For a truly hilarious review of the split infinitive issue, read "Fowler's Modern English Useage" by Gowers. I rarely laugh out loud at anything not authored by Benchley or Mencken, but I laughed at this. As for "alright" -- I dunno; it was good enough for Gertrude Stein... As for blind adherence to rules / blatant disregard for rules / rewriting sentences (and the associated and excruciatingly subtle arguments over rules vs. laws, and grammar vs. rhetoric), I follow one simple rule of thumb, which all are welcome to accept or reject as suits their preferences: Language is meant to communicate. Anything which aids said communication is good. Anything which obstructs it is bad. The same thing can, in different circumstances, do either. Make that 1,332 list users to change a light bulb... :) Eugene Dillenburg Geology Department The Field Museum FAX: 312-922-9566 Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Dr. phone: 312-922-9410 ext. 293 Chicago, Illinois 60605 "It's not really food if it doesn't hurt." -- Bruce Elliott