Dear ATEGers Maybe someone has mentioned this, but here goes anyway. I also have noticed that absolutes are almost exclusively a written structure, but I discovered that there is one setting where they are reasonably common: news broadcasts, Example: The president have arrived safely in Cairo, he will now meet with leaders of OPEC countries. I point this out to my students in my grammar for teachers course and also with my ESL studetns and ask them to listen for these structures and bring examples. It's nothing more than a little language awareness exercise, but it does get students thinking about the difference between spoken and written language, and the places where the two meet. Happy Holidays! Janet Castilleja Heritage College Toppenish WA To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/