OUR KIND OF ENGLISH: 'A’ core focus will be on progress? Nope; we should say ‘the’ core focus will be on…

This is an election year. We’re going to the polls on October 29. Our senior politicos and State honchos who command visibility and platforms to address the wider public are urging everybody to play their part to ensure peace is maintained during this period. They’re even urging us, members of the Fourth Estate, to play a part to that end, covering the campaigns in a manner that’s balanced and fair. Let’s do it—ahem!

And now, onward to our key task of sharing linguistic gems unearthed from the Bongo press over the past week. We’ll start with goodies from the tabloid associated with this columnist, whose Page 2 has a story entitled, ‘Job Ndugai:  A legacy of power, reform and political paradox.’

Writing on the virtues of former august House boss who passed on Wednesday, August 6, our scribbling colleague pens: “KNOWN for his STRICT INTERPRETATION of HOUSE RULES, Ndugai was KNOWN for “a” STRICT INTERPRETATION of HOUSE RULES and took pride in restoring order and consistency in legislative process.” The monotony depicted here due to repetitiveness that could’ve been avoided is too glaring to merit our explanation or redemption. We leave that to our esteemed reader.

Page 3 of the tabloid has a story whose headline reads, ‘Tanzanian named AfDB chief information officer,’ and therein, the scribbler writes in Para 2: “The bank, (sic!) announced through a statement that was availed to The… on Thursday, AUGUST 7, 2025, that the appointment became effective on JULY 1, 2025.”

Do note that the information about the prestigious appointment of our compatriot, Dr Bahati Sanga, was availed to the tabloid’s news desk just a day before it was published, i.e. the next day, namely, Friday, August 8. So, why didn’t the scribbler simply tell his readers: “The bank announced through a statement that was availed to The…YESTERDAY.” It’s also redundant to mention 2025 when it’s clear to all and sundry we’re in this stated year!

Let’s caution our fellow scribblers, for the nth time, thus: It’s unacceptable to provide information to our audiences in a manner that gives the impression that we consider them morons!

We now look at Bongo’s huge and colourful of Thursday, August 7, whose Page 3 has a story with this headline, ‘Vegetable centre, Taiwan University partner to coach agriculture experts.’ Reporting on what one Doctor SN, a specialist in traditional vegetable and utilisation centre, the scribbler writers: “He explained that A CORE focus will be in the development and preservation of fast-growing hybrid   seeds …”

We consider the indefinite article “a” incorrect here, because when something is “core,” that thing is categorical and basically the “only” one, so the article should be THE (not “a”). It means, the sentence should read as follows: “He explained that THE core focus will be in the…”

And finally we’ve this story on Page 6, entitled, ‘Tanzania aims for $11.5bn/- (sic!) boost through mineral value addition.’ Read what the scribbler says in Para 3: “The government, in a move of BOLD FORESIGHT, had collaborated with international experts to CREATE a report that FELT less like a document and more like a treasure map.”

If this sentence was in a paper prepared by a government PR honcho, we wouldn’t bother critiquing it; but this is a news story! How does a news writer register feeling (FELT) as gathers information for his story? How about the foresight and the boldness?  And “creating” a report?

Our humble rewrite should simply read: “The government collaborated with international experts and CAME UP with an IMPORTANT document.”

Ah, this treacherous language called English!