THANKS MR. IDRIS PACAS FOR THE NICE ARTICLE POSTED HERE. DO GHANAIANS KNOW ALL WHAT YOU'VE WRITTEN HERE? IF THEY KNOW THEN WHY DO THESE GHANAIANS KEEP ON VOTING FOR THESE LOOTERS? YOU SEE THIS COUNTRY IS NOW FULL OF HYPOCRATE ... read full comment
THANKS MR. IDRIS PACAS FOR THE NICE ARTICLE POSTED HERE. DO GHANAIANS KNOW ALL WHAT YOU'VE WRITTEN HERE? IF THEY KNOW THEN WHY DO THESE GHANAIANS KEEP ON VOTING FOR THESE LOOTERS? YOU SEE THIS COUNTRY IS NOW FULL OF HYPOCRATES;THEY WHO HIDE UNDER VARIOUS RELIGIONS TO PEPETRATE THIER WICKED ATROCITIES TOWARDS POOR. INFACT GHANIANS ARE THIEVES WITH FAKE EDUCATIONAL DEGREES. MY ADVICE TO THEM IS IF THESE GHANAIAN BOOK-LONG STEALING DOES NOT STOP A DISASTER WILL HAPPEN TO THEM. NO COUNTRY WILL CRY FOR THEM BÇOS THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL EVIL AND GOOD FOR NOTHING THIEVES.
GEO 9 years ago
Good citizenry education. Keep it up!
Good citizenry education. Keep it up!
Patriot 9 years ago
Rawlings sold Tema Cement Factory to Scancom of Sweden and never accounted to the people the $75 million he got for the transaction. Scancom was sued in court in Stockholm and Rawlings' name was mentioned as a beneficiary of ... read full comment
Rawlings sold Tema Cement Factory to Scancom of Sweden and never accounted to the people the $75 million he got for the transaction. Scancom was sued in court in Stockholm and Rawlings' name was mentioned as a beneficiary of the transaction but he refused to speak to an investigative journalist who tried to find out the truth. Kweku Baako and Gabby Okyere Darko have a dossier on the case. Indeed Rawlings sold off more state property than any government in recent times but hardly accounted for proceeds from the sales. And this is a man who never clams up about probity and accountability. A man of integrity indeed!!
John 9 years ago
Wonderful write-up. I never know we still have concerned youth such as Idris Pacas.
God bless you.
Wonderful write-up. I never know we still have concerned youth such as Idris Pacas.
God bless you.
Robert Okine 9 years ago
Thank you,Idris !
Thank you,Idris !
Robert Klutse 9 years ago
COUP D'ETAT IS IMPERATIVE,WAKE UP SOLDIERS !
COUP D'ETAT IS IMPERATIVE,WAKE UP SOLDIERS !
GH-A 9 years ago
We don't need more of that military bullshit in the country. We have a democracy now. Just vote like a civilized person.
We don't need more of that military bullshit in the country. We have a democracy now. Just vote like a civilized person.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
Please note the following corrections carefully and avoid them in the future:
1. What was in Kwame Nkrumah’s mind when he was undertaking such ambitious projects? —That we will one day need them because the economy of Gh ... read full comment
Please note the following corrections carefully and avoid them in the future:
1. What was in Kwame Nkrumah’s mind when he was undertaking such ambitious projects? —That we will one day need them because the economy of Ghana, the hope of Africa, will be booming.
Note, the query in the first sentence is in the past, and so the answer should be in the past. ( The auxiliary "will" ought to be "would": “That we WOULD one day need them because the economy of Ghana, the hope of Africa, WOULD be booming.”
2. Through its PRO, NPA made two elementary justifications for this mouth-boggling expenditure. That the old building is dilapidated with cracks which endanger the life of its staff and that it will sublet the extra space to recover part of the cost.
The first sentence should end in a colon, not full stop, because the subsequent sentence explains the preceding one. As the situation stands, the subsequent sentence is incomplete.
3. The following is also a subordinate clause which cannot stand on its own as a sentence, " A period when NPA introduced what it termed ‘automatic adjustment formula’ only to generate sufficient revenue from fuel price hikes…..
The clause can also be a subject or a predicate, but definitely not a sentence.
4. "Couldn’t NPA had used the $700,000.00......" should read, "Couldn’t NPA HAVE used the $700,000.00....”. Whenever you use the auxiliaries, whether in the past or present, the following verbal phrase ought to be in the present. This rule does not change even if you invert the order to ask a question: “Did she have her bag?”; “Couldn’t she have the car?”; "Where did you school?"
