Writing Lab Slash or Virgule Slash or Virgule

Writing Lab Slash or Virgule

Slash or Virgule • Referred to as the forward slash, the oblique, the separatrix, the slant, the solidus, the shilling mark, and, in England, the stroke. • Used to separate interchangeable alternatives and to divide lines of quoted poetry or verse.

The Slash Separating Alternatives • The slash between words, as in and/or and he/she, indicates that either word is appropriate in the given context. • In these cases, no space is left before or after the slash. • Because extensive use of the slash can make writing choppy, consider using or instead. • If you are following MLA guidelines, avoid using the slash in formal prose. • Examples: and/or, he/she, s/he, either/or, yes/no, pass/fail

The Slash Marking Line Breaks in Quoted Poetry • Except for very special emphasis, enclose a quotation of three (or fewer) lines of poetry in quotation marks as you would a short prose quotation. • Indicate the divisions between the lines with a slash with a space on each side. • Quotations of poetry or verse must look like verse, not prose. Keep all capital letters and punctuation used in the poem’s original format. • If you cite more than three lines of verse, format the passage like a block quotation and break the lines as they occur in the poem itself. No slashes are required when quoting poetry this way. • Example: Shel Silverstein ends his poem “Listen to the Mustn’ts” with a piece of optimistic advice: “Then listen close to me— / Anything can happen, child, / ANYTHNG can be. ”

The Slash for Fractions • Use a slash to separate the numerator from the denominator in fractions. • Use a hyphen to attach a whole number and a fraction. • No spaces are left between the numbers, slashes, and hyphens. • Examples: 2/3, 5 -3/8

The Slash for Web Addresses • Slashes are used in Web addresses. • No spaces precede or follow slashes in Web addresses. • Example: http: //www. uwf. edu/writelab/aids/minilessons/

That’s all, folks! • This lesson is part of the UWF Writing Lab Grammar Mini-Lesson Series • Lessons adapted from Real Good Grammar, Too by Mamie Webb Hixon • To find out more, visit the Writing Lab’s website where you can take a self-scoring quiz corresponding to this lesson