The Daily Nation’s Continuous Poor Grammar
Submitted by A Fair and Balanced Douglas Leopold Phillips
Roy Morris, Editor-in-Chief, Nation Newspaper
I hate to return to this topic; and, although I may want to resist invoking his name, like the late Branford Taitt, these days, I am forced to read the Daily Nation (and the Sunday Sun) with a red-ink pen in one hand. I often tell my friends that the Barbados Advocate, especially the Sunday Advocate, is a far better newspaper – good stories, well researched articles and earnest commentaries
Now to the matter at hand. I saw this story in today’s online Daily Nation:
Shock as brothers die 2 days apart
by Lisa King, Nation News
AS THE JONES FAMILY plan a double funeral for two brothers who died suddenly in the space of two days, they are left with more questions than answers.
The Durant’s Road, Christ Church family are trying to muster enough strength to make funeral preparations for Shurland “Jonesy” Jones, 47, who died on December 2, and his older brother Henderson “Buck” Jones, 50, who passed away two days later.
Their sister Marlyne Jones, who spoke to the DAILY NATION yesterday, said the family was not expecting either death. In fact, she said both men were thought to be in good health and the family was therefore anxious for the autopsy reports to learn the causes. (LK)
Family is a collective noun, which carries a singular verb. So, in one instance it cannot have a plural verb and then a singular verb in the same story – see the highlights in red. Most of us know that collective nouns, like class, crew, band, crowd, gang, pack, board, bunch, group, etc. all carry a singular verb; but, not the Nation.
I guess some publications are more concerned with maximising circulation and profits, than being journalese-correct, factual, ethical and responsible.
Bad grammar, particularly where the subject doesn’t agree with the verb, is very pervasive in the local media. Their seeming inability to use correct English is mind-boggling. For example, recently, the Nation and the Sunday Sun (following their overseas counterparts) were reporting things like: “Barbados are batting in their second innings”, “he said the Barbados Water Authority are dealing with the situation”, and “the Chairman assured the public that the Board are aware of the matter and are addressing it”.
Lots of reasons for me to again fall off my favourite chair with laughter. Where are the proof-readers? Poor fellows, they really don’t know better anyhow. Gladstone Holder and Jeanette Layne-Clarke must be turning over and over again in their graves.
But hey, the constant absence of subject and verb agreement is not the only common error being ‘perfected’ by them. They still wallow in poor syntax and gobbledegook as they continue their crusade to undermine this administration by daily highlighting shortcomings and so-called matters of national import, as well as outright trivia and partisan copy. Case in point: two Sundays ago, there was a news item pertaining to the NUPW’s Akanni McDowell receiving payment for the month of November despite having been asked to revert to his substantive post in October. The Sunday Sun’s ‘story’ while purporting to be a genuine news item was actually a blatant case of the reporter editorialising with subjective comment and personal opinion, and a few expected Ws thrown in to give it a semblance of authenticity and credibility. So RIDICULOUS! All the basic tenets of journalism went thrown out the window.
One only has to read their lead stories everyday.They give prominence to the “bad roads and potholes”, the “reduced Transport Board fleet, late buses, and people stranded in the bus terminals for hours on end”, “poorly maintained government buildings, sporting facilities and playing fields”, “leaking sewerage along the south coast”, “visitors turned-off by sewage overflow in St. Lawrence”, “continuous industrial action at both ports of entry”, “persistent water woes” (like we never experienced these situations before) and “threats by one Rosalind (‘shut-down-de-country’) Smith”, “the Hyatt Hotel issue and Town Planning permission”, “BUT and BSTU militancy”, and “environmental problems at Combermere and other schools”. Talk about a partisan, politician organ!!! The NATION, tip your hat, take a bow!
But, they won’t publicize: the thousands of tourists who arrive here daily; the 6 Condor, 6 Thomas Cook, 2 Virgin Atlantic, one BA, and 2 Jet Blue flights that were on the tarmac yesterday afternoon at GAIA. We are in for another record year for tourist arrivals. And, while we are at it, what about the $M7 and other resources that were invested in our 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations that have redounded to our collective benefit in a BIG WAY. Many persons realized employment as the multiplier and trickle-down effects kicked-in.
