At 06:37 30/05/2008, STAHLKE, HERBERT F wrote: >. . . we don't generally like to repeat a syllable >immediately. Notice how we can say "He's becoming a good >grammarian" but tend to avoid "He may be becoming a good >grammarian," and if we say it in normal speech we'll drop one of the "be"s. DD: A really great point that was new to me. I appreciate the concept and thank you for the insight. I like things that make me stop and think, and that really did. 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/