phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

The Phrase Finder
Phrases, Sayings and Idioms Home > Discussion Forum

- We are also on

A Phrase A Week - Facebook Group & Follow aphraseaweek on Twitter

Re: And/or

Posted by Anders on August 20, 2003

In Reply to: Re: And/or posted by Bruce Kahl on August 20, 2003

Hello Bruce
You're missing the point. GPP is responding to my original query: What to use after 'and/or', an expression which confuses concord.
Anders
PS: many thanks for your helpful remarks, guys!

: : : : I am proofreading a sentence that reads "A change in the speed and/or a change in the load generate a dynamic situation." To me it sounds odd; I would prefer 'generates'. I suspect the perfect solution would be 'generate/s', but this is too weird, and 'generates or generate' is silly. I hesitate to recast the sentence. Can you support my feeling that 'generates' is preferable to 'generate'?
: : : : Thanks
: : : : Anders

: : : And/or is an awkward construction and it is difficult to phrase elegantly.
: : : "A change in the speed or load, separately or together, generates a dynamic situation."

: : Grammatically awkward, perhaps, but I think not in terms of its being understood or widely used. I would always use the singular. Perhaps that's because the 'or' is probably the more inclusive term, while the 'and' really means you're hedging your bet.

: "Change" is the subject of the sentence and is singular. Singulars require a singular verb--"generates".
: If the subject were "changes", which is plural, then the predicate would have to be plural--"generate".