The Marriage Of Words: Collocations— Dr Ganiu Bamgbose

Some expressions are regularly paired together in the English language—collocations. Such words or phrases are called collocates. On account of the fact that collocates are inextricably linked, a distortion in their combinations will culminate with grammatical incongruities. Contrariwise, their appropriate usages will embroider one’s speech or writing with coherence and finesse.

Most assuredly, every astute individual prefers speaking with remarkable proficiency TO speaking with inexactitude. The marriage of the verb ‘PREFER’ and the preposition ‘TO’ is the embodiment of what grammarians aptly designate as a collocation. Mark you, one thing ought to be preferred TO another; not THAN another. For good measure, other prominent collocations that involve prepositions are:

1. Sometime in 2005, Adebayo dabbled into grassroots politics (incorrect).

Sometime in 2005, Adebayo dabbled in/at/with grassroots politics (correct).

2. We had no alternative than to part company with Temitope (incorrect).

We had no alternative but to part company with Temitope (correct).

3. In virtue of the notice to quit that was served on me, I have no choice than to move house (incorrect).

In virtue of the notice to quit that was served on me, I have no choice but to move house (correct).

4. She had no option than to procure a passport in the space of four days (incorrect).

She had no option but to procure a passport in the space of four days (correct).

5. The efficacy of my smartphone is superior than the effectiveness of Jasmine’s (incorrect).

The efficacy of my smartphone is superior to the effectiveness of Jasmine’s (correct).

6. The 35-year-old Caucasian was charged for attempted murder, arson and burglary (incorrect).

The 35-year-old Caucasian was charged with attempted murder, arson and burglary (correct).

7. A fifty per cent deposit has been paid for Johnson’s sport utility vehicle (incorrect).

A fifty per cent deposit has been paid on Johnson’s sport utility vehicle (correct).

8. In the wake of the onslaught occasioned by the pandemic, health practitioners now work on a tight schedule (incorrect).

In the wake of the onslaught occasioned by the pandemic, health practitioners now work to a tight schedule (correct).

Further to these reflections, the substantial readership should make mental note of the fact that your ability to sing a song, recite a poem or know something perfectly well, such that you no longer have to read its content from any source, amounts to knowing it ‘(off) by heart’. This standpoint is expressly illustrated in the accompanying sentence structures:

9. My 10-year-son can recite the times table by heart (correct).

Collocations

10. The audience were enthralled to witness Mr Abiodun deliver the keynote speech off by heart (correct).

11. How many verses of Scripture can you recite by heart (correct)?

How many verses of Scripture can you recite offhand (incorrect)?

Understandably, an inquisitive being may probe the incorrectness of the latter expression in context eleven, in spite of the admissibility of OFFHAND (not OFFHEAD!) in the standard English lexicon. Well, to set the record straight, no one can recite a poem/verse of the Scriptures/the times table, sing a song or deliver a keynote address OFFHAND! The rationale behind this is that to do something OFFHAND involves doing that thing at once, without thought, without adequate preparation or without premeditation, to wit:

12. I cannot remember your uncle’s name offhand (correct).

READ: Grammar And Domestic Issues

13. Can you tell me offhand how much the project might cost (correct)?

What is more, the onus is on you to take note that whenever ‘although/though’ is deployed as a conjunction in a statement, ‘yet’ and ‘but’ should not be used as conjunctions in equal measure. For the avoidance of doubt, this unimpeachable position is evidenced in the statements below:

14. Although Funmi was invited to the party, yet she was not offered anything (incorrect).

Although Funmi was invited to the party, she was not offered anything (correct).

Funmi was invited to the party, yet she was not offered anything (correct).

15. Though I think Ibrahim’s submissions are absolutely correct, but I am not an expert on the subject (incorrect).

Though I think Ibrahim’s submissions are absolutely correct, I am not an expert on the subject (correct).

I think Ibrahim’s submissions are absolutely correct, but I am not an expert on the subject (correct).

On the flip side, ‘yet’ can be incorporated into a sentence that harbours ‘though/although’, so long as the former (yet) is deployed as an adverb — not a conjunction. The following are sentences that consolidate this stance:

16. Although some research has been undertaken into the causes of the coronavirus, no vaccine has yet (an adverb) to be developed.