Also, let’s remember the overwhelming success of Jimmy Cornell’s Sailing and Yachting Events, including the return of the much sought after, annual Trans Atlantic Yacht Race. Scores of sailing vessels have been docking here in the Barbados Odyssey 50 since mid-year, and by next month close to100 would have called. Don’t forget the temporary partnership with the private waste haulers to clean up the “piles of garbage across the country” that the Nation was highlighting. The place is now free of the “pile-ups”. To date, that arrangement has been a resounding success. The de-bushing campaign to clean our highways and by-ways is now under way; and, by the way, Combermere is being made ready for the start of the next school term. Work is continuing there apace. Can’t the Nation at least mention these FACTS. Anyhow, enough said!
I usually try to desist from criticising my ‘friends’ in the media, but I get incensed sometimes at their ‘foul-ups, bleeps and blunders‘, as they persist with their non-stories and solecisms, on the one hand, while their editors, lead writers and columnists adopt a holier-than-thou attitude and a partisan, political posture on the other. So, I can be forgiven for again jumping on my hobbyhorse.
Barbados Underground 
“…and by next month close to100 would have called.”
Would have called or will have called?
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“Hants December 22, 2016 at 7:46 PM #
@ David,
Why is the former Prime Minister not driving a Bimmer, Benz, Lexus or Land Rover ?”
Those people do not drive such top of the line cars unless they get them free be it from the Government coffers or private-
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Strange that Ac in mention yet that ‘see thru’ might be the cause-
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If only OSA was made to do a breath analyzer test. The answer to cause might have been made more transparent
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Yes what is the status of the BAJ.
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/91543/ron-common-association-barbadian-journalists
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David December 24, 2016 at 2:51 PM #
It does a start stop every couple of years and goes back to sleep for a few more.
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@Vincent
Do you know that a vibrant media is essential to a working and relevant democracy? It explains why we have so much dysfunction wt our governance system.
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David
A correct observation and the point has been made that due to our size an incestous relationship exists all around which prevents true investigative reporting being carried out……I remember B.C.Pires coming here at the Nation and poking fun left and right about us and our institutions and in two twose he was back in T&T………we need a united Caribbean where all can relocate freely which will allow the Pires’ of the region to come and show us up and shake us up out of our complacency and behind the back mumbling&grumbling.
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A Journalist in Barbados needs to have the support of his/her employer.
Think on that.
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Incestousness permeates the entire society from employer,employee,clients,suppliers,distributors,etc,etc
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A GUYANESE XMAS
You can travel all over the world at Xmas time
The merry-making can’t match the Guyanese ole time xmas
Why is that you may ask
Surely its not such a big task
To the Caucasians abroad they think we put on
And we make a lot of fuss about Guyana, son
But Guyana is not like any other country
We were all real slaves and some indentured
A real highfalutin word belonging to the same bands
For slavery with horny managers and evil lead-hands
A Guyanese Christmas is unique for sure
Can never be understood by a NA culture
Of hamburger, hotdogs and some lef-lef spaghetti
Compared with my dholl puri and mutton curry
Our six peoples each have a tasty dish
Some still enjoy foo foo and salt fish
And from the waterside to the sand reef
Our Muslim brothers prefer their beef
And from Corentyne or Buxton
The Hindus mostly eat mutton
During this time the air is filled with jukeboxes
To describe it there aren’t any modern phrases
Blasting of melodious Indian songs and chatney
From a people known for their fine hospitality
We may fight and get on during time for elections
Our food keep us together with ample selections
The Canton Chinese know didn’t they were coming here
Our Portuguese brothers brought their garlic pork to share
Everyone have their version using various spices and pods
For their cook up and delicious metagee a food for the Gods
It is rumoured that when Sir Walter Raleigh came
The Arawaks cooked the llaba their finest game
Raleigh licked his fingers and sucked that llaba dry
So since then all the visitors who had a taste knew why
Guyanese foods are so homelike and cooked with love
Even if its the Canje Pheasant or simple ground dove
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“As the Jones family PLANS a double funeral for two brothers who died suddenly in the space of two days, they IS left with more questions than answers. The Durant’s Road, Christ Church family IS trying to muster enough strength to make funeral preparations for Shurland “Jonesy” Jones, 47, who died on December 2, and his older brother Henderson “Buck” Jones, 50, who passed away two days later. Their sister Marlyne Jones, who spoke to the Daily Nation yesterday, said the family WERE not expecting either death.”
Ok better now?
