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Abbreviations – how to use them

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Definition

An abbreviation is a letter or a shortened word which is used instead of the full word.

Examples

Abbreviation	Full expression	Latin term
e.g.	for example	exempli gratia
i.e.	that is	id est
N.B.	please note	nota bene
Mr	Mister	—
US	United States	—

Use

Abbreviations are used to save space – or to avoid repeating common terms.

They are often used in dictionaries, encyclopedias, and bibliographies.

Some organisations abbreviate their titles to the initial capital letters of their names.

Abbreviations are very useful when taking notes.

Many traditional abbreviations are shortened forms of words from Latin.

NB! Don’t use abbreviations in formal writing. Write out the word(s) in full.

Notice that a full stop is placed after an abbreviation, but not when the full word is used. Sometimes the full stop may be omitted in order to avoid double punctuation.

You should never begin a sentence with an abbreviation. Either spell out the word, or re-arrange the words in the sentence.

Companies and organisations often drop the full stops from their abbreviated titles.

ICI – Imperial Chemicals Industry
BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation
WHO – World Health Organisation

Some abbreviations are spoken as if they were complete words: for instance, NATO (‘NayTow’).

Others are spelled out. For instance VIP [very important person] is usually spoken as three separate letters – “Vee-Eye-Pea”.

Abbreviations are very useful when taking notes, but you should not use them in the main text of any formal writing.

If you wish to use any of these expressions, they should be written out in full. That is, don’t use e.g., but write out for example.

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