<pre> 
&lt;html>
&lt;style>
p       {border-style:solid ; border-color:#000000 ; border-width:2px;
         padding:5px ; width:300px ; background-color:#FFFFFF }
p#two   {position:relative ; left:60px ; top:-30px; background-color:#CCCCCC }
&lt;/style>

&lt;h2>Relative&lt;/h2>
&lt;p>          This is the content of paragraph &lt;b>one&lt;/b>.  It is positioned normally &lt;/p>
&lt;p id="two"> This is the content of paragraph &lt;b>two&lt;/b>.  It is positioned relative to where it would have been &lt;/p> 
&lt;p>          Paragraph &lt;b>three&lt;/b> &lt;u>will not&lt;/u> be repositioned to occupy the empty space.&lt;/p> 
&lt;/html></pre>