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@A Fair and Balanced Douglas Leopold Phillips “They give prominence to the “bad roads and potholes”, the “reduced Transport Board fleet, late buses, and people stranded in the bus terminals for hours on end”, “poorly maintained government buildings, sporting facilities and playing fields”, “leaking sewerage along the south coast”, “visitors turned-off by sewage overflow in St. Lawrence”, “continuous industrial action at both ports of entry”, “persistent water woes” (like we never experienced these situations before) and “threats by one Rosalind (‘shut-down-de-country’) Smith”, “the Hyatt Hotel issue and Town Planning permission”, “BUT and BSTU militancy”, and “environmental problems at Combermere and other schools”. Talk about a partisan, politician organ!!! The NATION, tip your hat, take a bow!”
Bad news is news. Oh shoot!!! Maybe I should have written bad news are good news. Anyhow if the DLP and/or the government in office (or in power) would like to spread the good news thyy can always use GIS and CBC.
But wait!!!
They are already using CBC and GIS.
The Nation is supposed to be a government mouthpiece too?
Stupssseee!!!
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@A Fair and Balanced Douglas Leopold Phillips “And, while we are at it, what about the $M7 and other resources that were invested in our 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations that have redounded to our collective benefit in a BIG WAY. ”
I doan know what you talking ’bout WE collective benefit.
I ain’t get neffen. Not ever a sno cone.
I guess i ain’t one ‘o WE.
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@Hal Austin December 21, 2016 at 3:25 AM “The Nation is a bad paper, but it is all we have. The Advocate is a joke. Are the Nation’s journalists formerly trained?”
I don’t know if they are formerly trained.
But I bet that a good number of them are formally trained.
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@John December 21, 2016 at 3:37 AM “at the university no less I bet. All part of the plan that each family need to have a member who is a graduate!!!!”
I wish that people would stop deliberately misinterpreting what the then UWI principal said. Nobody said or implied that my 110 year old grandmother must return to college/university in order to ensure that a college graduate is i her household.
Click to access PHC_2010_Census_Volume_1.pdf
As of 2010 Barbados has/had 78,936 households. I graduate per household means that Barbados should have 78,936 graduates. These graduates include those from the University of the West Indies, the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic, the Barbados Community College, AND those who have graduated from foreign colleges and universities.
As of 2010 Barbados had a population of 277,821, and it is estimated that the under count was 49,115, and the institutionalized population was 2,513, for an estimated population of 329,449.
So why would anybody object to 78,936 or just under 24% of the population being college/university graduates?
And if 24% is too high for you please tell me how low you think we should go?
In Canada 56% of the population has graduated from college or university. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemborg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States all have a college graduation rates of greater than 25%
What is the matter with us that we don’t want to see our own people progress?
How can we compete if we refuse to educate our people?
We used to believe in the value of education. What has happened?
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Luxemborg has a population of only 576,249 and a 46% college graduation rate
Iceland only 332,529 and a 37% college graduation rate.
We have a long way to go. A long, long way to go. And the rest of the world is not waiting for us.
Sir Hilary was right to advise us that we should aim for a 25% college graduation rate, that is one graduate per household.
We were WRONG not to have heeded his advice.
WE WILL PAY FOR OUR ERROR.
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@lawson December 21, 2016 at 8:33 AM “Alvin my statement of finding a nexus may protect other family members if it turns out to be a defective trait.”
Tell me what sort of defective trait waits until you are 47 or 50 to kill you.
Please note that both quite elderly parents are still alive and well.
Please note that the sister is alive and well.
Please note that one brother had been complaining of chest pain but had delayed going to the doctor. That from the report he rarely visited the doctor.
Please note that it appears that neither brother was married or even liv-wid. Statistics indicate that unmarried men die at an earlier age that married men, because they have no woman to “nag” about doctor’s visits, taking medicine, eating right, drinking less and exercising more.
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What percentage of Barbadian school leavers go on to university, and out of those how many graduate ie the number of drop outs.
A few years ago I tried to get these numbers from the UWI and they tried to brow beat me, but declined to give the figures, which should be public. I also got the impression that they thought my questions were impertinent.
It also says something about the questions they get from the dominant media.
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@ Hal
A few years ago I tried to get these numbers from the UWI and they tried to brow beat me, but declined to give the figures,
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
..and you gave up easy so?!!!
How about some undercover research…and publish your findings so as to force them to issue the correct figures?
How about an expose on the cover-up?
How about an article showing how other universities operate..and why UWI may not be operating above board…?
Steupsss …. man you let us down badly.
@ Simple Simon
You are not expected to get this…..
But just because Sir Cave set a target of one graduate per household does NOT mean that it was the right target for Barbados. Nor does the fact that Luxembourg may have a higher percentage.
