Should I use 'chats' logs' or chat's log'?

Question

My dear and respected teachers,1 : "When we chat on Yahoo!,our chat's logs are recorded" correct?2 : "I'll marry my son to that person's daughter" correc?3 : "Put baby on his shoes" means 'make baby put on his shoes'?4 : "I enjoy my studies" correct?

Avangi · Accepted Answer

twilit02 Should I use 'chats' logs' or chat's log'?

1 : "When we chat on Yahoo!,our chat's logs are recorded" correct? I'm not acquainted with that specific expression, but I 'd be very surprised to hear the possessive. I'd use "chat log" or "chat logs," treating "chat log" as a compound noun, or treating "chat" as an adjective. I'd say, "Are my chats logged?" "Is my chat logged?" "The log of my chat," the log of my chats," the logs of my chats," depending on whether all of your chats are in fact kept on/in one log, or each chat has its own log; and depending on whether you use the word "chat" to describe the medium or to describe one individual chat.

To use an analogy which has a long established tradition, "The police are asking for my phone records. They want the record(s) of last month's calls." We wouldn't say, "They want my call's record(s)" or "my calls' record(s). "Record" and "records" are used interchangeably, because we don't know if it's all one record, or several. I should think the same would apply to "log / logs." We don't know if it's one log or several. Similarly, I'd think "chat log / chat logs" would work like "phone record / phone records." We wouldn't say "phone's record(s)." That is, we'd treat "phone" as an adjective, or "phone record" as a compound noun.

2 : "I'll marry my son to that person's daughter" correc? Correct!

3 : "Put baby on his shoes" means 'make baby put on his shoes'? No. "Put baby on his feet," means "Stand baby up (upright.) Are you suggesting that baby is capable of putting on his own shoes? "Make baby put on his shoes" means "Force baby to put on his own shoes." "Put baby's shoes on" means you are telling someone to put the baby's shoes on for him.

4 : "I enjoy my studies" correct? Correct! Don't forget to use periods at the ends of your sentences.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I'd like to add, with #3, that you are calling the baby "Baby," and you should have a capital letter. However, I think "Put the baby's shoes on" is more likely.

Avangi · Answer

Thanks, GG.  I never thought about the capital.  <img src="http://www.EnglishForward.com/emoticons/emotion-1.gif"/>

Should I use 'chats' logs' or chat's log'?

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