1.   A sudden drop in supplies of certain chemicals could knock the bottom out of the engineering industry.

2.   A sudden drop on Wall Street can set off a chain reaction in other financial Markets.

3.   There was a sudden drop in the value of oil.

4.   This makes their prices less vulnerable to sudden drops.

5.   Universities are reporting a sudden drop in the number of students studying science subjects.

6.   American officials in El Salvador warned the State Department that a sudden drop in remittances from Salvadorans could be disastrous for the poorest regions of the country.

7.   At times they were defensive, blaming the news media for a small rise in homicides and a sudden drop in the number of guns seized.

8.   A sudden drop in beef consumption because of concerns about mad cow disease means far fewer animals are being slaughtered for meat.

9.   A sudden drop in bond yields helped the rally along as investors shifted money from mortgage-backed securities into Treasury bonds.

10.   A sudden drop is possible, said Richard Meyer, managing director of equity trading at JWCharles Securities Inc. in New York.