Making my Thanksgiving salad dressing, I read in the list of ingredients "1/4 teaspoon salt/pepper." Because both condiments are named, I am going to assume that the recipe author meant this:
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
But why not say that? With the slash, "salt/pepper" can mean "salt and pepper," "salt or pepper"–that is, "salt and/or pepper."
Slashes can confuse people! Especially in important instructions–like recipes.
Now that I have had my Thanksgiving day rant, I wish you a lovely day!
Lynn
Syntax Training
P.S. To learn about the slash and many essential punctuation marks, take my online self-study course Punctuation for Professionals.
Hi Lynn,
Happiest Thanksgiving for you and all you love!
1/4 + 1/4 tsp of both
Such amounts should not cause any problem
with the taste.
Jerry
Hi Lynn,
Wishing you and yours a great Thanksgiving.
There’s also use of the backslash “”, which isn’t punctuation at all. It was invented in the early days of computer programming and does not appear on a traditional typewriter. I actually corrected ATT’s on their use of on their public website. Got a nice letter but no free service.
This is one of my bêtes noires and comes up a lot in my editing. I either change it (when meaning is obvious) or ask the author ‘do you mean “and”, “or” or “both”?’ Thanks for raising this point!
Happy Thanksgiving! How was the salad dressing? I know I should eat salads daily but couldn’t find room for it on my Thanksgiving dinner plate. Thank you, lynn, for the post. 🙂
Hello, friends! Thanks for your comments.
Jerry, nice to hear from you! When I returned to the kitchen from publishing this blog post, I realized the recipe called for 1/2 tsp., not 1/4. I am glad I slowed down and paid attention. The salad and dressing were delicious.
D, I am glad I haven’t seen the backslash as punctuation. It would drive me nuts. Thanks for mentioning it.
S, you and I are in complete agreement. I’ll continue to write about the overuse of the slash.
Carlos, the salad was terrific, with lots of tasty things beyond the lettuce: avocado, green apple, mandarin orange slices, blue cheese, green onions, and carmelized almonds. Too bad it’s all gone!
Lynn