5. On no single occasion has we (the youth) reasoned and questioned....." should read, " On no single occasion HAVE we (the youth) reasoned and questioned........” The operational subject/pronoun here is “we” which must transpose the singular “has” to the plural “have”.
I am taking this trouble because you are a science teacher who, together with many science scholars, thinks that he can rise up one day and begin teaching English because the subject is "so easy". I have noted with disgust how you constituted yourself into a teacher under another article today.....
These corrections are however without prejudice to the content of your essay which I find very delightful.
FYI, I am a certified High School English Educator here in Texas, besides being an Attorney and Counselor at Law.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
You can be forgiven because you may have been confused by the teachings of Idris...
Please write, " Do all Ghanaians know these?"
Simply put, always use the item "do" for plural nouns and "does" for singular nouns....
" Do ... read full comment
You can be forgiven because you may have been confused by the teachings of Idris...
Please write, " Do all Ghanaians know these?"
Simply put, always use the item "do" for plural nouns and "does" for singular nouns....
" Does he know this?", "Do they know this?"
K. Simpson 9 years ago
MR.Idris writes a very serious article about our sovereignty as a nation and all you can worry about is correcting him on the use of someone else's language?As if the right use of that language will solve all our problems?Are ... read full comment
MR.Idris writes a very serious article about our sovereignty as a nation and all you can worry about is correcting him on the use of someone else's language?As if the right use of that language will solve all our problems?Are you a white english man or is english Mr.Idris' first language.
Stupidity doesn't stop with you people eh?
GH-A 9 years ago
Good grammar is very important.
Good grammar is very important.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
I deliberately chose to give answers to all my queries in sentence fragments, beginning with 'that'. Reread this article and all other articles and you'll notice that.
Keep reading and correcting.
Good day!
I deliberately chose to give answers to all my queries in sentence fragments, beginning with 'that'. Reread this article and all other articles and you'll notice that.
Keep reading and correcting.
Good day!
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Brothers (Dr. SAS/Idris Pacs),
I hope you two are doing just fine. I have taken note of your corrections, Dr. SAS, as well as of Idris' humble acknowledgement of them.
However, I do want to stress here that there ... read full comment
Dear Brothers (Dr. SAS/Idris Pacs),
I hope you two are doing just fine. I have taken note of your corrections, Dr. SAS, as well as of Idris' humble acknowledgement of them.
However, I do want to stress here that there are more complicated, sophisticated "rules" in science than are emotely imaginable in language, with my emphasis being on English.
Thus, I do not particularly see English rules as forbiddingly challenging, Idris Pacas and Dr. SAS, though I am not an expert of "English rules." I have acquired my little knowledge of "English rules" largely on my own--by buying the right books and studying them on my own. In fact I have not done English beyond what we all studied at O'Level.
Interestingly, I can say on authority that "English rules" are relatively easy compared to science rules. For instance, the level of analytic sophistication and complications we can assocaite with English rules can't stand those in Physics alone.
The argument gets murkier, even more complicated and confusing, Idris Pacas and Dr. SAS, when we extend the debate to biology, earth science (geoscience), astrophysics, chemistry, engineering (appied science), computer science, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, biomathamtics, computational linguistics, computer science, pharmacology, genomics, cosmology, biochemistry, etc.
Moreover, the difficulty level and sophistication of English grammer rules pale when we also move the discussion to the mathematical sciences, relatively speaking.
In fact, perhaps those whose academic and research work have exterted the greatest influence on language evolution have been scientists, not necessarily literary scholars. Let us here mention two--Noam Chomsky, Cheikh Anta Diop.
The work of Dr. Noam Chomsky, for instance, has dominated human language evolution in the latter half of the 20th cenutury and even into the 21st century. The scientic work of Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop on the evolution of human language has forced the world, particulary the West, to take another close look at ancient and classical civilizations.
In other words, some of those thinkers who have made the greatest impacted on our understanding of human language, including English, are scientists, mathematicians, computational (or mathemtical) linguists, and the like.
And a good number counted among the best as far as English prose goes have been scientists. Again, let me just mention here a few scientists whose major contributions have contribued to the advancement of English prose as well as made the latter popular:
1) Dr. Michael Crichton (medical doctor; author of "Jurasic Park," "Sphere," "The Andromeda Strain," and producer of ER; film director and screenwriter);
2)Issac Asimov (biochistry professor). Asimov is one of the most prolific writers in human history.
