http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aWritingSearch results for 'tag:Writing' matching tag 'Writing'en-USXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)http://www.englishforums.com/English/MotivationLetter/lqjld/post.htmThu, 26 Nov 2009 23:59:41 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1000130spawn13Hi everybody! Can someone please review my motivation letter? Thanks for your time guys. Normal 0 21 false false false PT X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ ...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HowToWelocme/lqjzn/post.htmThu, 26 Nov 2009 21:15:02 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:1000038sunnyshinyi am going to participate in an international hotel exebition. how can i welcome them in a text message ? coz they are from differnt nations and i wnat to mention all conuntries name?http://www.englishforums.com/English/CharacterReferenceCouldCheck-Please/lqjdh/post.htmThu, 26 Nov 2009 20:16:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999998tomtom27Hi If you dont mind could someone please check this character refernce i have rightn for my father. sorry to be a plan but i suffer from desxlia so im just trying to get ti right kind regard tom F.A.O Sentencing Judge. Re: Character Reference For XX. Dear Sir/Madam, I am ** Son of **. I'm sad to hear that my Father has been foolish enough to have been involved in this activate. I and my father have spent many years working together in the construction industry and one thing my father hated was fellow work colleague coming into work talking about there activities involving drugs. My father was against any activities involving drugs anhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/CorrectMePlease/lqjrk/post.htmThu, 26 Nov 2009 19:06:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999950sunnyshinyhey all, i wanna add my working experience in my resume is it good to write inthis way, "Environmental engineer in MECHANIC KHAK VA BETON Multidisciplinary Consulting Engineers as: - Environmental studies of road construction projects - Design and study green area of buildings - Supervise on Operation Green area"http://www.englishforums.com/English/LanguageArts/lqwwj/post.htm#999839Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:27:08 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999839cliveHi, david has gave his soccer equipment to jason and i David has given his soccer equipment to Jason and me. Note that a sentence is incorrect without appropriate punctuation and capitals. Clivehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/WhenThatWas/lqhmp/post.htm#999714Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:37:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999714hazel8I don't remember the last time I saw my sister. a semi colon;..never use a capital letter ie that was; the last time I saw my sisterhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/5SentencesNeeded/lqhmx/post.htmThu, 26 Nov 2009 10:12:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999580alc24Could you please take a look at this for me? 1 I'm not so close to her as to be able to ask her for money. (is the SO AS TO form only used with an non assertive clause?) 2 Can you see until what time we're open? 3 When I don't get unlucky, which I always do, I win. 4 Tell us on what day exactky that your account was closed. 5 The rapper decided to widen his fan base and started doing some hip hop. (is the word Fan Base I'm looking for?) thank youhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/FigureOfSpeech/lqclv/post.htm#999437Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:31:23 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999437mister micawberI thought it might be 'antithesis' (or whatever it's called)- the surprise at the end, where the old lady prays for 'somebody's son ' after the boy has been thoughtful to 'somebody's mother '. That seems to me to be the significant figure of speech for the poem overall.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToMakeHaveMadeIt/lqvbq/post.htm#999436Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:30:34 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999436califjim"My father would love to have seen this." Most grammarians believe that the correct form is My father would have loved to see this . It's a conditional with an implied if clause: if he were here to see it. Nevertheless all three versions are commonly used: My father would have loved to see this. My father would love to have seen this. My father would have loved to have seen this. The have which throws the situation into the past can occur in the first clause, or in the second clause, or in both! (By the way, the present is: My father would love to see this . But that presupposes the father can be found fairly soon to come and see it.) CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/UseVersusUses/lqghr/post.htm#999293Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:06:48 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999293califjimIt sounds more like second person to me. "Everything in these three bedrooms needs to be replaced." I don't see the word you anywhere in that sentence. How can it be second person? You need to review this. If the speaker refers only to himself or to himself together with others ( I, We, ... and I ) as the subject of the sentence, it's first person. I need a drink of water. I am thirsty. We are tired. We all want the same thing. My friends and I like to play chess. My father and I only go fishing once a year. __________ If the speaker refers only to the person(s) he's speaking