CORRECT USAGE OF SOME COMMONLY ABUSED WORDS (Part 5)


CORRECT USAGE OF SOME COMMONLY ABUSED WORDS (Part 5)

           Let us go a little further in our discussion on ‘Correct Usage of Some Commonly Abused Words’ with Part 5 in the series, in this article.
19.         EMINENT   & IMMINENT  

          Eminent is an adjective and it means famous, important, distinguished, remarkable or respected.  From eminent we also have the compound word pre-eminent which means more important or better than others.
          Imminent is also an adjective and it refers to something or an event that is likely to come or occur soon (especially one that is unpleasant or disastrous).
Examples of Correct Usage:
(i)                Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, is an eminent Nigerian.
(ii)             Late Fela Kuti was an eminent musician, and his music is still cherished up till date.
(iii)           A student who wants to be eminent in his/her chosen career must endeavour to study very hard.
(iv)           Olorogun Michael Christopher O. Ibru was a pre-eminent business mogul in Nigeria in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
(v)             “With the darkened cloud, rain is imminent; so, let us quickly pack our picnic items from the open field”, Mr. Onajite advises his children.
(vi)           The rats quickly ran away upon hearing the mewing of a cat, as they sensed that danger was imminent.
(vii)        The rioting students dispersed as soon as they sighted the mobile police, sensing that their arrest was imminent.
20.         PERSECUTE  &  PROSECUTE

Persecute is a verb and it means to treat someone or a group of persons unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs or to annoy someone or persons by refusing to leave them alone.  From the word persecute, we have the term persecution complex, which means suffering from the perceived feeling that other people are trying to harm you.
          Prosecute is also a verb.  Legally, it means to officially accuse someone of committing a crime in a court of law, and try to prove that such an accused person is guilty of the crime.  Formally, prosecute also means to continue to take part in a planned group of activities, especially a war, revolution etc.
Examples of Correct Usage:
(i)                The government of Eritrea has been persecuting some Jehovah’s Witnesses for over 20 years now.
(ii)             Adolf Hitler was said to have persecuted and even killed over six million Jews during his regime in Germany.
(iii)           Why are the majority tribes tacitly persecuting the minority tribes in Nigeria?
(iv)           Until recent times, many influential Nigerians who were considered as untouchable, were shielded from being prosecuted for their crimes.
(v)             The Nigeria Police should redeem its image by prosecuting criminals promptly, instead of accepting bribes and distorting facts.
(vi)           The Federal Government of Nigeria should continue to prosecute its present campaign against corruption.
21.         LUXURIANT & LUXURIOUS
Luxuriant is an adjective and it refers to something (especially a plant) which is growing thickly, strongly and well.   Luxuriant also refers to something that is pleasantly thick or full.
Luxurious is also an adjective and it used to describe something that is very comfortable and expensive.  It also refers to something that gives great pleasure.
Examples of Correct Usage:
(i)                The pepper planted in my garden, have grown luxuriantly.
(ii)             Trees which grow along river banks are always luxuriant because of abundance of water supplying them nutrients.
(iii)           Have you ever wondered why flowers in hanging gardens are always luxuriant?
(iv)           The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has used its intervention to provide luxurious buses for many tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
(v)             Some Nigerian politicians are said to have bought luxurious houses in Europe.
(vi)           Facebook pictures revealed that an ex-Senator of Nigeria held a very luxurious boat cruise with beautiful ladies in Houston, USA, in late 2015.
22.     CONTEMPORARY &

CONTEMPORANEOUS

          Contemporary is an adjective and it refers to the time or period to which reference is being made.  It also refers to persons or things belonging to the same period.  More than that, contemporary can also be used (as a noun) to refer to somebody who is of the same age with you.
          Contemporaneous is also an adjective and it is used to refer to persons or things or events that originated/are originating or existed/are existing or happened/are happening during the same period or era.
Examples of Correct Usage:
(i)                Olorogun Felix Ovuodoroye Ibru and Chief John Odigie Oyegun were contemporary governors during the short 3rd Republic in Nigeria.
(ii)             Do you know any ancient writer who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare?
(iii)           Emuejevoke and Akpovwudubruvwee were contemporaries in the primary school.
(iv)           The abduction of Chief Umukoro’s daughter was contemporaneous with the sudden disappearance of his house maid.
(v)             Otovwodo Grammar School, Ughelli and Otokutu Grammar School, Otokutu were commissioned on the same day, 20th November, 1978, making them to be contemporaneous.
(vi)           Is Chinua Achebe contemporaneous with Cyprian Ekwensi in literary work?

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