3) Ted Chiang (computer scietist; tecnical writer in ine th sofware industry)
4) Dr. Lewis Thomas (physician, poet, essayist, educator, etymologist, etc; National Book Awards in 2 categories (The Sciences--Arts and Letters)
5)Wyman W. Guin (harmacologist)
6) Muhammed Zafar Iqbal (engineer and computer scientsis; Head of Department (Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Eletrical and Electronics Engineering)
7) Larry Niven (mathematician, psychologist)
8) Dr. Rudolf Rucker (computer scientist, mathematician, philosopher)
9) John Vance (mining engineer, physicist)
There are more. Let's hope this short list suffices. What is the point of it all? That scientists and mathematicians are able to make easy transitions to the conpetitive world of English prose writing and make their impact felt all over the world.
And here is the shocker: It is not so easy for language majors to make smooth transitions to the sciences. It happens, Dr. SAS and Idris Pacas, but it is not a pedestrian or common experience.
Then again, I challenge English majors to pick up any of Drs. Kofi Kissi Dompere's, David Hilbert's, Erwin Scrodinger's, Noam Chomsky's, John von Newmann's, Francis Allotey's, Albert Einstein's, Cheikh Anta Diop's, etc., scientific papers and then explain the concepts they employed to Ghanaweb readers.
Particularly, those world-class English-French scholars who translated Diop's scientific works from French apparently did not do a good job, even complaining of Diop's linguistic dexterity with the French language, not to talk of his deployement of advanced scientific and mathematical reasoning.
I also challenge English majors on Ghanaweb to pick up any of Noam Chomsky's books "Syntactic Structures," "Cartesian Linguitsics: A Chapter in the History of Linguistic Thought," "Topics in the Thoery of Generative Grammar," and "Aspects of the Theory or Syntax, or of Francis Allotey's work on "Soft X-Ray" or "Allotey Formalism," and, as it were, explain the scientific and mathematical rules they employ in therein.
This is what I am saying in effect, that English rules are "nothing" compared to what we see in the mathematical sciences, in the applied sciences, and even in the social science.
Therefore let us not overrate or exaggerate English rules.I emphatically repeat: English rules are relatively easier to explore.
Perhaps, Dr. SAS Aand Idris Pacas, we may have to debate English majors or those with English backrounds on Ghanaweb with reagrd to on the rules used in the mathematical sciences, the applied scinces, and the social sciences (econometrics, etc).
That hour is fast approaching! All errors are mine.
Thanks.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
1.I think you should focus on the issue at stake, which has nothing to do with which rules are more difficult. The issue is Pacas' integrity as a grammar teacher, given the nature of the errors he makes.
2. The reason why ... read full comment
1.I think you should focus on the issue at stake, which has nothing to do with which rules are more difficult. The issue is Pacas' integrity as a grammar teacher, given the nature of the errors he makes.
2. The reason why scientists write about grammar is that grammar is the scientific study of a language, insofar as it is the application of the rules of language. Grammar is therefore an extension of the scientific inquiry, not its subordinate.
3. Not everybody is interested in the books you cite for reading. At least, I am not. This is because I am busy doing something different with my life, and I don't see how reading these books will advance my chosen cause. That is why I always prompt you to provide the synopses of those books if you want to use them in any argument. I don't have to read your books in order to hold myself forth as a scholar.
4. My background in the sciences is comprehensive enough, having studied Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Basic Electronics and Applied Electricity to quite an advanced level. But to me, the purpose of science ought not be the imbibing and regurgitation of rules, or even their abstract discourse. Rather, science must enable an individual to acquire scientific thinking. This is because the scientific mind is the liberated mind-the mind that is not infested with ideology and make-believe philosophy.
5. My disappointment in you is that you appear to constrict the sciences to the orthodox study of certain subjects and the discussion of these in some abstract context, forgetting that science permeates life itself, and is at the centerpiece of reason, logic and philosophy. Nobody can claim to be scientific whose thinking is cocooned in archaic ideology and preconceived notions.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
I'm not a grammar teacher and have never taught grammar anywhere. Apart the English classes I attended at the per-tertiary levels and the communication skills I did at undergraduate level, I didn't do English again.
