponent’s key arguments. 7) The predatory insect is shooting its forked tongue as a way of trapping its prey. 8) Economists predict that prices of foodstuffs will soon shoot up. 9) The player has a habit of shooting aimlessly. 10) Policemen should not shoot innocent citizens. 11) The violent cultists were shooting each other.

The past tense/past participle of shoot is shot. The noun form is also shot. Let’s take the two forms together. Read the following sentences: 1) The captain fired a fiery shot in the direction of the goalpost. 2) Surprisingly, the seemingly careless shot found its way into the net. 3) When the protesters heard the booming shot, they scampered for safety. 4) During the military era, armed robbers were tied to the stake and shot publicly. 5) Would you support the barbaric idea that corrupt public officials should be shot? 6) Brilliant ideas are being shot down in the National Assembly on the basis of ethnic and religious considerations. 7) The violent madman was shot by a policeman. 8) With that decisive shot, the match came to an end.

Next, we illustrate the usage of the word short: 1) There is no shortcut to wealth. 2) I shall be with you in a short while. 3) All human beings have a relatively short time to live on earth. 4) Your sentences are too long; make them short and pungent. 5) The two ends are connected by a short bridge. 6) There is a short distance between the two villages. 7) To cut the long story short, the criminal was arrested, prosecuted and jailed. 8) The wife is tall, but the man is remarkably short. 9) Those who have short memories cannot make a career in Medicine. 10) The poem is short but highly imagistic.

Next, we come to the word shut. The basic verb form is shut; the past tense/past participle is shut. Please read the following sentences: 1) Please shut the door. 2) The gate has been shut. 3) When God shuts a door, no one can open it. 4) The protesting workers shut the gate of the factory. 5) The community shuts its gate every night. 6) Would you please shut up your mouth? 7) When the door of heaven appears shut, the only solution is fervent prayer.

Sample 2: “The petitioner, therefore, called on the police authorities to urgently intervene in the matter by arresting Mr Sunday Fayemi and his accomplices in other to forestall any further act capable of destroying the peace…” (Tension in Akure community…Opera News, 9 March,2022)

We consider the expression in other to which occurs in the following context: “in other to forestall any further act…” The expression in other to is clearly confused with in order to which is the appropriate one for the context. Again, this issue has engaged our attention repeatedly on this page and it would amount to reinventing the wheel if we do not exercise the freedom to appropriate the fruits of our earlier efforts. That freedom is hereby exercised.

Some Nigerian users of English find it difficult to differentiate in pronunciation between the words order and other, thus carrying the phonological confusion into the idiomatic and syntactic usage.

Now read the following sentences: 1) The Treasury Single Account (TSA) was introduced in order to prevent public officers from exceeding their spending limits. 2) Nigerian languages and cultures are being taught in public schools in order to wean our citizens from unhealthy attachment to foreign languages and culture. 3) Regular parents-teachers meetings are held in order to foster a sustained dialogue between parents and teachers. 4) Politicians hold their meetings at night in order to prevent other people from having access to their information. 5) The pregnant woman was immediately subjected to surgery in order to prevent her from laboring too much. 6) The coach subjected his team to regular rigorous training in order to guarantee a brilliant international outing. 7) A lot of stones and cement were used in order to give the building a strong foundation. 8) He told so many lies in order to present himself as a man of integrity. 9) Many advertisements were placed in newspapers in order to generate goodwill for the organization. 10) Many more hands were employed in order to cope with the volume of production this season requires.

The word order can be used in a variety of other ways that should help highlight the difference between it and the word other. Now read the following sentences: 1) It is the constitutional duty of the police to maintain law and order. 2) People will be attended to in the order in which they arrived. 3) The order of service is contained in the pamphlets distributed to the worshippers. 4) No particular order is followed in the way doctors attended to their patients. 5) The chief executive has given an order which cannot be countermanded. 6) The restriction order in that part of the country has been lifted. 7) Since his assumption of office, the president has been trying to put things in order. 8) The machine is out of order and it will require a huge sum of money to fix it. 9) It may interest you to note that I don’t take orders from just anybody. 10) The company has placed an order for a new generator. 11) The army General ordered his men to leave the city. 12) Students were ordered to stay away from the venue of the meeting.

Next we illustrate the usage of the word other. The word can be used in a number of different senses. Read the following sentences: 1) Apart from excessive cash in circulation, there are other factors responsible for inflation. 2) Apart from Christianity and Islam, there are other important religions in the world. 3) The first gentleman seems to be more responsible than the other two. 4) His father had other children by another wife. 5) There are many other things we need to discuss. 6) The other day he was saying something I didn’t quite understand. 7) I see no reason why the two friends should be quarrelling with each other. 8) There are many other books on the same subject. 9) There are situations other than this in which we can encounter similar challenges. 10) We live on the other side of the street. 11) The other false assumption is that life will go on forever. 12) My uncle’s other properties are in Abuja. 13) Some men discriminate against women. In other words, they feel they are superior to women. 14) Soldiers need to understand that this is a democracy and not military dictatorship. In other words, they should learn to submit themselves to civil authority. 15) Parents have a vital role to play in the moral upbringing of their children. In other words, parents should never leave the spiritual and moral destiny of their children entirely in the hands of teachers.

At any rate, the expression in order to should replace in other to in the context under review.

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