As a programmer, I have no problem with seeing or using "and/or" in technical documentation. For example,
I can upvote an answer that satisfies me and/or mark it as accepted.
That's perfectly good English to me. However, if I were writing a novel, or even just an essay, or — heaven forbid — a poem, "and/or" would seem extremely out of place.
My question is, what should I be using instead? (I solemnly swear I will not use that knowledge to actually write a poem.)
Here are a few alternatives to the example you provided that avoid the stroke (forward slash). Pick whichever one you like!
- I can upvote an answer that satisfies me, mark it as accepted, or do both.
- I can do either or both of up-voting and marking as accepted the answer that satisfies me.
- I can do either or both of up-voting the answer that satisfies me and marking it as accepted.
They are all grammatically correct, though perhaps 2. and 3. are a bit more convoluted, for the sake of logical clarity.
"And/or" is actually a fairly stupid expression, since the English words "and" or "or" aren't as exact or exclusive as this expression seems to imply. For example,
I like coconuts and steaks
doesn't necessarily mean "I like coconuts and steaks at the same time".
Here,
I can upvote an answer that satisfies me and/or mark it as accepted.
could just as well be
I can upvote an answer that satisfies me or mark it as accepted.
In the context of a normal piece of writing, there are very few people, except argumentative weirdos, who will take that to mean that you can't do both of those things.
If you desperately need to emphasize that both things are possible then Noldorin has answered that in detail.
I don't think and/or is stupid. The reason is that there are two types of "or"s.
Inclusive Or: Please give me a taco and/or a burrito (I'm saying I will accept a taco, a burrito, or both.)
Exclusive Or: Please give me either a taco or a burrito. (I will accept a taco or a burrito but not both.)
The problem is using plain-old "or" isn't very explicit about which is meant.
Many people need to be explicit that inclusive or is meant and not exclusive or. In my last sentence, which or is meant is ambiguous. Am I expecting to get exactly one thing? Or would both be acceptable?
But yes to answer your question we can try to phrase the inclusive or without use of and/or:
Conclusion: and/or has naturally evolved to fill an unfilled niche in English...the explicit inclusive or. Why fight progress?
Linguistically this is called the "inclusive or." A single-word version of it--"vel"--exists in Latin. In certain, admittedly limited contexts, it might be conceivable to use the Latin conjunction within English writing (designated by italics).
Of course, in math and formal logic, you can and must use "or" for "and/or." But the question remains of how to do it in normal speech.
I think the word "also" (with or without "could") adumbrates much of the same semantic ground as "and/or." Not that the expressions are interchangeable, of course.
I agree we seem to lack a good conjunction for this in English--which is odd, because the "neither/nor" side is so rich.
A word to use in place of and/or is simply "andor". See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/andor
I see nothing wrong with using andor. Technical writing often calls for it, and saves from writing longer andor more confusing sentences.
Using andor in that last sentence basically said: "saves from writing longer or saves from writing more confusing sentences"(because it could be short, but more confusing; or long, but not more confusing), or "saves from writing longer and more confusing sentences"(both longer and confusing).
Here are a few additional alternatives:
I’d suggest:
I can upvote an answer that satisfies me, as well as mark it as accepted.
and/or is not a literary or poetic collocation.
I have never ever seen and/or in a novel or poem.
Of course, there are exceptions surely. But in general and/or is a logical operator and not used in literary or poetic discourse.
So, the question as posed does not make sense in a literary or poetic environment.
And/or:
Example: “I’d like a coffee and/or a coke.”
Alternatives (based on rewording):
I’d like a coffee or a coke or both.
If not a coffee or coke I’d like both.
I’d like a coffee, coke or either.
I’d like a coke together with a coffee or just one of the two.
Alternatives (based on synonyms or antonyms):
(Not for starbucks) Therewith a coke or coffee, both.
I’ll take no more than a coffee and a coke (Usable with nearly no waitress or waiter anywhere, ever, without several questions being asked as a result; therein forcing the and/or problem).
Between coffee and coke, I’d also take either.
If not a coffee and coke then either.
(Maybe mathematician) I’d like a coffee and coke, bisect otherwise.
I’d like a coffee or coke or to combine/join/ them.
I’d like a coffee, coke, or their combo.
Several more examples no doubt abound, you just have to think about verbs, conditionals, adverbs, a thesaurus (for every such instance) a dictionary for usage (setting mostly) and Google (usually Stackexchange). “Combo” is great in this particular setting, for example, but would have to carry the unwanted connotations of the setting if retooled for some other register should it be imposed for example on most any other conjunctive phrasing.
Once you get into the rhetoric of the language (idioms, phrases, etc), for example variations of phrases like to cleave twain, you’ll see how much the language has to offer and all of the implicit propositions that the and/or phrase ignores. At the same time, you’ll no doubt have renewed appreciation for the allegedly problematic and/or.
Special-usage dictionaries and bilingual dictionaries (online) as well as various such language forums may be a last-ditch effort, but look at it like this: Most of the answers have taken no more than 30 minutes. The quality of them has depended not on cognitive qualities (“intelligence”, attention, memory, etc.) nearly as much as on experience. Still, that’s just thirty minutes. If you dedicated a day to the question and about 50 very good references, I guarantee you you’d really surprise yourself. English is the richest of languages, by far, and if another language has it, it’d just be by coincidence. For example Polish might because it’s so rich in cases, Latin and Greek as well, as mentioned in part above. The main tool will be your own resolve.
Another solution:
salt and (or) pepper
