In its truest form, a forward slash is going to indicate a relationship between two things. It could indicate that the two things are closely related connected in some way, or it could indicate that there is opposition or conflict between them. Abbreviations are shortened forms of words.
Forwards slashes are often used when an abbreviation involves shortening two words or a compound word. A number of common abbreviations incorporate slashes. Reserve this usage only for very informal writing. Did you notice that each of these examples has an air of informality?
However, in less formal settings, forward slashes help us shorten our writing. Don't leave a space on either side of the slash. Forward slashes are used in a few situations that involve numbers. Specifically, they can be used to write dates, as well as to express ratios or fractions. When writing a date, you can opt to use a combination of words and numbers, such as December 25, You can also leave out the words entirely. When writing dates with only numbers, you'll need to use forward slashes.
Even though slashes are usually used informally, it can be appropriate to use a forward slash when dealing with dates even in formal writing. Do not leave spaces between the slashes and the numbers. Be mindful of any special requirements that apply to what you are writing. For example, the military format for dates doesn't allow for any symbols to be used.
Consider the two examples below:. Often, when a slash is used in a formal or informal text, it is meant to indicate the word or. The examples below illustrate this meaning of the forward slash:. Burgers or pizza for dinner? Slashes can also be used to note that there is a connection or conflict between two words or phrases in a sentence. Some examples include:. Chaucer used virgules to represent caesuras in his Middle English manuscripts. And we still have traces of this usage in modern written English; line breaks in poetry and songs are often noted by the slash, usually with a space on either side.
Like many typographic symbols, the slash has found its very own special place in pop culture. Slash fiction is a type of fan fiction, usually appearing on online forums, that pairs two same-sex characters together in a romantic relationship.
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