17. Though it is past midnight, Philip is not in bed yet (an adverb).

In furtherance of that, more technical examples of collocations are: ‘either…or’, ‘neither…nor’, ‘no sooner…than’, ‘hardly…when’ and ‘scarcely…when’. Accordingly, one must avoid the pitfall of piecing ‘no sooner’ with ‘when’, as portrayed in the example sentences below:

18. No sooner had we started the examination when she was caught cheating (incorrect).

No sooner had we started the examination than she was caught cheating (correct).

19. She had hardly entered the living room when the power was restored (correct).

20. Scarcely had we commenced proceedings than it began to rain (incorrect).
Scarcely had we commenced proceedings when it began to rain (correct).

Not just that, in the category of collocations that are often misrepresented, is ‘not only… but also’. As often as not, many a non-native speaker omits the second constituent of the collocation, thereby generating grammatically skewed sentences. For specifics, the inappropriate and apt illustrations are stated below:

21. Professor Wale Adegbite is not only cerebral, he is sophisticated (incorrect).

Professor Wale Adegbite is not only cerebral but also sophisticated (correct).

22. They not only perused the book but also recollected what they had read (correct).

READ: Handsomer Or More Handsome: Comparison Of Adjectives

In a similar vein, it should be noted that while we sympathise with people, we get sympathetic to/towards them and show sympathy for them. By implication, ‘sympathise’, ‘sympathetic’ and ‘sympathy’ collocate with ‘with’, ‘to/towards’ and ‘for’, respectively. Also in the category of prominent collocations are ‘with a view to’ and ‘look forward to’. Instructively, these phrases are succeeded by gerunds (nouns that are inflected with ‘ing’) — not infinitives/verbs — as instanced below:

23. Dr GAB works hard with a view to become (an infinitive/a verb) the Professor Shola Babatunde of his generation (incorrect).

Dr GAB works hard with a view to becoming (a gerund) the Professor Shola Babatunde of his generation (correct).

24. Microsoft Corporation looks forward to partner (an infinitive/a verb) with Tesla Incorporated (incorrect).

Microsoft Corporation looks forward to partnering (a gerund) with Tesla Incorporated (correct).

In striking contrast, the phrase ‘be about’ must be followed by ‘to infinitives’ (examples are ‘to eat’, ‘to dance’ and whatnot); not ‘gerunds’ (dancing, eating and the like). For instance:

25. I was about giving (a gerund) Cynthia a buzz when she arrived (incorrect).

I was about to give (to-infinitive) Cynthia a buzz when she arrived (correct).

26. Dorothy was just about going (a gerund) to bed when she heard voices on her doorstep (incorrect).

Dorothy was just about to go (to-infinitive) to bed when she heard voices on her doorstep (correct).

Collocations

27. The disillusioned members of staff were about registering their displeasure when the CEO increased their remuneration packages by five per cent (incorrect).

The disillusioned members of staff were about to register (to-infinitive) their displeasure when the CEO increased their remuneration packages by five per cent (correct).

Last but not least, when the phrase ‘would rather’ is directly succeeded by an object, the latter, in effect, is followed by the past tense of any given verb. In this regard, suffice it to study the accompanying statements.

28. I would rather Peter (object) depart for the Netherlands in two months’ time (incorrect).

I would rather Peter (object) departed for the Netherlands in two months’ time (correct).

29. My mother would rather you (object) accompany us to the movies (incorrect).

My mother would rather you (object) accompanied us to the movies (correct).

However, when the object that directly succeeds ‘be about’ is expunged from the sentence structure, the verb will revert to a bare infinitive.

30. I would rather depart (bare infinitive) for the Netherlands in two months’ time (correct).

31. My mother would rather accompany (bare infinitive) us to the movies (correct).

READ: Idiomatic Expressions And Their Nigerian Variants

Upon devoting scrupulous attention to these elucidations, you will agree with me that collocations are intricate aspects of language usage. As a consequence, they must be studied in meticulous detail and mastered thereafter.

©2020 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)