: Re: Using "and/or" in a manuscript I've used "and/or" in my writings in the past, but not for fiction manuscripts. Is it acceptable to use this? It's internal narration in a character's head and

@Ravi5107385

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I would not recommend using and/or. There are a number of style guides and English references that severely criticize it. For example:

Chicago Manual of Style ("Avoid this Janus-faced term. It can often be replaced by and or or with no loss in meaning.")
Strunk and White ("damages a sentence and often leads to confusion or ambiguity")
Fowler's English Usage (an "ugly device" that may be "common and convenient in some kinds of official, legal, and business documents, but should not be allowed outside them")

I'm sure there are others.

Rewording it is almost always simple, clear and easy to do. I would only use it if a character uses it regularly as part of their speech, otherwise, I would avoid it for the simple reason that, for me, it provides nothing of substantial benefit, but carries a number of negatives, particularly because I think readers may find it a little jarring and possibly confusing.

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