to ( you ) as the subject, it's second person. You seem happy today. You like mustard, don't you? Do you want some...http://www.englishforums.com/English/UseOfCommas2Questions/lqgzc/post.htm#999191Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:35:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999191trysbHi Anon, I used to put in more commas and agonize over whether or not they were correct. After years of writing i have come to the conclusion that rules often get in the way of good sense. One way i found to test a sentence for comma use is to say it aloud. If your voice naturally pauses at the point where you were considering a comma then it is probably right to use one. If the sentence flows along fine with no pause then don't clutter it up with commas. Another thing i have found in writing is that sometimes the best solution is simply to rewrite an awkward sentence. In your first example, i think it would read better to say: However, when my injuries had healed and my health was strong enough, continuing my sports activities...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AnotherQuestionAboutVerbs/lqzpr/post.htm#999158Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:48:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999158gleb_chebrikoffAgatha, In my grammarbook it is said that every verb-phrase consisting of several verbs, the first will always be finite and the rest non-finite. - When I was a schoolboy, I once noticed that my English teacher made a mistake on the blackboard: she wrote 'the nin e th of September' on it. When I paid her attention to this blunder, she gave me a knock-down argument supporting her poor spelling skills, namely, she almost threw at me a grammarbook in which the same mistake was present. It was the moment I realised that information should be obtained from reliable sources and not from would-be grammarians who often confuse students with their ignorance. Verb phrases may be either finite or non-finit e. In a finite verb phrase...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WritingSkillsTutorialsRequest/lqzqk/post.htm#999148Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:35:49 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999148trysbHello Maha, Happy to make your acquaintance. I'm a professional writer and editor at a university and a native English speaker. Our department has many foreign faculty members and students who need help writing grants, papers for peer-reviewed journals and powerpoint presentations. I edit their writing and try to teach them how to focus on the two most important things, simplicity and clarity. I will be happy to talk to you about your writing and give whatever advice i can. Writing is like playing the violin. You have to practice a lot and listen to good musicians until your ear and your mind know what good playing sounds like. In writing, find good writers and read them carefully. See how they introduce a topic, give examples, use...http://www.englishforums.com/English/FigureOfSpeech/lqclv/post.htm#999137Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:13:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999137avangiHi, Raj. Welcome to English Forums. Thanks for joining us! Could you please give us an excerpt showing the figure of speech you're asking about? Most poems are loaded with them. Best wishes, - A.http://www.englishforums.com/English/WritingSkillsTutorialsRequest/lqzqk/post.htmWed, 25 Nov 2009 22:52:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999066socialbutterflyI need to improve my english writing skills for PR_business purposes.. (writing press releases. articles.. and so on...) how do you think I can do that.. ?? read, attend a course.. or read a certain book..?? thx in advance.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/2/lqvkv/Post.htm#999017Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:46:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:999017trysbDebpriya, How to express the same feeling in the written words that is heard in tone of voice when speaking is one of the great challenges for a writer. It borders on poetry--the sound of the words in your mind and their cadence in the sentence rather than the literal meaning. I think to say what you want to say would require rewriting the sentences. Maybe like this: For you, i think, winning is almost impossible. Or, in the other sense: For you to win, i think, is almost impossible. Working in dialog would be even easier: For you to win, she said sarcastically, would be almost impossible! Question: How does a non-native speaker 'hear' the words in their mind when they are reading? Translated into their native language? ...http://www.englishforums.com/English/HelpSentencesPlease/lqzjc/post.htm#998981Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:50:03 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998981gleb_chebrikoffDear friend, 1. We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal. Its foreclaws were nearly as long as my fingers. - correct; two independent clauses. We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal, its foreclaws were nearly as long as my fingers. - incorrect, the comma is not normally used to separate independent clauses unless they are linked by a coordinator. We got a good look at the most extraordinary thing about the animal its foreclaws were nearly as long as my finger. - incorrect; no punctuation at all is impossible between two independent clauses (optionally, a colon would do fine in this example: We got a good look at the most...