Gambian Intellectuals and Their Bad Grammar

Why Mind Your Grammar Is Long Overdue on Our Bookshelves

Perhaps the most controversial thing the Daily Observer Gambia has done is not to report fake news or pry into people’s private lives, as some British tabloids are notorious for doing, but to correct their grammar.
The launch of Mind Your Grammar has stirred anger and hostility among some of the very people one might expect to welcome it. When we correct cabinet ministers, senior government officials, teachers, journalists, academics and students, we are often criticised for doing so. Some have even accused the newspaper of bullying simply because we insist that public language should meet a reasonable standard.
Some Gambian scholars have dismissed our efforts as little more than needless pedantry or an editorial obsession with commas, verbs and misplaced modifiers. But the evidence suggests that many Gambians struggle to articulate themselves clearly in written English. This can be seen in newspaper reports, government statements, official correspondence and even public speeches.
As long as English remains our official language, we should aspire to speak and write it well.
That is where Mind Your Grammar comes in. The book is not merely a collection of corrections. It explains the principles behind good English, from sentence structure, agreement and punctuation to word choice, academic writing, professional communication and editing. It also uses real examples from public discourse to show how seemingly small mistakes can weaken meaning, credibility and authority.
The purpose is not to humiliate anyone. The purpose is to help everyone improve their grammar. Mind Your Grammar therefore belongs not only in classrooms, but on the desks of journalists, civil servants, politicians, university students, teachers, academics and anyone whose work requires them to communicate in English.
I hope the Writers’ Association of The Gambia, universities, schools, media houses and other educational institutions will embrace this book and encourage people to read it. If it helps even a few students, journalists, public officials and aspiring writers communicate more clearly and confidently in English, then it will have served an important purpose.
By Prof. Red Pen

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