unknown wrote: > .... or rather > last_name = Array.[] %w { Groster Riplaid Pewley Lundrund Banks } > > (I'm beginning to see that Ruby syntax is rather like bash syntax, but > only in that almost anything you type will at least start to do > something.) Try: last_name = Array.[] *%w{ Groster Riplaid Pewley Lundrund Banks } Notice there is no space between the "%w" and "{". Also note the use of the splat operator "*" to flatten the array into the argument list. Without the splat, it is equivalent to: Array[ %w{ a b } ] => Array[ [ 'a', 'b' ] ] With the splat, it is equivalent to: Array[ * %w{ a b } ] => Array[ 'a', 'b' ] HTH -- -- Jim Weirich -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.