'Sugge ... read full comment
I'm not a grammar teacher and have never taught grammar anywhere. Apart the English classes I attended at the per-tertiary levels and the communication skills I did at undergraduate level, I didn't do English again.
'Suggestions' to your own write-up.
1. This is because I am busy doing something different with my life, and I don't see how reading these books will advance my chosen 'cause'.
Should the last word be course or cause?
2. My background in the sciences is comprehensive enough, having studied Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Basic Electronics and Applied Electricity to quite an advanced level.
Names of subjects are common nouns unless the name is derived from a proper noun (eg, English from England). In addition, courses marked with numbers are capitalized, eg, Economics 101. I suggest to Dr Sas that capitalizing those subjects is an error.
Again, notice that it's often too easy to spot errors in other person's work, but in your quest of correcting them, a possibility exists for you making some (see Murphy's Law). Well-edit works never test negative to errors.
Compose your write-up!
I appreciated your corrections especially Point 1, which might have taken me several months or years to notice. Points 3 and 4 are well within my control and those errors occurred because of my failure to thorough-edit the work.
Thus, those corrections which I made in the said article that prompted you to also make some here are worth it. Ghanaweb is not only a place to inform but it's also a place to learn.
Accordingly, I scored you 70 % for teaching me that lesson (Point 1). You lost the 30 % because you indicated that your corrections are in response to some corrections I made earlier.
Keep reading and correcting.
I'll be happy mailing you directly.
Good bless Ghana.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
All your "corrections" are wrong!
1.Know the difference between "cause" and "course".
2. Names of subjects are proper nouns.
3. You are not a grammar teacher, don't try to be one.
All your "corrections" are wrong!
1.Know the difference between "cause" and "course".
2. Names of subjects are proper nouns.
3. You are not a grammar teacher, don't try to be one.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
Thank you for your presence.
I made only two suggestions or corrections. My elementary grammar teacher told me that 'both' is used to describe two things in a positive sentence, whilst 'all' is used for three or more.
I ... read full comment
Thank you for your presence.
I made only two suggestions or corrections. My elementary grammar teacher told me that 'both' is used to describe two things in a positive sentence, whilst 'all' is used for three or more.
I maintain that names of subjects are common nouns. Logically, the dictionary enters proper nouns are capitalized words. Checking through my dictionaries including OED, I saw chemistry and not Chemistry.Provide me with references to the contrary if any.
Again, notice that grammar as a 'subject' is one of debate, with several authorities preferring some styles to others. Whilst I respect you as a doctor, do not attempt to claim any authority over grammar especially where logic holds.
In the said article where you claim to rubbish my corrections, you only subjectively refuted 3 out of 8. What about the remaining 5?
Even I disagree with 2.
I am restating one here:
A blind catches a child while its asleep.
Please explain to me how and why 'its' as a possessive pronoun is playing a nominal role here.
Keep reading and correcting!
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
1. Have you given up on "course" and "cause"?
2. You never grew beyond the scholarship of your elementary grammar teacher? Mind you, he was an "elementary" Grammar Teacher, not an advanced one!
3. The fact that you had an ... read full comment
1. Have you given up on "course" and "cause"?
2. You never grew beyond the scholarship of your elementary grammar teacher? Mind you, he was an "elementary" Grammar Teacher, not an advanced one!
3. The fact that you had an elementary grammar teacher should inform you that grammar is a subject. Your teacher was teaching a subject called Grammar!
4. I am an authority in Grammar, an aspect of which is basic logic. These are my qualifications: Doctor of Jurisprudence, Masters in English Literature, B.A. (Hon)English, Dip. Ed., Dip. Drama. I have taught English at every level of the educational ladder, both in Ghana and here in the USA. I am an authority in the subject.
5. I have stated that the name of a subject of study is proper noun. If you have a problem with it, come up with the authority that says otherwise. Most dictionaries will define some areas as disciplines, and it is conceivable that given the context, you will see these disciplines initiated with the lower case. Don't be fooled into thinking that this fact applies to subjects of study in a collegial context.
6. It should suffice that a person seeking to make corrections in another person's article comes up with three fraudulent assertions. I would go no further in dismissing his integrity as a teacher of any type, let alone grammar. But if the person turns around to fault me wrongly and claims refuge in Murphy's law, I would say the person's problem is big indeed! When you arrogantly sought to correct the author of that nice article, you were not intending to make three mistakes. Therein lay Murphy's law!
