And/Or

What is the correct "flow" or sequence of words for the following words?

"no one" or "no one else"

Is there a difference and if so, how would one used each phrase?

In defense of "/" and any other symbol, [@, &, %, etc.] I'd say it's fine in place of "or both". "/". It's code; that is to say, it represents something, just as much as the letters "a", "c", and "w" do. They don't, generally, have a place in formal writing, but I would use them where appropriate as poetic license allows. How is it any less English than incorporating the many French words we use in the language?

I often go to a restaurant that has a chicken combination platter. I can get chicken along with several choices of side dishes. Are you saying that it's more correct to say that my choices are "corn or potatoes, or both corn and potatoes", or "corn and/or potatoes"?

"I feel sad when I see an old person eating or sitting alone." I saw that on a Facebook .gif. Wrong conjunction!

"/" is not English, so "and/or" is not English. "/" is convenient slang text that imitates the slash borrowed from shorthand. The slash is used in shorthand to stand for certain whole words. Remember that shorthand is always eventually translated to English, at which point the slash is replaced with a real English word. "/" should never be left in proper text by a text writer. It should be replaced with the real English word it stands for, just as a shorthand translator would do.

The construction "and/or" literally means "and or or". It's an ugly construction and should be avoided. In many cases, "and/or" can be replaced by "and" or "or" without hurting the meaning. In other cases, you have to rearrange the sentence a little.

"We can have chicked and/or beef tonight" can be fixed easily without increasing the number of words using by rearranging the sentence as, "We can have chicken, beef, or both tonight."

"This message and/or attachments [is, are] confidential" is illogical because there's no situation where the attachments would be confidential but the message would not because the message includes the attachments. Right? What's optional is whether there are attachments, not whether anything is confidential. In this case, replace "and/or" with "and" and rearrange the sentence by inserting "any" to show that there may or may not be attachments, like so, "This message and any attachments are confidential." Use the plural "are" because you included attachments in the group. A singular plus a plural makes a plural--right?

"I never go hiking or swimming" is correct. "I never go hiking and swimming" is silly. Nobody can both hike and swim at the same time. It's impossible. "I never go hiking and/or swimming" would just be ridiculous.

"Pam, Pat, or both are at the house right now."

"The fruit basket will contain apples, oranges, or both."

Just answer the question guys!

Plural or singular?

Because neither 'and' nor 'or' alone can substitute and/or in most legal documents. E.g.
Sharing and/or acquiring confidential information is/are prohibited.

If 'or' can be used inclusively, then with the following:

"You can pass this exam or you can fail it."

implies that you can both pass and fail the exam. If we want something that can be one, the other or both:

"We can have chicken or beef tonight." is more vague than "We can have chicken and/or beef tonight."

Is there a way of saying the above using no more words?

Which conj is better in this case? I never go hiking (and / or) swimming.

Thanks

"And/or" can be necessary in some cases. It is not always redundant. Most people use "and/or" incorrectly, but I use it when presenting three possible options. "And/or" means just Option 1, just Option 2, or both options. If you use "and" then both Option 1 and 2 must be used, and if you use "or" then you can only use one of these options. If you use "and/or" however, it means you can choose one, the other, or both. "Option 1 and/or Option 2."

While studying for the LSAT, my instructor took the position that "and/or" is always redundant.

"or" means that it COULD BE both subjects.

"and" means that it MUST be both subjects.

If you need "or" to mean only one of the two subjects, then you should add, "...but not both."

For example, "For no extra charge, Fred could order okra or spinach, but not both."

"and/or" can be replaced with "or".

Sammy T: Avoid the dilemma by telling your offspring "Either your mother or I will pick you up after school today."

Okay, so I know that a compound subject amalgamated by using "and" uses the plural verb, and also that a compound subject linked by using "or" uses a singular verb, but I believe that there are a few instances in which one is able to pick which verb they use in the correlating sentence. Exempli gratia, "Either your mother or I is/am going to pick you up after school today." My question is, which of these two forms of the verb "to be" should be used in this sentence? Are the two verbs interchangeable? Could someone please help me with this perplexing predicament?

