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Proper Use of Slashes in Writing

The slash (/) is frowned upon by language purists and has few defensible uses other than to indicate dates or separate lines of poetry. While it can be handy for notes and outlines, using slashes should be avoided in final drafts and replaced with hyphens or the word "or" when possible. Purists argue the slash is a mark that doesn't appear in high-quality writing and should only be used as a last resort.

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Butch Viray
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7 views1 page

Proper Use of Slashes in Writing

The slash (/) is frowned upon by language purists and has few defensible uses other than to indicate dates or separate lines of poetry. While it can be handy for notes and outlines, using slashes should be avoided in final drafts and replaced with hyphens or the word "or" when possible. Purists argue the slash is a mark that doesn't appear in high-quality writing and should only be used as a last resort.

Uploaded by

Butch Viray
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Slashes

Despite its popularity, the slash (/), technically known as a virgule, is frowned
upon by purists. Other than to indicate dates (9/11/2001) or to separate lines
of poetry ("Celery, raw / Develops the jaw"), it has few defensible uses.

Usually a hyphen, or in some cases the word or, will suffice. Instead of
writing the novelist/poet Eve Jones, make it the novelist-poet Eve Jones.
Rather than available to any man/woman who is qualified, make it any man or
woman.

The slash has always been a handy tool for taking notes and writing rough
outlines. Substituting w/o for without, y/o for years old,
and b/c for because can save valuable time and space.

However, most slashes canand shouldbe removed from a final draft.


Writers should replace a construction like any man/woman with any man or
woman in their finished work.

"The virgule is a mark that doesn't appear much in first-rate writing," says
Bryan A. Garner in A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. "Use it as a last
resort."

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