7. Possessive pronouns are types of nouns, and the adjectival form of "noun" is "nominal". Don't confuse it with the other "nominal" in different lexical contexts.
8. Don't pooh-pooh me with your articles by asking me to write one; I have written quite a bunch here. My name is Samuel Adjei Sarfo. My email is sarfoadjei@yahoo.com. You may read me for your own critique.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
1. Prove to me why 'its' is correct in that sentence, whether it's a nominal or a noun.
2. Prove to me why 'both' is better in that context than 'all' is.
Instead of exerting energy using somehow insulting words, I sugg ... read full comment
1. Prove to me why 'its' is correct in that sentence, whether it's a nominal or a noun.
2. Prove to me why 'both' is better in that context than 'all' is.
Instead of exerting energy using somehow insulting words, I suggest you focus on educating us or me.
Publishing houses adopt styles. What one house wrongs is accepted by another, giving us a choice (eg, like versus such as).
Had it not been those '''arrogant''' corrections I made, I wouldn't have known that you're a Ghanaian in the US.
Remember that your contributions here are the cause of my respecting you, and not the academic qualifications listed above. We've so many non-productive doctors and professors here.
Whether that article was nice or not is a matter choice. Remember that my 'corrections' or 'wrongings' did not take anything way from it just as yours did nothing to mine. After all, many readers are unaware of the Comments column.
I've not given up on many of your corrections. Knowing each other better, we shall be dealing with them one by one.
Keep reading and correcting.
Send me some of your leftover grammar books. When you're coming home for Xmas, bring me a device for me to use for teaching. Ask me what and I'll tell you later.
Good nite!
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 9 years ago
1. Did you read my comment on "its"? Read it again.
2. "All" is correct. "Both" is correct. "All" makes for emphasis in the context.
3. You are a prophet in saying, "When you are coming home for Xmas...." I will be in Ghana ... read full comment
1. Did you read my comment on "its"? Read it again.
2. "All" is correct. "Both" is correct. "All" makes for emphasis in the context.
3. You are a prophet in saying, "When you are coming home for Xmas...." I will be in Ghana in the first week of December.
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear My Two Good Brothers,
I like how both of you have concluded your discussions. Very brotherly.
Yes, you two come across as very intelligent men, I mean. That is good. I have also learnt a great from your intellectu ... read full comment
Dear My Two Good Brothers,
I like how both of you have concluded your discussions. Very brotherly.
Yes, you two come across as very intelligent men, I mean. That is good. I have also learnt a great from your intellectual exchanges.
Idris Pacas, Dr. SAS has been really busy today. He and I had our own fair share of debates today, healthy ones of course.
Dr. SAS is a very nice guy if you really know him. Don't take anything he may "improperly" have said to you personal.
He likes to "joke" sometimes while still making serious intellectual remarks. However, I can only add that there is no "universal" consensus on several aspects of English grammar, particularly.
I have been closely following the leading figures in the field as regards English grammar over the years. Therefore let's learn to take it one at a time.
I hope Dr. SAS gets you the grammmar books, Brother Idris. Dr. SAS will definitely get you one if not more! I am certain of this. The man is so nice.
Thanks.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
Good morning!
Do you Dr SAS in person?
Good morning!
Do you Dr SAS in person?
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Idris Pacas,
Good day. How are you?
I have not seen Dr. SAS in person. But we do talk once a while. He is a nice guy, you know.
Of course, Idris Pacas, I have been having the same problems with a self-appointed ... read full comment
Dear Idris Pacas,
Good day. How are you?
I have not seen Dr. SAS in person. But we do talk once a while. He is a nice guy, you know.
Of course, Idris Pacas, I have been having the same problems with a self-appointed Ghanaweb grammar police. One particular reader has been doing the same thing to me when any of my articles comes with one or two typos/grammatical errors.
Fortunately, I know who this person even though he uses different monikers to hide behind his hypocritical mischief. He is a friend of mine. I have all his moniker IPs but still treat him as if I do not know his true identity. That is in my nature.
Ironically, even "The New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," two of the worldl's best newspapers which have some of the best and brightest writers on the planet, do occassionally make mistakes. Yet look where America is today?
More pointedly, I have specifically advised this pretentious reader of my articles to concentrate on the substanstive issues I discuss, rather than concentrate on extraneous matters of English grammar.
And I have a good reason for that objection! The ironic situation is that there is practically nothing he says about English grammar that I do not know.
