English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)

Obligatory A’s

She went into ~coma~ for days (nonstandard).
She went into a coma for days (nonstandard).

She’s got ~headache~ (nonstandard).
She’s got a headache (standard).

The plan has just reached ~crossroads~ (nonstandard).
The plan has just reached a crossroads (standard). If you say that something is at a crossroads, you mean that it has reached a very important stage in its development where it could go one way or another. Note the s after “crossroad”.

Our economy is ~in shambles~ (nonstandard).
Our economy is in a shambles (standard).
If a place, event, or situation is a shambles or is in a shambles, everything is in disorder.
GAB

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