With a view to resorting to…

geSAMPLE 1: “After taking his deserved rest on Sunday, then came Monday when the president was expected in his office for the first time in over three months. The journalists turned up early with a view to capture all the important moments of the President’s resumption in his office.” (Aso Rock, One Week after Buhari’s Return, the Sunday Sun, August 27, 2017)

The expression that interests us is: “with a view to capture.” We note in particular the form capture following the particle to directly. This word, capture, marks the point of weakness of the entire expression. Whenever we have the idiomatic structure of the form “with a view to…”, the particle to is invariably followed by a gerund/the ing form of the verb and not the infinitive form.

But in other cases, wherever the verb is preceded by the particle to, that verb has to be in its basic, uninflected form (or the infinitive form): 1)My intention is to proceed on leave immediately. 2) They are planning to change the name of the school. 3) The soldiers decided to attack the notorious village. 4) The committee members are to consider the matter urgently. 5) The payment motivated him to work harder. 6) The sermon encouraged him to tackle the problem boldly. 7) He attempted to kill his wife. 8) She wanted to use her feminine qualities to win his heart. 9) The accountant had planned to delay the payment. 10) The lawyer has been paid to represent the two suspects.

Now compare those sentences with the following: 1) Loans and fertilizers were made available to farmers with a view to increasing agricultural yields. 2) They set forth early in the morning with a view to reaching their destination by 9 am. 3) Several checkpoints were created with a view to arresting the perpetrators of the heinous crime. 4) Two anti-corruption agencies were set up with a view to reducing bribery and corruption to the barest minimum. 6) A curfew was imposed on the town with a view to stopping the senseless blood-letting. 7) More policemen are being recruited with a view to increasing police presence in every nook and cranny of the country. 8) Infants are to enjoy free medical care with a view to reducing the infant mortality rate in the country. 9)  The accounting officer changed many of the figures with a view to perpetrating massive fraud. 10) He has been writing articles in newspapers with a view to undermining the government.

At any rate, the expression should read, “with a view to capturing…”

Sample 2: “Okoroafor resorted to raise money for the burial of his late father and uncle by going out with his gang to kidnap 10 victims in Imo and Anambra States.” (Gang Leader Kidnaps 10 Victims to Raise Money for his Father’s Burial, the Sunday Sun, August 27, 2017)

We note the expression, “resorted to raise money”. It is important to note the form raise following the particle to directly. The structure of this idiom is similar to that considered above: “with a view to capturing.” Just as the particle to is followed by the ing form of the verb in that idiom, so it must in the one involving “resort to.”

In tackling this problem, it may be necessary to address the perennial confusion witnessed in the Nigerian usage scene between the expressions result in/from and resort to.

Now what is the nature of the error? We are looking at the difference between result and resort, which many Nigerians would be unable to note at the level of pronunciation. There is a major phonetic difference between these words, and the first step towards overcoming the tendency to confuse them is to learn to pronounce them accurately.

How do we use the verb result? Please read the following sentences: 1) The near total failure of the project resulted from poor planning. 2) The violence resulted from the government’s refusal to listen to members of the public. 3) The governor’s loss of the election resulted from his political insensitivity. 4) The outbreak of cholera resulted from the people’s unhygienic living habit. 5) The war obviously resulted from lack of political, religious and racial tolerance. 6) Lack of adequate preparation resulted in mass failure. 7) Distorted understanding of the situation resulted in a wrong assessment of the people. 8) It is doubtful if this rather prolonged drought would not result in famine. 9) Careless driving often results in avoidable accidents. 10) Years of oppression and suppression of the masses can result in a violent revolution.

I advise readers to please note the particles that go with the verb result: in and from. An event or action may result in or from another event or action. Some Nigerian users would replace either of these particles with the particle to or into. They would say, for example, “The violent clash resulted to the death of the union leader” or “The heavy rain resulted into massive flooding.” The appropriate particle in each of those sentences is in.

And resort? When people resort to something, they use it or apply it or turn to it because they understand that that is the only thing that will work in their situation. Please read the following sentences: 1) Under no circumstances should you resort to borrowing. 2) Students have often resorted to violence whenever there is a misunderstanding between them and the authorities. 3) Frustrated, and alienated from his wife, the man has resorted to heavy drinking. 4) Constantly under attacks by armed robbers, residents have resorted to self-policing. 5) Many years ago, some banks resorted to chasing their debtors all over the place. 6) Is it right for jobless and hungry young men to resort to stealing? 7) He resorted to marrying another wife because his first wife allegedly gave him no peace. 8) When all else failed, he resorted to drug trafficking. 9) Having become grossly unpopular and incompetent, the government resorted to gagging the press. 10) In the face of pain, poverty, and frustration, the lady resorted to prostitution.

Readers should please note that the particle tois invariably followed (in the usage of the verb resort) by either a gerund (the ing nominal form) or a regular noun (e g prostitution in sentence 10).