Besides, most of his objections are not technically grammatical errors per se, rather, as in my special case, they are typos most of the time, some of which I "catch" only after re-reading my Ghanaweb articles in order to respond to readers' questions.
In fact, I do correct these typos/grammatical errors on Modernghana and Spyghana where culuminists have direct access to their write-ups. Ghanaweb does not offer columnists the oppportunity to carry out the necessary in-text corrections.
This is not to generally say grammar is not necessary. It certainly is. Yet inadvertent grammatical errors and typos have not prevented me from appreciating the literary content and analytic drift of writers who write for "The New York Times" or "The Wall Street Journal."
And I have read "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal" for so many years. Those are two damn good places people can pick up useful clues about correct if sophisticated use of English grammar, not Ghanaweb. I have not seen that level of sophistication by any Ghanaweb writer.
And I have very close friends, brilliant and sophisticated writers, who have worked with "The New York Times." Mr. Milton Allimadi is one such writer. He's one of America's respected investigative journalists. He owns his own newspaper in Manhattan, New York. Milton Allimadi is also an economist, public speaker, author, and panelist on several media outlets!
Ironically, reading "The New York Times" is like reading a textbook. The paper's "Science and Technology" section, for instance, is highly technical. I also do have a few friends who sit on some of America's most powerful editorial boards in reference of peer-reviewed journals. Talk to them. They do not make the kind of self-knowing noise these Ghanaweb grammar police make.
The others papars worthy of a reader's critical attention and perusal is "The New Yorker" and "The Village Voice." These papers' grammmar deployment is supremely superb. You will never find this on Ghanaweb by any writer.
Again, "The New Yorker," a literary magazine, if you will, is one of the best anywhere in the world. Further, it has some of the best editors and writers in the world. It covers literary criticism, essays, satire, cartoons, fiction, commentary, reportage, memoirs, literary reviews, etc.
What is more, "The New Yorker" is well known for its vigorous copyediting and fact checking. This magazine has featured and continues to feature some of the world's best literary writers as well as of their literary work.
Then again, here, too, as with "The New York Times," the editors at "The New Yorker" do not gloat as the particulat subpar Ghanaweb grammar police who is always on my back.
Finally, at a point in time, Idris Pacas, I subscribed to both "The New Yorker" and "The New York Times," with my personal library holding hundreds of copies of "The New Yorker." And, finally, Idris Pacas, the general readership of these afore-cited papers, particularly "The New Yorker," "The Wall Street Journal," and "The New York Times, comes from America's middle- and upper-middle class, mostly well-educated.
Let me make this caveat clear: I am not citing these facts do belittle the writings skills of any particular Ghanaweb writer. I cite them merely to establish another indispensable fact, that it sometimes gets annoying for me to see a pretentious reader tell me about grammatical errors in my articles when they are in fact typos or when he does not know the wide diversity of opinions that exists in the literary world as far as the technical logistics of grammar deployment goes!
Interestingly, I have mountains of grammar books (the best grammar books you can think of) sitting in my library as of this writing. And I have been following and reading extensively about grammar use over the years.
As a matter of fact, many good writers (English writers) from around the world learn about the diversity of technical deployment of literary grammar outside the formal classroom. I can list tons of admirable and brilliant writers who have pointedly said so after taking their Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) and PhDs in English.
The irrefutable point is that the formal classroom setting cannot teach you everything. I have realized this myself, which explains why I am always researcing and reading new materials on every single subject that captures my restless attention, this, beyond the pedagogical narrowness of the formal classroom.
Yes, gramamar counts but literary/journlastic substance is what drives their passion, I mean, readers of the papers I have previously mentioned, for reading these papers.This is what, I believe, Ghanaians and Africans should learn to do.
Like you said, grammar has not done anything substantial for Ghana. Let me also add that English grammar has done practically nothing for Japan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Thailand, etc. I am surprised many in or from Ghana are still locked in this archaic colonial mindset. We better think of relying on the "grammar" of technology, science, and mathematics to advance Ghana and Africa.
And as for me, Idris Pacas, English grammar is not one of my problems. In the 1980s, as I well recall, British students did not outperform Ghanaian students in English at O'Level.
It also turned out that British education reformers and English teachers wondered why non-native speakers of English could perform at the same level as native speakers of the language: The obvious question is,wgy is Ghana behind Britain in technological and scientific advancement! This is what bothers me, not grammar!