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Capitalization/lqzvj/post.htm#998921Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:33:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998921califjimThat sounds like a reasonable thing to do. What's the title? CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/InfinitiveWithoutTo/lqcqp/post.htm#998905Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:20:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998905califjimwhat W hat about these clauses above? which W hich one is correct? 2 and 4 are the correct ones. The to reappears when the structure is passive. CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/2/lqvkv/Post.htm#998902Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:10:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998902califjimthe second sentence " For you, to win will be almost impossible." means that winning is impossible as far as you are concerned. That well may be true, but it's so ambiguous that it is best reworded to remove the ambiguity. Following your lead, As far as you are concerned, winning will be almost impossible. In your opinion, it will be almost impossible to win. You are correct, however, that the subject of the for ... to ... clause need not be expressed: To win is impossible. Here the meaning is something close to: For anyone to win is impossible. You are also correct that you can add a for phrase to indicate the interested party: For Henry, for you to win is impossible. But if you do both -- omit the subject...http://www.englishforums.com/English/InfinitiveWithoutTo/lqcqp/post.htm#998900Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:07:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998900evo25A) 1.He was made write an apology. 2.He was made to write an apology. B) 3.He was seen enter the building. 4.He was seen to enter the building. what about these clauses above?which one is correct?http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998891Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:06:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998891debpriya deI understand that intonation patterns can help distinguish the intended meaning , but the question is - What is the proper way to express both the meanings while writing ? Is the punctuation an accepted form in this regard ?http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998890Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:54:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998890gleb_chebrikoffYour impression is on the whole justified, and to this I referred as 'a special stylistic effect' that placing a comma may have. Consider this: - Do I stay any chance of winning? - For you to win will be almost impossible. For him to win is quite realistic. Depending on the exact intonation pattern, both shades of meaning can be expressed; reinforcing this with punctuation is possible, but not obligatory. For you(,) to win will be almost impossible means It is highly unlikely that you will win - perhaps somebody else can, but the basis for the statement remains unscathed - you will not win , and that's that. As has already been said, intonation patterns can help distinguish the intended meaning - raising the voice on you...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998879Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:48:12 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998879trysbInteresting distinction, Debpriya, although i would point out that the sentence says almost impossible which means that "For you, to win is possible but unlikely." I think you could leave out the comma and the sentence would mean the same, correct? Would this person have less chance of winning if it was 'almost impossible' or if it were just 'unlikely'? Best wishes, TrysBhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/UseOfThatAsAdverb/2/lpnzm/Post.htm#998865Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:29:12 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998865califjimHow about the sentence " The probability that an unbiased coin will fall with the head up is 0.5 " ? Is this a case of "content clause in apposition" ? Yes. There's nothing missing syntactically in An unbiased coin will fall with the head up. which requires the relative pronoun that as a referent to probability . Where could you put probability ? An unbiased coin will fall probability with the head up. ??? No. Probability an unbiased coin will fall with the head up. ??? No. Clearly there's no syntactic room for it. You've already got a subject ( an unbiased coin ), and the verb ( fall ) is intransitive, so there won't be a direct object. CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998864Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:26:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998864debpriya deBut I was under the impression that in the sentence " For you to win will be almost impossible." " For you to win" refers to the condition of your winning. That means your winning is impossible. In contrast the second sentence " For you, to win will be almost impossible." means that winning is impossible as far as you are concerned.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998838Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:58:52 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998838gleb_chebrikoffThere is no need to disrupt the clause with a comma, unless you wish to achieve a special stylistic effect. The meaning is not changed in either case. Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoffhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/NoneNobody/lqzcp/post.htmWed, 25 Nov 2009 17:49:58 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998833alex+1. “none” or “nobody” is used in this sentence? Ex. Which of them is her boyfriend? – None./ Nobody. 