Trick answer to that one: Put a perplexing title above the sentence (something like “On ‘nt”) and then add line breaks at rather odd places, the occasional comma, and a pair of angle brackets or a clutch of virgules for flair. Make sure to sign your name with lowercase initial caps. --- Bill Spruiell From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of T. J. Ray Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 6:52 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Epilogue on the Past Perfect Controversy Edmond, A personal footnote: I once offered a traditional grammar class the alternatives of taking a full final exam or punctuating that sentence. No one took me up on the offer. tj On Monday 03/21/2011 at 4:57 am, Edmond Wright wrote: Your version, T. J., is exactly what my English teacher produced, except that she had a full-stop ('period') where you have a semicolon. I prefer the semicolon. Edmond Brad, where Craig had had "had had," had had "had"; "had had" had had the examiner's approval. This is one solution. tj On Sunday 03/20/2011 at 7:27 am, Edmond Wright wrote: As an epilogue on the Past Perfect Controversy I thought I might remind you of a well-known punctuation challenge. My English teacher used to produce this sort of thing in the last lessons before Christmas. The challenge is to make sense of the following by inserting punctuation marks. I have updated the names. 'Brad where Craig had had had had had had had had had had had the examiner's approval.' I think we all, with one exception, would agree with the examiner. Edmond Dr. Edmond Wright 3 Boathouse Court Trafalgar Road Cambridge CB4 1DU England Email: [log in to unmask] Website: http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/elw33/ Phone [00 44] (0)1223 350256 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/ 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/ 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/ 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/