Let's teach grammar well, but science, mathematics, technology, and critical thinking even better!
Take care.
Thanks.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
Educate me more on how to do the in-text editing at SpyGhana et al.
Good day!
Educate me more on how to do the in-text editing at SpyGhana et al.
Good day!
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Brother Idris,
Please do write to the editors at Spyghana and ask them to open an account for you so that you can have access to your essays for editorial reasons.
Then ask them to send you the USERNAME and PASSWO ... read full comment
Dear Brother Idris,
Please do write to the editors at Spyghana and ask them to open an account for you so that you can have access to your essays for editorial reasons.
Then ask them to send you the USERNAME and PASSWORD. They should do this without reservation. This was exactly what I had asked them to do on my behalf. You are done once you have this piece of information.
Please let me know if this helps. It certainly will. And as always, continue to write those beautiful pieces you have been giving us on Ghanaweb, Brother Idris. I do respect you as one of the best, competent, and informative writers on Ghanaweb. I hope many of your admirers do as well.
Have a great weekend.
Thanks.
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Brother Idris,
You see the mistakes I made in "To PACAS: In-Text Editing"?
I made the following glaring errors:
I should have written "most competent" instead of "competent"; "well-informed writers" instead of ... read full comment
Dear Brother Idris,
You see the mistakes I made in "To PACAS: In-Text Editing"?
I made the following glaring errors:
I should have written "most competent" instead of "competent"; "well-informed writers" instead of "informative writers."
These are some of the inadvertent little errors I sometimes make, Brother Idris, especially in my hurried responses to readers, the reason being that I hardly read over my responses on Ghanaweb.
I came back to this piece because I wanted to be sure I gave you the right information only to discover the errors.
Besides, I would not have cared very much if another writer whom I generally consider literate enough in the language had sent me this!
But not so with Ghanaweb grammar police officers! I believe you get my drift! Let us learn to deal with substantive issues destroying our dear country!
Thanks.
IDRIS PACAS 9 years ago
Good morning!
Enough on grammar; grammar does solve the problems back home in Ghana.
But what? For now, my T/LM will do.
Please, ask me and I'll tell you.To me, your coming will be incomplete, if you bring no su ... read full comment
Good morning!
Enough on grammar; grammar does solve the problems back home in Ghana.
But what? For now, my T/LM will do.
Please, ask me and I'll tell you.To me, your coming will be incomplete, if you bring no such item.
I'll be at the airport to welcome you.
Neither NDC Nor NPP 9 years ago
It was the CPP government of the great Osagyefo which created the national assets which have been looted like there is no tomorrow by both NDC and NPP. It is only this same party, the CPP, that can save Ghana from total theft ... read full comment
It was the CPP government of the great Osagyefo which created the national assets which have been looted like there is no tomorrow by both NDC and NPP. It is only this same party, the CPP, that can save Ghana from total theft and collapse. CPP is the intelligent choice for the intelligent Ghanaian. Neither NDC nor NPP will stop the thievery! Ghanaians will simply be asking for more of the same if they vote for any of these two looter parties.
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Idris,
I think you have made a very powerful case for the declining state of affairs in Nkrumah's Ghana.
This article should be the focus of discussion on our national media, tv, television, radio, etc. Let the you ... read full comment
Dear Idris,
I think you have made a very powerful case for the declining state of affairs in Nkrumah's Ghana.
This article should be the focus of discussion on our national media, tv, television, radio, etc. Let the youth be on guard!
Thanks for another excellent work. Keep it up!
Thanks.
GH-A 9 years ago
This fascination with the dictator who bankrupted our country and rolled back our rights must stop!
This fascination with the dictator who bankrupted our country and rolled back our rights must stop!
THANKS MR. IDRIS PACAS FOR THE NICE ARTICLE POSTED HERE. DO GHANAIANS KNOW ALL WHAT YOU'VE WRITTEN HERE? IF THEY KNOW THEN WHY DO THESE GHANAIANS KEEP ON VOTING FOR THESE LOOTERS? YOU SEE THIS COUNTRY IS NOW FULL OF HYPOCRATE ...
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Good citizenry education. Keep it up!
Rawlings sold Tema Cement Factory to Scancom of Sweden and never accounted to the people the $75 million he got for the transaction. Scancom was sued in court in Stockholm and Rawlings' name was mentioned as a beneficiary of ...
