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Abundant in oil Nigeria has squandered...

English translation: Abundant in oil, Nigeria has squandered...

11:58 Jan 24, 2012
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / punctuation
English term or phrase: Abundant in oil Nigeria has squandered...
Is this grammatically correct?

The whole sentence:
Abundant in oil Nigeria has squandered a quarter trillion of oil dollars and is deep in debt at the moment.
Michael Kislov
Russian Federation
Local time: 23:22
Selected answer:Abundant in oil, Nigeria has squandered...
Explanation:
A comma after "oil" separates the qualifying term from the main sentence and makes it easier to understand.

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-01-24 13:19:34 GMT)
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As you can see from the comments below, there are those who think it is grammatically correct without the comma, depending how the phrase is interpreted. I personally feel, as apparently do several colleagues, that with the comma it is much better.
Selected response from:

Martin Riordan
Brazil
Local time: 17:22
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +13Abundant in oil, Nigeria has squandered...
Martin Riordan
5 +2Abundant-in-oil Nigeria has squandered...
Tony M
4 +2With an abundance of oil, Nigeria has squandered ...
B D Finch


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +13
abundant in oil nigeria has squandered...
Abundant in oil, Nigeria has squandered...


Explanation:
A comma after "oil" separates the qualifying term from the main sentence and makes it easier to understand.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-01-24 13:19:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As you can see from the comments below, there are those who think it is grammatically correct without the comma, depending how the phrase is interpreted. I personally feel, as apparently do several colleagues, that with the comma it is much better.

Martin Riordan
Brazil
Local time: 17:22
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 275
Notes to answerer
Asker: And would it still be correct without a comma?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kmtext
3 mins
  -> Thanks, kmtext!
agree  Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
4 mins
  -> Thanks, Liz!
agree  Carol Gullidge: agree despite the growing tendency for fewer commas; this comma makes the text instantly easier to decipher
6 mins
  -> Thanks, Carol!
agree  P.L.F. Persio
6 mins
  -> Thanks, missdutch!
agree  trsk2000 (X)
8 mins
  -> Thanks, Tariq!
agree  writeaway: yup, the problem is this simple
58 mins
  -> Thanks, writeaway!
agree  NancyLynn
1 hr
  -> Thanks, NancyLynn!
agree  Allison Wright (X): one more agreement
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Alison!
agree  Tony M: I would go so far as to say that it would be completely wrong without the comma; hence why, rather than assume the writer made a mistake, I favour an alternative explanation.
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Tony!
agree  Simon Mac: // Simon or YX if you prefer :)
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Simon!
agree  David Moore (X): And with Carol re comprehension
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, David!
agree  LJC (X)
9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Lesley!
agree  Phong Le
1 day 14 hrs
  -> Thank you, Phong Le!
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
abundant in oil nigeria has squandered...
Abundant-in-oil Nigeria has squandered...


Explanation:
Yes, it is grammatically correct — and here's another way you might interpret it, with 'abundant-in-oil' qualifying Nigeria; sadly, modern US usage tends to leave out these sorts of hyphens, which are very much needed for correct reading!

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Note added at 19 minutes (2012-01-24 12:18:43 GMT)
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(It does rather read like a US-originated text!)

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Note added at 20 minutes (2012-01-24 12:19:32 GMT)
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And yes, it would still be correct without a comma, if you interpret it this way.

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Note added at 51 minutes (2012-01-24 12:50:38 GMT)
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I think it is just this sort of case where the writer has made up this adjectival expression (which I totally agree with BDF is horrid!) that requires the addition of hyphens — first and foremost, to assist correct reading, and secondly, to flag up the very fact that it is made up.

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Note added at 1 heure (2012-01-24 13:29:02 GMT)
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My interpretation does have the merit of not requiring us to assume a typo on the part of the writer — just a propensity for normal US usage!

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Note added at 3 heures (2012-01-24 15:22:56 GMT)
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Michael; "I" haven't — 3 peers voted for non-pro; regardless of the debate, it is easy enough for "any normally bilingual person" to answer, as per the KudoZ criteria.

No-one here is in any doubt whatsoever as to the intended meaning — which appeared to be the thrust of your question.

The only "debate" (and arguably a little futile at that...) is as to how the writer ought to have written it — but as ever, that is not truly our concern as translators, except insofar as it may compromise understanding.

Tony M
France
Local time: 22:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 309
Notes to answerer
Asker: Tony, see, this question has raised a bit of debate, why have you made it non-pro?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Allison Wright (X): Tony's suggestion is equally valid, but does serve to highlight how clumsy the sentence construction is. I favour a more wordy construction, "Even though it has an abundance in oil, Nigeria has squandered..."
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Alison! Let's not lose sight of the fact that we are not here to re-write the original, simply to help Asker unravel it. / Also, any words like 'even though' etc. add a possibly unwanted nuance of meaning.
neutral  Carol Gullidge: Agree totally with the validity of this interpretation, but rather think 'they' would favour "Oil-rich Nigeria...' if they were insisting on this construction. At least, that's what I'd LIKE to assume... ;)
1 hr
  -> I think the stylistic device is probably being deliberately used to make a partisan political point
agree  P.L.F. Persio: Allison and Carol have a valid point, but I still like your take on it, a really interesting and fresh approach.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot, Miss Dutch!
agree  Ledja: This is exactly how I read the phrase. "Abundant-in-oil" functions as an adjective here, same as phrases such as "a larger-than-life character" or "sought-after item" and so on.
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Ledja! Yes, that's exactly how I'm reading it; 'a none-too-smart move'
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
abundant in oil nigeria has squandered...
With an abundance of oil, Nigeria has squandered ...


Explanation:
Explanation:
I really don't like the use of "abundant in oil" adjectivally. Also, though I would normally agree with Tony about hyphenating compound adjectives, in this case I do not, because this is not a common enough collocation and works better (though still not well) as an unhyphenated adjectiveal phrase. I think that part of the problem is that land can be abundant in oil, but it takes people to squander resources.

The original formulation therefore seems to be personalising a geographical entity "Nigeria". "Abundant in oil" can only apply to a geographical or physical entity, not to people, so it is best to use the possessive "with an abundance of oil", which can be applied to people or social groups.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2012-01-24 16:03:03 GMT)
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Tony's comment has made me look at this again and I have realised that my suggested phrasing could be interpreted as introducing causality. One could avoid that by going for the more pedestrian: 'Nigeria, which has an abundance of oil, has squandered ... .'

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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2012-01-25 13:28:17 GMT)
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In answer to Asker's note: no, I think that the construction is correct with a comma. However, there are other, stylistic problems. Something can be grammatically correct but still a poor piece of writing.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 22:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 192
Notes to answerer
Asker: So, BD, you assert that the construction is incorrect even with a comma?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: I agree with your linguistic preferences, but still feel that adding 'with' possibly introduces a nuance of meaning; defending my hyphenation, I think it is just when it is uncommon that the punctuation is most needed.
16 mins
  -> Thanks Tony. See my added Note. I think we will have to agree to differ on this particular question of hyphenation.
agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Tina
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