(cries) I didn't actually miss that but I didn't want to post four times in a row.

Dyske, I wish we had a preview....

Anonymous was me, sorry....

Persephone and I are on the same page, but I'd make a slight additional change and say, "How about a return to the days when women were in such vulnerable and inferior positions, that it was easier for powerful men, who knew they could get away with it, to take advantage of them?"

Wouldn't you like it better if the sentence read, "He had spoken to his teacher before the examination had begun?" I think there's nothing wrong with "He spoke to his teacher before the examination began."

But "He had spoken to his teacher before the examination began" seems like an awkward mixture to me. Anyone else think so?

Persephone... subtle, subtle. LOL

Pet, the use of "differentiated" is correct in this sentence. The word can be used, and often is used, outside of a mathematical context--for instance in biology, to refer to 'cell differentiation."

But technical meanings aside, both the transitive and intransitive meanings of the word are well attested and correct, even in situations in which you may personally prefer a synonym such as "discriminate" or "distinguish."

I have a recurring problem with Scotch and soda, but... uh, never mind. :)

Both ways work for me also, and, like CQ, I had to read twice to catch the "on." I agree, use the "on" if you think it sounds better.

Marriage has nothing to do with it. Ownership in common is what counts here. One may correctly say, for example, "John Doe and Mary Roe's lawsuit against their employer."

Excellent. Hooray :) Best wishes to all of you.