I have little to add to this lively discussion except to say that recently I & others also struggled w/ the issue of what to call the-concept-previously-known-as-grammar (maybe we could just use a symbol, like Prince does). I was working w/ my co-author & editors in coming up w/ a subtitle for our textbook (Now I Get It), and after several discussions we went w/ the subtitle A Commonsense Guide to Grammar & Usage. We decided not to use the term "conventions" since that's not a conventional term for the concept, "mechanics" (my original choice) seemed too vague & dull, and "punctuation" was too exclusive. So we went w/ 2 terms (grammar & usage) that seemed to convey the idea of the book's content to a large audience, though "usage" for me still seems to deal with word choice rather than things like run-on sentences. Our lack of an appropriate, widely-acceptable name for this "thing" is probably a reflection of (1) how our professional community & professional organizations have neglected the subject and (2) how complex this seemingly-simple subject is. 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