English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
BOTHER or BORDER ?
I didn’t ~border~ to see him yesterday (nonstandard).
I didn’t *bother* to see him yesterday (standard).
If you do not bother to do something or if you do not bother with it, you do not do it, consider it, or use it because you think it is unnecessary or because you are too lazy.
As a noun, “bother” means trouble or difficulty:
I take bread in the morning because it’s less bother. ✔️
Both countries ~bother~ on the Black Sea (nonstandard).
Both countries *border* on the Black Sea (standard).
A country that borders another country, a sea, or a river is next to it.
As a noun, the border between two countries or regions is the dividing line between them. Sometimes the border also refers to the land close to this line:
He lives close to the bother. ❌
He lives close to the border. ✔️
As an idiom, If you talk about a characteristic or situation *bordering on* something, you mean that it is almost that thing:
My coming doesn’t bother on her attitude. ❌
My coming doesn’t border on her attitude. ✔️
GAB
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