The Grammar Logs -- Number One Hundred, Twenty-Eight

The
Grammar
Logs
# 128

Question Please explain the following sentence:
I had telephonic conversation with you.
Here I have used had Is this correct? if it is correct, please explain. I learned in school had is usually used when the person is not living in this moment. Is that correct?
Source & Date
of Question Qatar
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's
Response I think we would write "I had a telephone conversation with you." And that would simply mean that at some time in the past, I talked with you on the telephone. I'm not sure what you mean by "the person is not living in this moment." I don't think it has anything to do with living in the moment, actually.

Question I know periods belong inside double quotes. But what about a statement sentence that ends with a period, and contains a quote with a question mark? For example, is it:

The sentence read, "Why should we go?".
Or is it:
The sentence read, "Why should we go?."
Or is it:
The sentence read, "Why should we go?"
Thank you
Source & Date
of Question Berkeley, California
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's
Response Number three wins the prize!
Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission.

Question Re: Capitalization

Should you capitalize the name of a company department? (Example: the corporate finance department of XYZ Corporation OR the Corporate Finance Department of XYZ Corporation)
Should you capitalize someone's business title? (Example: He was assistant vice president for XYZ Corporation OR Assistant Vice President for XYZ Corporation)
Should you capitalize references to college degrees? (Example: Bachelor's of Science in finance OR Bachelor's of Science in Finance) Additionally, should it be "bachelor's degree/master's degree" or "Bachelor's degree/Master's degree"?
Any insight would be helpful, and a quick response would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question Boston, Massachusetts
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's
Response 1. No, unless you're talking about an alphabetized list of such offices. 2. I think I answered a similar question just last week. Mostly, it's a matter of company publication practice, but the general practice now is, no, don't capitalize business titles. 3. And don't capitalize college degrees: bachelor's degree, master's degree, etc.
Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission.

Question When and why do I use she/her or he/him?
ex: I do not like to travel with Mary and (her/she).
* a conversation preceeded the statment, referring to she/her (Jane).
ex:2 (He/Him) and Bob are the best fishermen that I know.
* a conversation preceeded the statement, referring to he/him (Hank).
Source & Date
of Question Missouri City, Texas
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's
Response When in doubt about which pronoun to use, temporarily delete the "other," choose a pronoun -- and then keep it. You would say "I do not like to travel with her," right? Add Mary, and you'll say ". . . Mary and her." You would say "He is the best fisherman I know, right? Add Bob and you'll say "He and Bob are the best. . . ."

Question What is an easy to remember, clear rule for the appropriate uses of affect and effect?
Source & Date
of Question Moscow, Idaho
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's
Response I don't know. You need some kind of mnemonic device to remind you that ninety percent of the time the word affect is a verb and the word effect is a noun. After that, you're on your own. If you think of one, let me know.

Question Can I have a format to follow for an editorial please?? Because I have to write an editorial on feuding that might appear in the Verona the day after Romeo and Juliet die. I must have examples from the play to support my opinion.
Source & Date
of Question Hanover Park, Illinois
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's
Response Finding examples from Romeo and Juliet to support your claims that feuding is bad shouldn't be too hard! As for a format, I suggest you dig out the local newspaper and check out the Op-Ed page. You might want to review the section writing an Argumentative Essay. But this will not be a research paper, really -- just your opinion bolstered by what you've observed in this tragic case of stupid feuding.

Question Is it correct to say it as "your taste is terrible," if the speaker wants to denote someone who does not have a good taste in something? I mean, would it mean something otherwise that someone does not taste good ( yielding an absurd meaning )??
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's
Response Although we commonly say that an object tastes good or that it has a sour taste, when we're talking about people the word, as noun, means that the person has good judgment, knows what's pretty, etc. It if worked the same way as it does with objects that we put in our mouths, then, yes, you would have the makings of a cannibalistic joke.

Question Not really a question of grammar. Actually, not one of punctuation either (I think). Exactly how would you classify underlining? That's not the question, though. This is: when a word or words are underlined, and enclosed in quotation marks, does the underlining extend to the quotation marks? Or is only the word or phrase underlined?
Thanks
Source & Date
of Question Ronkonkoma, New York
Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's
Response In those rare occasions when that happens -- that you have something that is both underlined and enclosed within quotation marks -- yes, you will underline the quotation marks and the punctuation mark that goes with it (except in parenthetical documentation) where the quotation mark ends (along with the underlining), then you have the parenthetical elements, and then the period.

Question Please advise, in following sentence which is correct:

Your immediate action is requested.
Your immediate action requested.
I think the first is correct.
Source & Date
of Question Doha, Qatar
Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's
Response I think you're right. The second -- a bit of shorthand -- might be acceptable in an informal, intra-office memo.

