Simon asks,
I am trying to find information on the use of the sign '&' to replace 'and' in English. When is it acceptable to use this sign? I understood that it could only be used for Proper Nouns, eg. the name of a company 'Fox & Sons Ltd.' but never in a normal sentence such as 'this fees & charges handbook specifies the procedures to be followed.' I'd be happy to know what the rule is.
The ampersand (&) comes from an alteration of and per se and, & (the sign) by itself (means) and. The Associated Press Stylebook says that you should use it when it is part of a company's formal name, but never simply in place of and. Simon seems to have understood correctly.
I like to use the ampersand in lists to distinguish sub-items from items.
for example:
cars & trucks, boats & submarines, and planes & balloons.
I feel this use makes it more readable than
cars and trucks, boats and submarines, and planes and balloons.
What do you think?
Yes, i agree, this seems to be the most aesthetically pleasing & logical way, and of course saves some time
Grammatically, you should be using a semi-colon (;) in a list like that.