The ManicaPost
Morris Mtisi
The use of Shame . . . Sorry /that’s a score . . . / in colour
After describing an object or item using a colour . . . for example a jersey, we do not say, ‘‘It is green in colour….grey in colour . . . blue in colour . . . black in colour’’. Her jersey is green . . . is grey . . . is blue . . . is black . . . that’s all! These are colours we know. So do not tell us it is blue ‘‘in colour’’. We almost all speak like this or write like this. This is not English-English. First language users of English do not speak or write like that.
What Ronaldo and Messi bang into that gaping space is not a score, please note. It is a goal. Ronaldo banged in the last goal. Messi responded with another beautiful goal. These are not scores. They are GOALS! Simple, isn’t it? Score is a verb (doing word . . . action word). Examples: He dared to score the last goal in the last minute of the game. If he did not score the equalizer his team would be out of the tournament. As a noun this is how we use it: 2-1 in favour of Real Madrid. That is the score. 5-1 in favour of Makepekepe . . . Man U 6-Liverpool 2. Perfect announcements of the score! Some call it the score line. The difference is the same.
Students, please . . . even adults, I don’t care who you are, (of course with all due respect): Do not use the words SHAME and SORRY when you are expressing or sharing condolences . . . mwazwa ere? Munhu kana afirwa aubati maoko weiti kana uchiti SHAME kana kuti SORRY. I see a lot of this in App and SMS messages. It is irritating English. It is disgusting. It is ridiculous. You say ‘‘shame’’ to someone who has done something shameful. The bereaved is or are not shameful.
You also cannot say SORRY. You say sorry when you are apologising. You do not come to or attend a funeral to apologise. You are not responsible or accountable for the death, are you? If you were driving for example, and you run over someone, it is appropriate….it is fitting for you to say, ‘I am sorry’ to the parents, friends, loved ones and parents of the deceased. It is different when a doctor says so. He or she was battling to save a patient’s life. And a mistake occurs in the process. He is accountable, is he or she not? So it makes sense for him or her to say, when he comes out of the Intensive Care Unit or Surgery, “I am sorry…”
Of course the ‘sorry’ issue is less harmful or ridiculous than the ‘shame’ story. If you are saying sorry to people who themselves do not know as much as you do not and understand the intention of the use of the word, there is no problem.
Both of you or all of you do not know what this word means and so that is fine. Both or all of you accept the use of the word for all intentions and purpose. That too is fine. But if the bereaved know what the word means, you may find yourself in a very embarrassing position. SHAME is another story. That one is nonsense, this or that side of logic.
Enjoy mastering these common errors. They are notoriously common. Remember it will take you 21 repetitions of the corrections for it to become stuck on your mind…for it to become a habit.
In other words you need to flush the error out of the cistern of your brain 21 times before it can permanently escape your memory. Until next week, intelligently and maturely enjoy Heroes Holiday.
