1.   No one knew exactly what he had done, but speculation ran rife.

2.   As to what prompted it, speculation has recently run free, with results discussed at length in the catalogue by ranking scholars in the field.

3.   Ever since our space probes detected the faint hint of a grand salty sea beneath the frozen crust of Europa, speculation has run rampant.

4.   However, the current speculation runs in favor of Rep. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is also a candidate to succeed Madeleine Albright as UN ambassador.

5.   If speculation runs to form, at least a half-dozen jobs will open up in the NFL.

6.   In my view, the speculation runs in the other direction.

7.   Speculation around town ran the gamut, from a drug deal gone bad to an argument about a car that exploded into violence.

8.   Speculation ran rampant that the reason for his disappearance had to do with what he had seen in Chernokozovo.

9.   Speculation ran rampant over drug use among Maryland athletes.

10.   Speculation ran rampant that fallout from the H-bomb tests was the cause.