English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
LEXICAL MISCONCEPTIONS
Did you pay your wife’s ~dowry~ (nonstandard)?
Did you pay your wife’s bride price (standard)? Dowry is an amount of property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage.
He comes late for classes and the reason for that is ~not far-fetched~ (nonstandard).
He comes late for classes and the reason for that is obvious (standard).
He comes late for classes and the reason for that is not hard to find (standard). Far-fetched means to be unlikely and unconvincing; therefore, not to be far-fetched means to be convincing which evidently differs from the common usage of the word among many Nigerians.
It is not far-fetched (it is easy to believe) that the Nigerian government hasn’t been doing well to improve the standard of education (standard).
GAB
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