Coke/Pepsi (as the subject) IS (or ARE?) unhealthy...

[tyrp]

Dear friends,
Could you please help me with the use of verbs after subjects separated by a slash?
Should the verb be used in the singular or plural if the general meaning of the sentence doesn't depend on what we understand by '/' (AND or OR)?
E.g. Coke/Pepsi (as the subject) IS (or ARE?) unhealthy...
May/could is (are?) used to show the degree of certainty...
Which use is the more traditional?
Thanks a million in advance as I've come to a dead end.

 

[PaulQ]

The answer is very simple. Coke is a name. Pepsi is a name. Ivan is a name. Coke, Pepsi and Ivan are all singular. Singular names and nouns take a singular verb.

Coke and Pepsi are brand names.
Coke is an ingredient of Cuba Libre -> Cuba Libre
Pepsi has a high sugar content.

 

[tyrp]

Dear PaulQ, thanks for trying to help me, but I still don't get it.
Actually it doesn't matter what we enumerate using a forward slash, Coke or Pepsi. What about the form of the verb - singular or plural - if we have 2 subjects in one sentence separated with a forward slash? There are lots of such sentences in English, especially when it comes to rules. Could you please make it a bit clearer?
May/could is (are?) used to show the degree of certainty...
Which verb form is necessary?

 

[PaulQ]

Sorry, I might have misunderstood. I see that by "Coke/Pepsi" you mean "Either Coke and Pepsi" or "Coke and/or Pepsi."

In this sense, it is "Coke/Pepsi has a high sugar content." because this sentence means "Coke has a high sugar content and Pepsi has a high sugar content." - you are using alternative singular subjects.

 

[Glenfarclas]

The better answer is, don't use things separated by a slash in ordinary writing. It's bad style and we don't do it.

 

[tyrp]

Thank you so much, dear PaulQ and Glenfarclas for your answers and help!
Special thanks to PaulQ. You've taken a load off my mind!

 

[ewie]

The better answer is, don't use things separated by a slash in ordinary writing. It's bad style and we don't do it.

If you mean "Coke or Pepsi", say Coke or Pepsi. If you mean "Coke and Pepsi", say Coke and Pepsi. etc.

 

[tyrp]

Thanks, ewie!