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The slash ( / ) has several uses in formal writing, such as poetry, fractions, abbreviations, and conflict or connection. Never use a backslash ( \\ ) in place of a slash. Learn the meaning and usage of the slash with examples and avoidance of common errors.
- History
- Usage
- Spacing
- Encoding
- Alternative Names
- See Also
Slashes may be found in early writing as a variant form of dashes, vertical strokes, etc. The present use of a slash distinguished from such other marks derives from the medieval European virgule (Latin: virgula, lit. "twig"), which was used as a period, scratch comma, and caesura mark. (The first sense was eventually lost to the low dot and the ot...
Computing
The slash, sometimes distinguished as "forward slash", is used in computingin a number of ways, primarily as a separator among levels in a given hierarchy, for example in the path of a filesystem.
Currency
The slash (as the "shilling mark" or "solidus") was an abbreviation for the shilling, a former coin of the United Kingdom and its former colonies. Before the decimalisation of currency in Britain, its currency abbreviations (collectively £sd) represented their Latin names, derived from a medieval French modification of the late Roman libra, solidus, and denarius. Thus, one penny less than two pounds was written £1 19s. 11d. During the period when English orthography included the long s, ſ, th...
There are usually no spaces either before or after a slash. According to New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide, a slash is usually written without spacing on either side when it connects single words, letters or symbols. Exceptions are in representing the start of a new line when quoting verse, or a new paragraph when quoting prose. The Chicago ...
As a very common character, the slash (as "slant") was originally encoded in ASCII with the decimal code 47 or 0x2F. The same value was used in Unicode, which calls it "solidus" and also adds some more characters: 1. U+002F / SOLIDUS 2. U+0337 ̷ COMBINING SHORT SOLIDUS OVERLAY (for strikethrough) 3. U+0338 ̸ COMBINING LONG SOLIDUS OVERLAY (for stri...
The slash may also be read out as and, or, and/or, to, or cum in some compounds separated by a slash; over or out of in fractions, division, and numbering; and per or a(n)in derived units (as km/h) and prices (as $~/kg), where the division slash stands for "each".
Jan 14, 2021 · Learn the grammar rules and punctuation tips for using slashes (/) in different contexts. Find out when to use a space before and after slashes, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Feb 14, 2022 · Learn how to use the forward slash (/) in different contexts, such as poetry, alternatives, fractions, dates, and website addresses. See examples of slash punctuation and compare it with the backslash.
Mar 25, 2021 · Learn how to use slash symbols in writing for different purposes, such as separating words, substituting for and/or, showing connection or opposition, and abbreviating words. Find out the difference between forward slash, backslash and vertical slash, and see examples of each usage.
- Mary Gormandy White
- Staff Writer
Nov 11, 2022 · The slash symbol is a punctuation mark used in the English language for various purposes, such as separating or breaking lines in poetry and prose, denoting fractions, dates, or phonemes. Learn the different types of slashes (forward, backward, and vertical), how they function, and see examples of their usage in sentences.
Learn how to use the slash (/) punctuation mark in various ways to separate, connect, or add emphasis to words and phrases. See the slash's functions in grammar and English Language Arts (ELA) with examples and exercises. Find out the difference between slash and other punctuation marks such as period, comma, and backslash.
