punctuation - Is it OK to use a forward slash '/' between words other than the obvious 'and/or'?


I don't want to get into the proper use of the phrase 'and/or', but rather to investigate the use of the forward slash between other words. Examples:



  • I have an interview with him/her this afternoon.

  • He has a large binder/notebook.


And even separating just letters:



  • I connected the i/o ports. (input/ouput)

  • Mark the field as n/a. (not applicable)

  • I did it w/o her help. (without)


It seems as thought the forward slash can be used to indicate an option, display ambiguity, shorten 2 words and shorten 1 word (and others).


Is it OK to use a slash to separate these words/letters (yes, that was intended), or is it better to explicitly say 'his or her'? One more thing, is it correct to 'chain' these phrases together? I'm horrible with examples but here's one:



  • I don't open letters/mail that aren't/isn't addressed to me.



Answer



As I often say in response to these questions, it's not obvious what form of "OK"-ness you're looking for in asking this. It's really a stylistic decision. If you're writing to a particular style guide, do what the style guide says in this respect. If what you are writing will be edited by somebody, let them decide what to do. Otherwise (or if your editor/style guide has no opinion on the matter), decide if you like the slash or not and use it if you do...


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