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Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

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PUNCTUATION<br />

<strong>The</strong> tent offers suitable protection against cold and/or windy conditions.<br />

Headings may be set in bold type and/or capital letters.<br />

Ingredients: Sugar, glucose, fruc<strong>to</strong>se, palm and/or coconut oil, artificial<br />

flavor and color.<br />

Some authorities frown on this quasi-word, viewing it as a lazy<br />

substitute for more carefully crafted phrasing; others accept it. In<br />

more formal writing, it is usually better <strong>to</strong> use a few extra words in<br />

order <strong>to</strong> avoid it.<br />

• Since a slash can indicate either "and" or "or," there are situations<br />

where it might not be clear which of these conjunctions is<br />

intended. In some cases either word would do, so the reader's interpretation<br />

doesn't really matter.<br />

Come <strong>to</strong> beautiful Mount Avalanche for a weekend of cross-country<br />

skiing/alpine skiing.<br />

<strong>The</strong> new policy is aimed only at contract employees. Regular full-time/<br />

part-time employees will not be affected.<br />

In other cases, its use could result in ambiguity.<br />

Please do not use the library/study between noon and six.<br />

<strong>The</strong> figures/illustrations are not complete.<br />

Are these two separate rooms, or one room with a dual purpose?<br />

Two different groups of artwork, or two terms for the same thing?<br />

A void using the slash as a hasty shorthand, when the resulting<br />

meaning could be unclear.<br />

INDICATING OTHER RELATIONSHIPS<br />

Apart from indicating "and" and "or" relationships, the slash may<br />

be used for the following purposes:<br />

SEPARATING ELEMENTS THAT ARE BEING COMPARED<br />

<strong>The</strong> Toron<strong>to</strong>/Montreal hockey rivalry had its heyday in the sixties.<br />

More formal alternative: <strong>The</strong> hockey rivalry between Toron<strong>to</strong><br />

and Montreal.<br />

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