Thanks to everyone who replied. One thing we can all count on is the quick responses to forum questions. Granted, a few of these sentences were convoluted. They could have been rewritten so that the grammar issue went away, but this was how they were written when the question arose so I left them that way. I imagine many rough drafts have a bit of "trailer park" language in them. :) Of course, many great writers have no qualms about breaking the rules of grammar, but they usually have a good reason for doing so, and they are usually aware that they are doing it. My weakness as a story teller is my grammar, and at this point in my writing life I prefer not to butcher the language any more than necessary--if I can help it. :) Thanks again for the responses. You have clarified some issues for me and given me other issues to think about. Thanks, Josh