I don't think it is "MOVE NEXT SENTENCE". The NEXT SENTENCE clause is part of an IF statement. COBOL is usually coded with every statement a sentence, terminat

I don't think it is "MOVE NEXT SENTENCE". The NEXT SENTENCE clause is part of an IF statement. COBOL is usually coded with every statement a sentence, terminated with a period. The exception is nested statements (such as IF statements), where you don't apply a period inside the nesting. The NEXT SENTENCE clause is used to exit the nested logic and continue at the next statement after the period. Of course, your point stands, and this has been a long standing issue for COBOL, especially since a missing or extra period is probably still syntactically correct. I just finished refactoring a couple of COBOL programs to remove all of the periods from PD code - which is how I prefer it. Can't wait to see how it goes at code review! https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS6SG3_4.2.0/com.ibm.entcobol.doc_4.2/PGandLR/ref/rlpsif.htm https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS6SG3_4.2.0/...