Question What is the definition of a complete sentence?
I have heard that "I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. A friend is arguing that "Run" could be a complete sentence because it is a command and 'you' is implied. I think this is incorrect.
Who is right?
Source & Date
of Question New York, New York
Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's
Response I don't think it's possible to say who's right. A complete sentence has to have a subject-verb relationship and it has to be able to stand by itself, to make sense on its own. But that relationship is "understood," we say, in a command such as "Go!" However, one could also argue that the word "Go" is only a sentence within a context -- of someone speaking to someone else, for instance. Otherwise, it's only a word. Does the exclamation mark make it a sentence? I think we might be cheating a bit to understand a context within which "Go!" or "Run!" becomes a sentence.

Question When adding a prefix to a word beginning with a vowel, is it correct to drop one of the vowels? Ex:

kilo + ohm
kiloohm?
kilohm?
kilo-ohm?
kilOhm?

Source & Date
of Question Annapolis, Maryland
Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's
Response I'm not sure I understand this question -- whether you're talking exclusively of words that require hyphens, for instance. If you are, then, no, you don't drop anything: anti-establishment, co-opt, semi-intelligent, pre-existing. You can write kilo-ohms or 10 kOhm
Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. 481.

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Question	Please explain the following sentence: I had telephonic conversation with you. Here I have used had Is this correct? if it is correct, please explain. I learned in school had is usually used when the person is not living in this moment. Is that correct?
Source & Date of Question	Qatar Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's Response	I think we would write "I had a telephone conversation with you." And that would simply mean that at some time in the past, I talked with you on the telephone. I'm not sure what you mean by "the person is not living in this moment." I don't think it has anything to do with living in the moment, actually.

Question	When and why do I use she/her or he/him? ex: I do not like to travel with Mary and (her/she). * a conversation preceeded the statment, referring to she/her (Jane). ex:2 (He/Him) and Bob are the best fishermen that I know. * a conversation preceeded the statement, referring to he/him (Hank).
Source & Date of Question	Missouri City, Texas Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's Response	When in doubt about which pronoun to use, temporarily delete the "other," choose a pronoun -- and then keep it. You would say "I do not like to travel with her," right? Add Mary, and you'll say ". . . Mary and her." You would say "He is the best fisherman I know, right? Add Bob and you'll say "He and Bob are the best. . . ."

Question	Not really a question of grammar. Actually, not one of punctuation either (I think). Exactly how would you classify underlining? That's not the question, though. This is: when a word or words are underlined, and enclosed in quotation marks, does the underlining extend to the quotation marks? Or is only the word or phrase underlined? Thanks
Source & Date of Question	Ronkonkoma, New York Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's Response	In those rare occasions when that happens -- that you have something that is both underlined and enclosed within quotation marks -- yes, you will underline the quotation marks and the punctuation mark that goes with it (except in parenthetical documentation) where the quotation mark ends (along with the underlining), then you have the parenthetical elements, and then the period.

Question	Please advise, in following sentence which is correct: Your immediate action is requested. Your immediate action requested. I think the first is correct.
Source & Date of Question	Doha, Qatar Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's Response	I think you're right. The second -- a bit of shorthand -- might be acceptable in an informal, intra-office memo.

Question	What is the definition of a complete sentence? I have heard that "I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. A friend is arguing that "Run" could be a complete sentence because it is a command and 'you' is implied. I think this is incorrect. Who is right?
Source & Date of Question	New York, New York Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's Response	I don't think it's possible to say who's right. A complete sentence has to have a subject-verb relationship and it has to be able to stand by itself, to make sense on its own. But that relationship is "understood," we say, in a command such as "Go!" However, one could also argue that the word "Go" is only a sentence within a context -- of someone speaking to someone else, for instance. Otherwise, it's only a word. Does the exclamation mark make it a sentence? I think we might be cheating a bit to understand a context within which "Go!" or "Run!" becomes a sentence.

Question	What is an easy to remember, clear rule for the appropriate uses of affect and effect?
Source & Date of Question	Moscow, Idaho Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's Response	I don't know. You need some kind of mnemonic device to remind you that ninety percent of the time the word affect is a verb and the word effect is a noun. After that, you're on your own. If you think of one, let me know.

Question	Can I have a format to follow for an editorial please?? Because I have to write an editorial on feuding that might appear in the Verona the day after Romeo and Juliet die. I must have examples from the play to support my opinion.
Source & Date of Question	Hanover Park, Illinois Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Grammar's Response	Finding examples from Romeo and Juliet to support your claims that feuding is bad shouldn't be too hard! As for a format, I suggest you dig out the local newspaper and check out the Op-Ed page. You might want to review the section writing an Argumentative Essay. But this will not be a research paper, really -- just your opinion bolstered by what you've observed in this tragic case of stupid feuding.

Question	Is it correct to say it as "your taste is terrible," if the speaker wants to denote someone who does not have a good taste in something? I mean, would it mean something otherwise that someone does not taste good ( yielding an absurd meaning )??
Source & Date of Question	Unknown Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Grammar's Response	Although we commonly say that an object tastes good or that it has a sour taste, when we're talking about people the word, as noun, means that the person has good judgment, knows what's pretty, etc. It if worked the same way as it does with objects that we put in our mouths, then, yes, you would have the makings of a cannibalistic joke.