NRTC English: Madam, can I pay in instalments, not instalmentally?

This is the debut episode of NRTC English established to lecture our general readers on English vocabulary, lexis and structure, and standard usage.

For the debut episode of NRTC English, the title is, ‘Madam, can I pay in instalments, not instalmentally?’

If you pay for something in instalments, you pay small sums of money at regular intervals over a period of time, rather than paying the whole amount at once. Instalmentally, therefore, is un-English.

You may have ordered (not ordered for) the goods (always written in the plural, like surroundings, headquarters, savings, premises, outskirts, rites, belongings, earnings) from a store. However, you may have also made an order for (as a noun) some stuff (not stuffs). 

‘Stuff’ belongs to the same category of noncount nouns (like equipment, cutlery, information, advice, feedback, furniture, luggage, and damage). Adding ‘s’ to these nouns results in (not result to) ungrammaticality.

Finance experts have often emphasized (not emphasized on) bulk purchases of goods. Emphasize is directly followed by an object, without any intervening preposition. It belongs to the same category of verbs like leverage (not leverage on), demand, seek, solicit, and request (as verbs, they are never used with ‘for’). However, they can take ‘for’ when they are used as nouns, just like we can have ’emphasis on’ bulk purchases.

ALSO READ

• NRTC English: How to use ‘advise’ and ‘advice’ correctly
• NRTC English: How to identify and use collective nouns correctly
• NRTC LIST: Top 10 most talked about Naija series in 2023
• ‘Be careful who you fall in love with’– DJ Cuppy advises singles
• 5 ways to survive amid economic hardship

In addition to this, they have also dispensed a piece of advice (not advise) to the poor to tighten their belts (cut their expenditure or live more frugally).

This frugal spending might help them keep the wolf from the door (have enough money to avert hunger or starvation).

There’s no point trying to keep up with the Joneses (to show that one is as good as other people by getting what they have and doing what they do). This is not enough. People who are living on less than they earn should also seek (not seek for) ways to increase their earning potential (potential is never used in plural).

Once in a while, you can splurge (spend freely or extravagantly) your money on things that you like. This is normal. After all, it’s your money and should be spent on things that you like. However, it’s always reasonable to cut your coat according to your cloth (not, cut your coat according to your size).

In conclusion, remember that slow and steady wins the race. Building wealth is a marathon, not a sprint. You can leverage digital apps for saving money, start purchasing your goods in bulk, as well as cut down on your expenses, and seek ways to increase your income.