Alumni

Many people think that alumni is a singular noun when in fact it is a plural. The masculine singular is alumnus and the feminine is alumna. 

It’s easy to remember this when you think of other words whose -us endings turn into -i in the plural: fungus - fungi, focus - foci, radius - radii etc  

I am officially an alumni at CSULB ✨
Can’t wait to see what i do next 🥰 pic.twitter.com/pKPiGcdfr7

— Britt 🦋 (@brittanyy_ann_) May 31, 2021

i am an alumni of keystone college! #Graduation2021 #Classof2021 pic.twitter.com/bbv2Vy6F1Z

— jamie (@jamiEEEjohnson) May 25, 2021

Congratulations to Brandon Dewease for being named MCCer of the Month for September! Brandon is an alumni of MCC and now serves as the Director of Student Engagement. To read more, visit https://t.co/ZMKD9SY63m#MccEagles #MCCerOfTheMonth #StudentEngagement #FindYourWings pic.twitter.com/VbETTl2ZJN

— Meridian Community College (@MCCEagles) September 20, 2021

The following are some examples of correct usage.

 

Senator Duckworth is an alumna of The George Washington University... pic.twitter.com/J3R6dGRD1C

— YAF (@yaf) July 6, 2020

Jonathan McCardle is an alumnus of the prestigious National Criminal Defense College in Bristol, Rhode Island. #ncdc #criminaldefense #dui #duidefense #nacdl pic.twitter.com/DQnDnN5vzO

— Jonathan McCardle (@Jon_McCardle) September 20, 2021

A usage without basis

This has turned into one of my pet peeves, along with the use of post as a preposition. I am talking about the increasing trend of writing basis instead of on the basis of or based on, as has been done in the following examples:

Employees will have to evaluate which regime works for them, basis the amount of deductions / exemptions they wish to claim. (The Economic Times)

The premium rates will vary basis the sum assured option chosen by the policyholder. (maxlifeinsurance.com)

The supply chains need to have a different treatment everywhere basis the nature of work: Ms Alka Nangia Arora, JS, @minmsme at FICCI - UN Women D&I Webinar on 'Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Supply Chains'. pic.twitter.com/kChKInCQlZ

— FICCI (@ficci_india) April 27, 2020

Hi Manoj,for your query regarding incorrect deduction from your wallet for amount of Rs 125/- Please note that as defined by the FASTag regulatory body, Toll plaza may take 20 calendar days to either accept or reject the dispute basis the outcome of their internal investigation.

— Paytm Bank Care (@paytmbankcare) April 27, 2020

Dear Rahul,
Stem cells hold potential to treat COVID-19 basis the current human clinical trials around the world. However, these are still early days to conclude anything at this point of time.
You may visit our website: https://t.co/FIQJdTPkPl

— LifeCell International (@Lifecellint) April 27, 2020

Rather than calculating infection rate basis the population, why not calculate on basis the Total tests conducted.

— टरबूज मामु (@80hrCM) April 26, 2020

Should teenagers propose?

In Indian English, teenagers often talk of proposing to someone when they mean to ask someone out on a date or declare their fondness for that person.

Not so in standard English, where to propose (in the intransitive sense, i.e. when the verb doesn't have a direct object) only means 'to make an offer of marriage to someone'.

https://www.lexico.com/definition/propose

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propose

A three-way bifurcation

We have already concluded that the three-way bifurcation by the High Court was legally unsustainable, said one of the sentences in the recent Supreme Court judgement on the Ram Janmabhoomi case.

The Oxford dictionary defines bifurcation as the division of something into two branches or parts. Hence, a three-way bifurcation is self-contradictory. The word the judges needed to use was trifurcation, a division into three parts.

Have you ever run a 10 km marathon?

Running is an increasingly popular hobby in India as people get more health-conscious and realise that physical exercise is as important as a good diet. And for those who are competitive, or those who just like the thrill of running with hundreds of other people, there are many road races to choose from, at least in the big cities. You can choose from among a range of distances to run, depending on your ability, with the most common being 5 km (or 5K, as they usually say), 10 km, half marathon and marathon. 

But, what is a 10 km marathon that I sometimes read about, like in the following tweets?

Sh Sanjeeva Kumar, AS& DG #NACO with participants running for 10k marathon at Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium, for children living with #HIV. He flagged off the marathon along with MP, #RajyaSabha Sh @sachin_rt. pic.twitter.com/LUv4RTrutz

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) February 25, 2018

The fine and gorgeous @macynyman, actress and daughter to Andy, is running a 10k marathon for cancer research. In case you’re feeling even a bit generous: https://t.co/wMAUgigwFC

— Derren Brown (@DerrenBrown) April 16, 2018

We'd like to say a huge "Thank you!" to Danny Burkhill who ran the Sheffield 10k Marathon (in a panda head costume) and raised a fantastic £83.27 for us. We really appreciate your support Danny. <3 :D #Sheffield pic.twitter.com/f4oBSNSwjx

— RSPCA Sheffield (@RSPCASheffield) November 4, 2018

Over 1500 enthusiastic Bengalureans from all age groups participated in the 5k and 10K marathon. The run was organised to create an awareness on importance of Education and fitness.#RunBengaluru#RunToEducate pic.twitter.com/m7LidsSTbK

— NEWS9 (@NEWS9TWEETS) December 2, 2018

#XAthon, a 10K marathon where the amount raised through registrations was donated for a cause

More - https://t.co/DyRcr21L5p#Xpressions17 pic.twitter.com/J0V7fet8uZ

— XIMB (@ximbee) October 16, 2017

Vicky Vantoch is a amazing woman. She ran a 10k marathon yesterday. Shes not only incredibly smart but she is a great athlete

— ElizabethO #BeAMisha (@eorozco2720) October 8, 2017

Some people seem to think that a road race of any distance is a marathon. They are mistaken. Only a race measuring 42.195 km is called a marathon and, not surprisingly, a half marathon covers half that distance: 21.0975 km. Hence, a 10K marathon makes no sense.