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Zazzex Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Meaning of "OR"
Hello
I have a question.
Q1. "A or B" can mean a few things as follows.
A. "either A or B" : e.g.) He is in a writing profession such as a novelist or a critic.
B. "A = B" : e.g.) He is chief or head of the department. (appositive)
In some case, you cannot depend on common senses or the context, how can you distinguish "or" means "either A or B" or "A=B"?
And, how can you write it clearly without puzzling readers?
Thanks in advance :-)
I have a question.
Q1. "A or B" can mean a few things as follows.
A. "either A or B" : e.g.) He is in a writing profession such as a novelist or a critic.
B. "A = B" : e.g.) He is chief or head of the department. (appositive)
In some case, you cannot depend on common senses or the context, how can you distinguish "or" means "either A or B" or "A=B"?
And, how can you write it clearly without puzzling readers?
Thanks in advance :-)
Top answer
g. "He is in the writing profession as either a novelist or a critic". B: A = B - fine as it is, although you should use commas viz "He is chief, or head, of his department".
- g.
- "He is in the writing profession as either a novelist or a critic".
- B: A = B - fine as it is, although you should use commas viz "He is chief, or head, of his department".
- You could also write "He is chief - or head - of his department" or "He is chief (or head) of his department".
- Your example "A" does not strictly mean "either A or B ".
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2 Answers
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A: Either "a" or "b" - if the choice is between two options, you would use the word "either"; e.g. "He is in the writing profession as either a novelist or a critic".
B: A = B - fine as it is, although you should use commas viz "He is chief, or head, of his department". You could also write "He is chief - or head - of his department" or "He is chief (or head) of his department".
Yo
B: A = B - fine as it is, although you should use commas viz "He is chief, or head, of his department". You could also write "He is chief - or head - of his department" or "He is chief (or head) of his department".
Yo
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