>Also, would most ATEG-ers agree with the proposition that nonrestricted >participle phrases are more "writerly" than restrictive ones? Would you >agree that, correctly used and punctuated (like this one!), they are more >likely to indicate maturity in writing? I think there's some truth to that statment. A study by Lester Faigley (ED 143 028) back in 1977 showed that skilled writers had significantly more words in free modifiers, which were for the most part composed of nonrestrictive clauses. It seems, then, that skilled writers give more attention to the additional detail and development given in nonrestrictive clauses. larry beason Larry Beason,Director English Composition Program Dept. of English Eastern Washington University Cheney WA 99004 [log in to unmask] WAC Page: http://ewu66649.ewu.edu/WAC.html