Lacking behind or lagging behind?

The above is a phrasal verb we often use when we want to express a slow movement in carrying out a task or an action. Before we proceed, it is important we explain what a phrasal verb is. 

A phrasal verb is an expression formed by a combination of a verb and a preposition or adverb or both and functions as a verb whose meaning is different from the combined meanings of the individual words. For example: take off, take on, look up to, etc. These words cannot be explained by the individual words, but by considering all the words combined.

The focus of this lesson is to consider whether to use the word 'lack' or 'lag' together with 'behind' to express that. 

More often than not, most second users of English language, especially high school students and social media users, get confused at the correct words to use in situations such as this. Such persons, sometimes, rely on people they deem to be more learned than they are and copy from them without checking to verify its appropriateness or otherwise. This category of people use the expressions they hear as they sound in their ears. The result is that such persons commit some avoidable grammatical blunders without noticing them. 

As earlier stated, we are going to look at whether the word to be combined with 'behind' to make the expression and still pass the same meaning should be 'lack' or 'lag'.

The word 'lack' as a noun means 'the state or condition of not having any or enough of something'. For example:

1. One of the challenges of that school is a lack of teachers.

2. Sade has been suffering from a lack of sleep lately.

As a verb, the word 'lack' means 'to not have something or to not have enough of something' (Merriam-Webster's English Dictionary and Thesaurus, mobile edition). Thus, when someone 'lacks' something, for instance, it means that such thing spoken about is missing or not sufficient in that person or thing. For example:

1. The team lacks a good strategy to winning the game. 

2. That boy in question lacks the wisdom to handle such situation.

On the other hand, lag in the context of this discussion means 'retardation' or 'slowness'. For example:

1. The company's inability to publish its Annual Report exposed the lag in its administrative processes. 

2. You were not expected to lag in meeting up with the deadline.

The examples above show that when someone lags, there is a slow down in the movement or progress made over a thing.

Can you now see that to express a slow movement of a person in carrying out a task or an action is 'lag (lagging) behind' not 'lack (lacking) behind'? 

We hope you will find this article helpful. 

We welcome your comments, observation and suggestions on this blog.

Best regards.

From the Grammarstar team.