SAMPLE I: “Aziza...  claimed that it would amount to being economical with the truth for the same state government that wrote a letter requesting the deployment of military, in one breadth to now be condemning the presence of the soldiers who have been in the state since 2010” (Fashola Requested for Soldier Since 2010, FG Insists, The Nation, Saturday, January 21, 2012).

The word whose questionable form and status should command readers’ attention is breadth which occurs in the context, “in one breadth to now be condemning the presence of the soldiers”. We had cause again last week to note the largely arbitrary and treacherous nature of the English spelling system, remarking that a seemingly unimportant change in spelling can bring about a remarkable change in meaning. It is trite to state that spellings communicate. It should be added, however, that even superficially insignificant changes in spelling communicate as much as those considered as major changes.

We are leading ourselves to the difference between the words breadth (in the excerpt) and breath. The two words would have been identical were it not for the presence of the letter d in the former which is absent in the latter. Yet that seemingly insignificant letter (-d-) is the sole element that helps in communicating to us that the latter is different from the former.

The interesting thing is that some unwary readers fail to note the spelling difference between the two, thus passing the one for the other. The word breath, let us note, is used in reference to the puff of air that living things take in and out during respiration or the process of doing this. The verb form of the word is breathe. Again, it is important for us to note the additional letter –e in the verb form – breathe. Let’s illustrate the usage of the noun and the verb forms in our sentences: (1) The first man became a living soul after God breathed into him the breath of life. (2) The Doctor administered oxygen to the patient when his (the patient’s) breath became difficult. (3) The problem with asthma is that it either seizes your breath or makes it difficult. (4) The speaker took a deep breath and resumed his speech. (5) There are bad coughs that result in momentary loss of breath. (6)To avoid foul breath, you must wash your mouth regularly. (7) To make the best of that exercise you have to breathe in and breathe out. (8) Entities that breathe are known as living things. (9) When the Doctor noticed that she could not breathe properly, he referred her to a specialist hospital. (10) Everybody should move out; it is not safe to breathe in the polluted air. The word we have used in those ten sentences has to do with respiration – the taking in and sending out of air from the human system. The noun form is breath; the verb is breathe. It is important to note that neither of these two forms contains the letter -d-.

The word breadth, on the other hand, has to do with space, physical dimension. We speak of the length and breadth of a place: (1) During the time of political campaign, I travelled the length and breadth of this country. (2) The measurement would have been o.k., if the length had been as accurate as the breadth. (3) The breadth of knowledge acquired in the one-week course is quite enormous. (4) The breadth of information in the current volume is twice that in the earlier one. (5) The breadth of knowledge possessed by a sitting president should be impressive.

Now we return to the sample under examination: “in one breadth...” The form required in the   context is breath: if you mention two things in the same breath you mention them together. At any rate, breath (and not breadth) is involved in the production of speech

Sample II: “Within a few seconds, he was out of sight, with gun shots renting the air” (Boko Haram: Scores Feared Dead in Kano Multiple Explosions, The Nation, Friday, January 21, 2012).

I draw readers’ attention to the word renting which occurs in the context “with gun shots renting the air”. This is a most curious form, one based on a mix-up with the forms of another verb.

The verb that supposedly forms the basis of the form renting is rend. The relevant forms of the verb are: rend (basic form), rent (past tense and past participle) and rending (the present participle form). If the past tense is rent and the past participle is also rent, how did the writer come about renting, adding –ing to the past/past participle form?
The writer must have confused the various forms of the verb rend with those of the verb rent, a word having to do with the payment one makes or the act of paying for a facility one uses for a specified period: (1) We rented all the shops last  year. (2) We have rented two of the flats. (3) We are renting only half of the facilities this year. (4) Renting those apartments would require a lot of funds. (5) In renting those facilities, my mind is on the huge profit that is likely to accrue to us from converting them to commercial use.

The verb rend, on the other hand, is used to express the idea of a sudden noise that occurs in a place: (1) With shouts of protest rending (not renting) the air, the MD immediately found his way into his car and disappeared from the scene. (2) When the second goal was scored, shouts of victory rent (not rented) the air. (3) The criminals took to their heels as soon as gun shots rent (not rented) the air. (4) In view of the blasts of the police siren rending (not renting) the air, something serious must be happening in the neighbourhood. (5) Multiple blasts rent (not rented) the air in Kano a couple of weeks ago.

At any rate, the form rending should replace renting in the context under examination: “with gun shots rending the air”

Sample III: The United Nations Human Rights Commission also warned that atrocities committed in Nigeria was being observed globally.”(US Backs Fuel Subsidy Removal, The Punch, Tuesday, January 17, 2012)

Let’s pay attention to the form was which occurs in the structure, “atrocities committed in Nigeria was being observed globally”. It is obvious that the verb is in its singular form.

That being the case, we should expect that it is preceded somewhere by a noun also of a singular status. Next to the verb is the noun, Nigeria, clearly a singular noun. However, there is nothing in the logic or grammar of the sentence that would enable us to say that the noun Nigeria is related to the verb in concord.

Actually, the significant word for the purpose of concord is atrocities, obviously a plural noun. Since it is in its plural form, the noun should also influence the form of the verb. At any rate the verb should be changed to its plural form, were.

Sample IV: “Access Bank said it had earlier envisaged that the merger process would take between 18 and 24 months, adding that it was able to fast- track the process due to a number of factors ranging from the pre- merger integration process and the support of stakeholders (Access Bank Sacks 1,500 Intercontinental Employees, Shuts Branches, The Punch, Saturday, 28 January, 2012).

Let’s pay attention to the phrase, ranging from which occurs in the structure, “factors ranging from the pre-merger integration process and the support of stakeholders”. Items are said to range from one point to the other, or to range between one point and the other.  In other words, when the word “range” is selected, it must be followed by either the particle from or the conjunction and.

When it is followed by the particle from the particle itself must be followed later by the particle to. But when the preposition between is selected, it must be followed by the conjunction and.

This rule is violated in the excerpt. The structure must be rephrased in such a way that the rule is respected.