Max, Unless you object strenuously and immediately, I'm lifting your most recent correspondence about defining sentences and copying it for my Grammar for Teachers class. It reinforces what I have been saying to them for a week or more. It also seems to support my reasons for teaching grammar to them even if it is impossible to define a sentence. Thanks Jeff Glauner Associate Professor of English Park University, Box 1303 8700 River Park Drive Parkville MO 64152 [log in to unmask] http://www.park.edu/jglauner/index.htm