1
vote
1answer
74 views

Is it good style to factor out the common root word of two (or more) prefixed compound words?

I see sometimes in conjunciton or disjunction, the common root of two or more compound words are factored out, for example, "super- and sub-script" (maybe bad example, but it suffices to describe the ...
2
votes
2answers
58 views

Better way to express “X and [A and B] Y” than “X as well as A and B Y”? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Overusing “and” and how to fix it I often need to express something along the lines of X and Y, where Y is two things, e.g. Cindy owns a boat and [both red and blue] ...
-1
votes
2answers
101 views

What is the best way to join 'and' and 'or' together?

What is the best way to join 'or' and 'and' together? 'or/and' or 'and/or'?
2
votes
4answers
775 views

How can you use “either… or” twice in a sentence?

I want to be able to say something like: There either needs to be X to do either Xa or Xb or there needs to be Y. (edit: since from some answers it doesn't seen to be clear, I mean that that Xa ...
3
votes
8answers
384 views

Commas around “and”

I'm at a loss as to how I should title this. I have this sentence: We have the option to provide notifications via telephone, and, possibly, email. I am trying to express several things: ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views

Comma after To at the beginning of a sentence

I am just writing my master thesis and I am unsure whether to place a comma in sentences starting with "To". Here are some examples: To be able to improve the performance[,] it is important to ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views

Is using “and/or” recommended for formal writing, or is it frowned upon?

Is using "and/or" allowed in formal writing? If not, is there general way to represent the OR binary operator with as little space as possible in written English?
16
votes
4answers
872 views

Usage of “And” in the beginning of a sentence

Since I first learned English, I have been holding this understanding that "and", as a conj. but unlike "but", can only connect two clauses, not two sentences ended with periods. But recently, I ...
21
votes
3answers
9k views

When to use & instead of “and”

Are there rules of usage when using the ampersand "&" instead of "and"? Are they completely interchangeable? The ampersand seems more casual, but I'm not sure.
6
votes
3answers
1k views

“So long as” vs. “as long as”

Which phrase is more formal — "so long as" or "as long as"? Example: So long as Google Voice allows free long distance in North America, I will use it. As long as Google Voice allows free ...