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