2. Single or plural number do you use after “none of”? Ex. None of my friends have their own house. / has his own house. Thank you in advance.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998823Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:41:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998823debpriya deIs "For you to win will be almost impossible." different in meaning from " For you, to win will be almost impossible." ?http://www.englishforums.com/English/ACoupleOfYears/lqvdc/post.htm#998796Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:56:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998796dimsumexpressThis is my take: "A couple" can mean: Two persons considered as joined together, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners: They make a handsome couple. Any two persons considered together. "A couple of " is an idiomatic expression meaning more than two, but not many, a small number of; a few. The new paint will take a couple of hours to dry. This suggests at least 2 no more than 3. For all my American life, I've only learned to use the expression with "of". It souns wrong to me wthout it, although it's considered correct.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Test/2/lqddn/Post.htm#998778Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:34:11 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998778gleb_chebrikoffColoraday, One is ashamed whose embarrassment and humiliation are mixed sometimes with a sense of guilt and always with the awareness of being discredited or disgraced by one's own or vicariously another's shameful or indecorous act, behavior, or situation. Although, in a limited number of cases, ashamed is synonymous with embarrassed , there is no explicit signal for such an interpretation whatsoever. The opposite of ashamed is confident ; we deal with a text stretch where a distinction is drawn between natural(ly) and some other word (namely embarrassed, as we have already found out), ashamed simply does not fit into this dichotomy. And I think emotional should not be treated as a word with that meaning in psychology just...http://www.englishforums.com/English/MotivationLetter/lqvnq/post.htmWed, 25 Nov 2009 15:10:11 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998732dinuka23hi gyes, please be kind enough to correct this. this is my motivation letter. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToeflSpeakingResponse/lqvnx/post.htmWed, 25 Nov 2009 14:57:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998730weproi've just taken a mock TOEFL exam. here is my speaking response and i hope someone here will read it and tell me my mistakes (or correct words , grammar..)Thanks in advance. (bold words are sentences that i think they may have a problem) SPEAKING 1.What is your dream job ? When it comes to my dream jobs , i wish that one day i could become a famous football player. First, i am a big football fan. when i was young , i would watch for hours football matches on T.V i would dream about playing football like my idols on T.V everything about football seemed so fascinating so possible to me . Furthermore, in my child 's mind i thought as a professional player i could have a chance to play football everyday and win a lot of...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998693Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:22:03 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998693gleb_chebrikoffGreetings, Depriya De, I want you to win has a to-infinitive clause ( you to win ). If such a clause has a subject ( you ), it normally requires the presence of the preceding for : For you to win will be almost impossible . However, when the clause is a direct object, for is generally absent before the subject: I want you to win . He likes everyone to relax . etc. Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoffhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HowDoOneSayInEnglish/lqdqn/post.htm#998684Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:10:48 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998684coloradayWikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia     Number sign Number sign is one name for the symbol # , and is the preferred  Unicode  name for the  codepoint  represented by that  glyph . The symbol is similar to the musical symbol  sharp  (♯). Several names for this symbol are used in the  United States  and  Canada . In most other English-speaking countries, it is called a hash .http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhatDifferenceBetweenSentenceClause-Phrase/2/vcwwv/Post.htm#998680Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:06:47 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998680cliveHi, Please read this thread. Then ask questions about anything that is still not clear to you. Clivehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htm#998670Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:03:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998670mister micawberThe second is not a native formation.