Strunk and White, which has been criticised on this site and elsewhere, recommends, instead of the format "option A and/or option B," to use "option A, option B, or both."

I run into this usage all the time at work when what is meant by and/or is really "sometimes A, sometimes B, and sometimes both together." The Strunk and White recommendation works well for that meaning, I think.

When using and/or with a page break in the middle, is it proper to split the expression:
and/
or

or

and
/or

thanks in advance.
Dave

abdimalik,

Try ESL first.

Thanks

In response to Grammer Girl. (5/20/10 01:45:50)

Is Pam or Pat at the house right now?

Yes. And/or is not good writing. While we're there, can we all agree to despise "if and when"?

What's wrong with just "if"?

From Wikipedia Manual of Style:

Avoid the construct and/or on Wikipedia. In general, where it is important to mark an inclusive or, use x or y, or both, rather than x and/or y. For an exclusive or, use either x or y, and optionally add but not both, if it is necessary to stress the exclusivity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:MOS#And.2For

In this case I agree the best solution would be "and", instead of "and/or". However, I sometimes need to express the idea of "both or either", and then I use and/or. Is there another way to convey that idea in English?

The original comment - short and to the point. The second with the question about 'whether the subject should be treated as singular or plural'. First business: I am a technical writer with about 20 years of creating content, format & styles, as well as various file types (word processing and desktop publishers). My audiences are as diverse as the engineering fields and sciences I apply. To answer your question from a technical writing perspective, the answer - subject is singular; e.g., Note: If re-installation of the mounting plate(s) is required, ensure to align the plate(s) with each adjacent assembly. It's been a general rule for as long as I can remember.

Please please please let us just murder "and/or". It is an abomination. I do not usually get violently angry about grammar or language stuff, but "and/or" can push me over the edge. Let's all just join the logicians and agree that "or" is inclusive unless modified by, for example "either".

From wikipedia: Judges have called it a "freakish fad," an "accuracy-destroying symbol," and "meaningless." The Wisconsin Supreme Court referred to it as "that befuddling, nameless thing, that Janus-faced verbal monstrosity." Perhaps most crushing of all, the Kentucky Supreme Court said it was a "much-condemned conjunctive-disjunctive crutch of sloppy thinkers."

this was the worst grammer girl lesson that she has done..... way to slack it up the wazzzzzammmm...

the problem is reserving right to call something confidential. Saying that "this message and any attachments" mean that rights are always reserved. However, by putting the Or it allows to reserve rights on either the document, the message, or both, but not none.

Renee, yes, I think your sentence works too.

Will, you've changed the sentence so that you don't have to make a decision about "and/or" being singular or plural. It's not a matter of using it correctly.

If you write "An apple and/or an orange are in the basket," it's used "correctly" but it's not clear whether the subject should be treated as singular or plural.

The problem is when the two items are singular and come before the verb. Here's another one:

Pam and/or Pat are [is?] at the house right now.

Would this be correct? "This message and any attachments are confidential." I don't think it changes the meaning.

GG: you're explaining a problem that exists when folks mis-use "and/or," rather than when it is actually what the writer intends to say. I believe the verb case problem doesn't occur when it's used correctly (e.g., the fruit basket will contain apples and/or oranges).

Forget my last comment. Haha, Grammar Girl wrote that suggestion at the very end and it got lost in the "Was this Tip Helpful?" yes/no section. Sorry!!!!

A suggestion: This message and/or attachments [is? are?] confidential.


Try something like "This message and any attachments are confidential."

That way, it's a universal message. If you don't have attachments it can still work and definitely works if you have attachments.

first i would like to greed all of you

secondly i dont know how to use or speak corectly this languege.what would you recomended me