The comma, represented by ‘/’, separates alternatives, replaces “for” in sentences such as with speeds, and separates lines of continuous verse. The word “virgule” originated from the Latin word “virgula” meaning “small twig”. The forward slash was used in ancient Rome and is now used in computers, math code, and the Internet. Commas are used to separate a pair of options when the answer is unknown. They can also replace “per” and be used in continuous verse. Some irregular uses of the comma include separating two-letter initials.
A comma is a forward slash used in three contexts in modern English. It is represented on the page by a ‘/’ symbol. The first function of the comma is to separate alternatives in a sentence. The second is to replace “for” in a sentence such as with speeds. It is also used to separate lines of continuous verse.
The word virgule came into English from the French word ‘virgule’ with the same spelling. It originates from the classical Latin word “virgula” which literally means “small twig”, but once meant “punctuation”. The root word for virgula is virga, which means rod, twig, or stick. The word was first used in English in 1837.
The slash was first used in ancient Rome and can be found in both its literature and inscriptions throughout the Roman Empire. Medieval manuscripts used the slash like a modern comma. Two competing commas or // were originally used as dashes or –. They were later tilted horizontally to create the modern equal sign or =.
In modern English, the term virgule is used only to refer to English writing and punctuation. The forward slash is used in many other contexts, including computers, mathematical code, and the Internet or markup language. When used in these contexts, it is called a “slash” or another term is used.
Commas are used as alternatives to separate a pair of options when the answer is not known. Sometimes, this can be used for more than two options, but this is rare. Common examples used in English include “either/or” and “and/or”. It is used on survey answer sheets and school worksheets to separate a pair of answers such as “yes/no” and “true/false”.
‘Per’ is replaced with comma to shorten a sentence and provide some sort of abbreviation. A common ‘for’ substitution used in English involves speeds. For example, miles per hour is replaced with miles per hour. As an alternative to the comma, English speakers may use abbreviations such as mph instead of miles per hour.
Some poems are written in continuous verse. This means that there are notional breaks between lines of verse, but once written, these lines are not cut off and placed under each other, but continue down the page like lines of prose. The comma in this context tells the reader when the end of a line is reached. They are also used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry sometimes to separate semi-lines.
Modern English has seen irregular use of the comma. While strictly limited to the three forms mentioned above, some English speakers use the comma to separate two-letter initials. Examples of this additional usage include w/o instead of without and o/o instead of the over-operator.
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