Writing Tip

Slash and Burn: Taming Unruly Slashes

Difficulty Level: Basic

Recommendation: Make slashes break at the end of a line to prevent awkward white space.

Here is a common layout problem: You have several words joined by a forward slash, such as pneumatic/hydraulic. The rule of thumb is to join them without spaces. However, when such a conjoined phrase nears the end of the line, Microsoft Word knocks the entire phrase to the next line, creating trapped space that looks like your employer's error (accidentally deleted text or a wayward carriage return).

Check out the figure below. See how Word boots “transformers/autotransformer” to the next line, creating an awkward white space. Typically, people do one of three things when this happens:

  1. Install a space after the slash.
  2. Install a manual line break after the space.
  3. Live with the awkward trapped space.

Now consider the first two (because the last one is unforgivable). What if the author changes the text? In the first case, you may have an obnoxious space after the slash if the slash finds its way naturally to the next line. If you install a manual line break, you can create a really big white space. WWWFD? (What would William Faulkner do?)

Click Here for the Image

Aha! There is a super-nifty invisible (literally) character that saves the day, but you have to put it in the right place. Here’s how:

  1. Place the cursor after the slash.
  2. Click on the Insert tab.
  3. Click on the Insert Symbol button.
  4. Click on More Symbols.
    Click Here for the Path to “More Symbols…”
  5. Click on the Special Characters tab and then on “No-Width Optional Break.”
    Click Here for the Path to “No-Width Optional Break”
  6. Click on Insert.

Now, with that special character after the slash, the line will break there. And, most importantly, when the sentence changes and the entire phrase fits on a single line, the reader won’t see an awkward space between the slash and word (failure!) or awkward line break (failure!).

There will be no ticker-tape parade for the no-width optional break, but he/she is no less a hero of the publishing world. (Peak under its kimono to discover its mysterious gender, if you dare.) The figure below shows the manifestation of the no-width optional break after being doused with magical show-me juice. Yeah. Scary.