Sir Cave had a sweetheart deal where each undergraduate represented a GUARANTEED lotto payout to his empire building campaign by Bajan taxpayers. Bushie is surprised that he did not set an even higher target….
Luxembourg has a highly developed social and economic infrastructure that REQUIRES large numbers of highly specialised, PRODUCTIVE employees. Their university system RESPONDS to this need with high-performance graduates.
An agricultural / industrial / hotel service based economy does NOT need hoards of expensively trained university graduates to do clerical / maid / security type work. It only creates false expectations, poor attitudes and downgrades.
Worse yet, the few TRULY talented and competent students in the system are drowned in the large volumes of mediocrity produced in the mad rush for volume, …with the result that even your TRUE GENIUSES are lost in the forest of shiite certification. You then end up with outsiders being required to own, manage and control every shiite in the country.
…and even where we reserve somethings for ourselves- such as water, sewerage, garbage, transport etc, we NEED foreign consultants to tell us how to make them work…. cause they all fall into disrepair, ….while the few things that DID work – like BET, BNOC and BL&P had to be sold off to raise money to buy BMWs and pay salaries to the highly certificated shiitehounds from Cave Hill.
Probably makes NO sense to you, but then again, you are ‘the one’ in your family ain’t it…?
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It is ironic that Douglas’ article used the story on the Jones brothers to articulate his message relative to the use of poor grammar by the journalists of the Nation Newspaper. Since Douglas “has gone down the Jones line,” perhaps he should have also devoted SPECIAL attention to PARTICULAR Jones, who is residing within the DLP’s household, and CRITIQUE his use of poor grammar as well.
Ronald Jones is a TEACHER by profession, a FORMER PRESIDENT of the Barbados Union of Teachers and Barbados’ current Minister of Education. His speeches give me “Lots of reasons for me to again fall off my favourite chair with laughter.”
Anyone who listens to Jones, and is HONEST, will not HESITATE to AGREE that he uses POOR GRAMMAR, while addressing the public in his capacity as Education Minister. “Bad grammar, particularly where the subject doesn’t agree with the verb, is very pervasive in (Jones’ speeches).” “His seeming inability to use correct English is mind-boggling.”
And his pronunciation of words is equally atrocious. Jones seems to forget how to pronounce words beginning with “th.” For example, for him “three” is “tree;” “this that, these, those, them” are “dis, dat, dese dose, dem,” and he always refers to “school children” as “skool chil-drun.”
This man is not only a TEACHER, he is our MINISTER OF EDUCATION as well. Being “A Fair and Balanced Douglas Leopold Phillips,” your call for the Daily Nation to uplift its standards should be EXTENDED to Ronald Jones as well.
Douglas should probably give kudos to the Daily Nation’s journalists, who similarly to him, are “forced to read (Jones’ speeches) with a red-ink pen in one hand,” and make the necessary corrections thereby preventing Dougie from complaining about the paper printing “bad grammar.”
Then again, perhaps Jones TAUGHT many of those journalists.
Don’t mind me, yuh, I like nuff sport….
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@Bush Tea December 29, 2016 at 5:46 AM “you are ‘the one’ in your family ain’t it…?”
Nah.
Didn’t go to Cave Hill. None of us did.
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@Artaxerxes December 29, 2016 at 8:44 AM “Since Douglas “has gone down the Jones line,” perhaps he should have also devoted SPECIAL attention to PARTICULAR Jones, who is residing within the DLP’s household, and CRITIQUE his use of poor grammar as well…Then again, perhaps Jones TAUGHT many of those journalists.”
You too wicket tho’…ya here killing me…lolll!!!
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A big, big part of the problem may be that there is insufficient training/education available to journalists in Barbados and the wider English speaking Caribbean. Journalism is taught at UWI/CARIMAC at Mona, Jamaica. But what about those aspiring journalists from poor families who cannot afford to go to Jamaica? There is a short course (one year I think)mat the Barbados Community College. But is this enough? And if it is not enough what does the DLP/BLP plan to do about it?
Many years ago there was talk about about upgrading the Barbados Community College to the University College of Barbados. What has happened to that plan? I knew an acquaintance a very bright woman who was willing and capable of heading up a Bacherlor’s of Journalism program at the Barbados Community College. She has experience in teaching and a doctoral degree…for many years now she has lived in the she U.S.A. teaching those people who work for the New York Times etc.
And so it goes. We like um so. We do not cherish our brightest and our best.
