On occasion we have discussed a speaker's grammatical options for shaping sentences (by choosing active or passive voice, using extraposition, etc.) so as to get useful information to listeners in an appropriate sequence. A letter to the editor in my local paper today demonstrates how a writer can make some really bad decisions. Here is his opening sentence: I was dismayed to see President Obama's plans to simultaneously rebuild America's struggling economy and find solutions to global warming-- through the introduction of clean, renewable energy and a cap-and-trade system--come under attack recently. Talk about waiting until the very end of a long sentence to insert crucial information that completely alters its meaning! Seems like an instructive example to use in a writing class. Dick Veit 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/