"percent" is not a number; it's a way to obtain a number, by the process of calculating a portion of the whole. in this case, at the rate of how many per hundred. 4 percent of 238 has meaning 4 percent as a standalone statement has no meaning nk On Nov 27, 2005, at 8:40 PM, Aron Spencer wrote: > See, a percent _can_ stand on it's own. You have to use the "of" to > have the effect you're discussing