help with preg_match

Hello, I am trying to use preg_match to match something from an html file. Within the html file is some text that looks like: <span>Something, something end</span> I know that the text ends 'end', but I don't know what the Something, something is. I am using preg_match as follows: preg_match('/[^>]*end/',$curl_response,$matches); I want to match 'end' and everything before it that is not '>'. The problem appears to be with the '>'. I have tried escaping (\>), but it didn't make a difference. The php script hangs when it tries to run this function. -- Chris Purves "There's a time to think, and a time to act. And this, gentlemen, is no time to think." - Sheriff Bud B. Boomer