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@Bush Tea December 29, 2016 at 5:46 AM “Luxembourg has a highly developed social and economic infrastructure that REQUIRES large numbers of highly specialised, PRODUCTIVE employees. Their university system RESPONDS to this need with high-performance graduates.”
A Simple Response: Perhaps the education system in Luxembourg and Iceland created the highly developed social and economic infrastructure. Perhaps if we invest more heavily in good quantity AND QUALITY post-secondary education we too will create enough highly specialised, productive, high-performance graduates to push our development forward.
We won’t go very far, and we won’t do too well in the 21st century if we continue to believe that a good 7th standard, or a good secondary education is enough.
It is NOT.
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Simple Simon,
It is more complex than that. Some years ago I took part in a discussion at the Barbados High Commission with some young people – three women and myself. One of the women was a Barbadian journalist studying international journalism at City University. After the discussion I offered her work experience at Financial Times Group before she returned to Barbados. She was contemptuous of the offer.
On another occasion, as the founder of the MA in Financial Journalism at City University, when the course was launched I offered a fellowship to a young Barbadian journalist, not a single one applied.
On another occasion I spoke to a group of 70 journalism students at City University, to begin with, all the Asian and white students were at the front of the hall and all the blacks stood at the back. When it came to questions not a single question came from the black students. Maybe I had horns.
At the end, I offered work experience, as was my custom. Before I got back to the office, a young Japanese girl has emailed me, along with Spanish and a number of white students. Not one black. I also had one white Barbadian student doing work experience.
Bajan (black) egos can sometimes get in the way of their progress. Young English people would never do that.
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By the way, I wrote to Cave Hill offering a much better course than City, given how my original idea was messed around, and did not get a reply.
So, on my retirement when I wrote to the head of the Financial Journalism course, and the head of department, informing them that I was about to retire and was interested in running a seminar on retail finance, I did not even get the courtesy of a reply. It did not surprise me. Some of the original students thought I was hard done by and have remained friends since then, even inviting me to China to give a talk on digital journalism.
So, when you read of people being written out of history, I know the feeling.
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http://mentalfloss.com/article/51150/12-old-words-survived-getting-fossilized-idioms
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While bright people like Steve Pinker from Harvard University present this expansive dissertation de ole man would simple say that this illiteracy is endemic.
It is certainly found at the Nation where its populace is drawn from our wider society of illiterates.
Case in point wunna Minister or Edykashun Ronald WeJonesing.
But, do not be daunted by this endemic idiocy being solely that owned by the Nation Dufuses, or the Advocate or the Barbados Today assasins of the English language.
Let us go to no less than the BBC, the supposed epitome of the English language for a short exposee to reinforce and reveal this pandemic of paucity of the English language.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38497767 or The ex-CIA agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein by Adam Eley and Katie Alston for the BBC Victoria Derbyshire programme
There are two truly strange comments read bad english/grammar by the writer(s) of the article, the first follows.
“Mr Nixon took on the role of interrogator and was the first person to question Saddam Hussein at length, doing so across a number of days….”
Across is a preposition or adverb and can only express “…movement over a place or region.
preposition or position or orientation…”
It cannot be applied to the inanimate word days.
The second more difficult example of this ubiquitous poverty in English use lies in this sentence
“…Mr Nixon is particularly scathing of President Bush, saying – as one of few people that have shaken the hands of both him and Saddam Hussein – he would rather spend time with the latter…”
“…as one of few people that have shaken ”
People is one of those strange words which i think can either be a countable or uncountable noun depending on if it is singular or plural.
So, by itself, “people” has a plural verb, however and de ole man may be wrong pu dis one, since it is preceded by “one of …”, that would suggest a singular noun and commensurately proposes that the verb should have been “has” and not have.
Dem ole Caribbean English books, combined wid de latin nomitive vocative accusative, genetive dative and ablative, does still run through the ole man head and complexion these absolutely useless grammatical constructions.
But I humbly submit that our world at large is seeing a dilution in the proper use of language and that soon that famous statement by minister Ronald WeJonesing “the children are is reading well” is going to be the standard by which proper spoke English is going to be measured and his remarks about the non-hygenic practices of men leaving “public hairs” on the toilet seat (de man was did mean pubic) will be the norm.
But if the vaunted BBC can do it, whu bout de Nation news??
That is the Dumbville Inniss reasoning coming out in 2017
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Third read
“one of the few people” may be an anomaly to the rule insofar as “one who has” or “one of the people who have” … the very referring to the group of people who “have”
De ole man doan like anomalies heheheheheheheeh…
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