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ForClause/lqvkv/post.htmWed, 25 Nov 2009 14:00:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998669debpriya deWhat is the difference in the meaning of the sentences " I want you to win." and " I want for you to win." ?http://www.englishforums.com/English/HowDoOneSayInEnglish/lqdqn/post.htm#998668Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:59:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998668mister micawberNo, the octothorpe is not a number sign in 5# of sugar .http://www.englishforums.com/English/HowDoOneSayInEnglish/lqdqn/post.htm#998664Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:57:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998664coloradayYes,It's just another term for number sign.http://www.englishforums.com/English/HowDoOneSayInEnglish/lqdqn/post.htm#998647Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:47:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998647mister micawberIt's called number sign. It's actually called an 'octothorpe'.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Grammar/lqvhp/post.htm#998641Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:36:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998641mister micawberBoth are awkward in that they leave us unsure of whether it is the book or the office that is 'yours'. The comma does not help to solve this dilemma, but there should be no comma because the book is defined by the relative clause.http://www.englishforums.com/English/UseOfThatAsAdverb/2/lpnzm/Post.htm#998554Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:14:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998554debpriya deHow about the sentence " The probability that an unbiased coin will fall with the head up is 0.5 " ? Is this a case of "content clause in apposition" ?http://www.englishforums.com/English/HowDoOneSayInEnglish/lqdqn/post.htm#998520Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:20:30 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998520califjimHow do es one say # in English ? If it occurs before a number, say "Number". #5 = number five If it occurs after a number, say "Pounds". 5# of sugar = five pounds of sugar If it occurs after a letter in the context of music, say "Sharp". Sonata for Piano in C# minor = Sonata for Piano in C sharp minor CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/CommentsAndQuestionFinder/lqdrk/post.htm#998516Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:11:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998516ruslanaHey wys, You'll be able to make comments on users in a while, as soon as you hit a larger number of posts and the system will consider your a regular (frequent) user. You'll find "Add a comment" red link on a member's profile then. Generally, you have to search to check if an answer has already been asked / answered. For example, here are some search results for " yours sincerely ".http://www.englishforums.com/English/RecommendationLetterGraduate-Student/lqdpv/post.htmWed, 25 Nov 2009 02:24:30 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998465innessI will be very grateful if somebody native proofreads this recommendation letter for a graduate student. I've been struggling a lot with some sentences, but they still seem to be overloaded and vague. Please, scan my text and say, if it is fluent and clear for you or not. Are there any unnecessary details? Any suggestions for improvement are welcome! Please, correct my grammar and style mistakes as well. Thank you A LOT in advance! :) Dear Sir or Madam, It is my pleasure to recommend XXX for admission to the Art History programme at the XXX. I have known XXX for the past two years, both as a professor and an assigned supervisor of her graduation project and this gave me the chance to gain insight into the student’s abilities and...http://www.englishforums.com/English/NeedParagraphAboutSpare-Time/lqdmb/post.htm#998440Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:36:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998440khoffWe need you guys who ask for help to do it politely, which involves the word "please," please. If you have been asked to describe yourself, your interests and activities, there is really no way to avoid using "I" frequently.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Questios/lqdml/post.htm#998431Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:56:02 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998431cliveHi, Not with all those spelling errors. Clivehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SurelyNot/lqdjr/post.htm#998398Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:03:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998398kooyeenStudents should be aware that in email tasks , they will be expected to write grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style suited to the situation and target reader. The abbreviated language used in text messages will not be considered appropriate to the task. It's hard to tell if "gonna/wanna" would be accepted then, because they are actual words that appear in dictionaries (learner's dictionaries too). user And dont forget that you dont want to be like other FCE participants, you want to capture FCE commission LOL, how about dropping the F-bomb in front of the commission? That would make you sound sooo proficient and sooo much like a native speaker! They are gonna be...http://www.englishforums.com/English/PleaseCorrectMe/lqdzp/post.htm#998389Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:35:58 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:998389califjimThe correct form for the subject of a gerund clause has been a matter of debate for years. The traditional answer is that the possessive form is the correct one: without your having to ... Nevertheless, you will hear and see the other version quite often, and sometimes it is the only sensible way to express the thought -- when there comes in subject position, for example: without there being any reason for doing so . This would never be said as without there's being any reason for doing so. CJ