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Wonderful write-up. I never know we still have concerned youth such as Idris Pacas.
God bless you.
Thank you,Idris !
COUP D'ETAT IS IMPERATIVE,WAKE UP SOLDIERS !
We don't need more of that military bullshit in the country. We have a democracy now. Just vote like a civilized person.
Please note the following corrections carefully and avoid them in the future:
1. What was in Kwame Nkrumah’s mind when he was undertaking such ambitious projects? —That we will one day need them because the economy of Gh ...
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You can be forgiven because you may have been confused by the teachings of Idris...
Please write, " Do all Ghanaians know these?"
Simply put, always use the item "do" for plural nouns and "does" for singular nouns....
" Do ...
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MR.Idris writes a very serious article about our sovereignty as a nation and all you can worry about is correcting him on the use of someone else's language?As if the right use of that language will solve all our problems?Are ...
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Good grammar is very important.
I deliberately chose to give answers to all my queries in sentence fragments, beginning with 'that'. Reread this article and all other articles and you'll notice that.
Keep reading and correcting.
Good day!
Dear Brothers (Dr. SAS/Idris Pacs),
I hope you two are doing just fine. I have taken note of your corrections, Dr. SAS, as well as of Idris' humble acknowledgement of them.
However, I do want to stress here that there ...
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1.I think you should focus on the issue at stake, which has nothing to do with which rules are more difficult. The issue is Pacas' integrity as a grammar teacher, given the nature of the errors he makes.
2. The reason why ...
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I'm not a grammar teacher and have never taught grammar anywhere. Apart the English classes I attended at the per-tertiary levels and the communication skills I did at undergraduate level, I didn't do English again.
'Sugge ...
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All your "corrections" are wrong!
1.Know the difference between "cause" and "course".
2. Names of subjects are proper nouns.
3. You are not a grammar teacher, don't try to be one.
Thank you for your presence.
I made only two suggestions or corrections. My elementary grammar teacher told me that 'both' is used to describe two things in a positive sentence, whilst 'all' is used for three or more.
I ...
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1. Have you given up on "course" and "cause"?
2. You never grew beyond the scholarship of your elementary grammar teacher? Mind you, he was an "elementary" Grammar Teacher, not an advanced one!
3. The fact that you had an ...
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1. Prove to me why 'its' is correct in that sentence, whether it's a nominal or a noun.
2. Prove to me why 'both' is better in that context than 'all' is.
Instead of exerting energy using somehow insulting words, I sugg ...
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1. Did you read my comment on "its"? Read it again.
2. "All" is correct. "Both" is correct. "All" makes for emphasis in the context.
3. You are a prophet in saying, "When you are coming home for Xmas...." I will be in Ghana ...
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Dear My Two Good Brothers,
I like how both of you have concluded your discussions. Very brotherly.
Yes, you two come across as very intelligent men, I mean. That is good. I have also learnt a great from your intellectu ...
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Good morning!
Do you Dr SAS in person?
Dear Idris Pacas,
Good day. How are you?
I have not seen Dr. SAS in person. But we do talk once a while. He is a nice guy, you know.
Of course, Idris Pacas, I have been having the same problems with a self-appointed ...
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Educate me more on how to do the in-text editing at SpyGhana et al.
Good day!
Dear Brother Idris,
Please do write to the editors at Spyghana and ask them to open an account for you so that you can have access to your essays for editorial reasons.
Then ask them to send you the USERNAME and PASSWO ...
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Dear Brother Idris,
You see the mistakes I made in "To PACAS: In-Text Editing"?
I made the following glaring errors:
I should have written "most competent" instead of "competent"; "well-informed writers" instead of ...
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Good morning!
Enough on grammar; grammar does solve the problems back home in Ghana.
But what? For now, my T/LM will do.
Please, ask me and I'll tell you.To me, your coming will be incomplete, if you bring no su ...
read full comment
It was the CPP government of the great Osagyefo which created the national assets which have been looted like there is no tomorrow by both NDC and NPP. It is only this same party, the CPP, that can save Ghana from total theft ...
read full comment
Dear Idris,
I think you have made a very powerful case for the declining state of affairs in Nkrumah's Ghana.
This article should be the focus of discussion on our national media, tv, television, radio, etc. Let the you ...
read full comment
This fascination with the dictator who bankrupted our country and rolled back our rights must stop!
You did a good job.
I thank you all for coming.
Have a blessed week!