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A lot of people believe that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has become so dominant that he will be able to determine where the highest number of votes go in 2023. Well, there are people who think his influence has been overexaggerated, since he still has some powerful opponents that include former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi. But assuming he can sway the poll, and he makes the largest percentage of the electorate vote in a direction, what will he be giving the party he identifies with: a bloc vote or a block vote? The answer is ‘block vote’.
Dictionaries slightly differ on the meaning of the concept. Or, put differently, they show it could convey more than one idea. According to Cambridge Dictionary, for instance, a block vote refers to a large number of votes that are made in the same way by one person who represents a large group of people. Collins Dictionary, however, defines it as an arrangement that is made for a whole group to buy something or to vote together, and this is the meaning relevant to our discussion here. A block vote, not a bloc vote:
Whoever expects too many block votes in the coming elections will be disappointed.
The block vote that Omisore gave Oyetola in 2018 helped him a lot.
Wike can deliver a block vote in Rivers. (Not bloc.)
Power bloc or power block?
The tricky nature of the relationship between the two words echoes in this other phrase. Here, we are referring to a group of countries or people that have similar political interests. Note that what they constitute is a political bloc, not political block. Cambridge Dictionary offers this example:
The European Union is a powerful trading bloc.
Other examples are:
China and Russia have formed a powerful block. (Wrong)
China and Russia have formed a powerful bloc. (Correct)
Wike, Makinde and Fayose are a growing block in PDP. (Wrong)
Wike, Makinde and Fayose are a growing bloc in PDP. (Correct)
The Abuja block that supported Osinbajo during the presidential primary has given Tinubu some conditions. (Wrong)
The Abuja bloc that supported Osinbajo during the presidential primary has given Tinubu some conditions. (Correct)
For now, it is difficult to identify any powerful block in the Labour Party. (Wrong)
For now, it is difficult to identify any powerful bloc in the Labour Party. (Correct)
Writer’s block
Writers fancy regular inspiration and being constantly productive. But there are times creativity dries up and they get rendered unproductive. This is called the writer’s block – not bloc – and is defined as a condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing. Here is an example:
I didn’t produce a single poem in 2021 because I suffered writer’s block. (Not bloc)
A chip off the old …
This is about an idiom that describes someone who is very similar to their father or mother in character or appearance. So, if John so resembles his father, what is he? He is a chip off the old block – not bloc!
When I finally met Tara’s husband yesterday, I realised that her son is a chip off the old bloc. (Wrong)
When I finally met Tara’s husband yesterday, I realised that her son is a chip off the old block. (Correct).
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