English Grammar for the Utterly Confused - Laurie Rozakis 2003

Good Things Come in Small Packages: The Rules of Abbreviations
Chapter 11 Capitalization and Abbreviations
Part 4 A Writers Tools

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Abbreviations start with a capital letter and end with a period. They are a handy way to save time and space when you’re writ­ing, but only if you use commonly accepted abbreviations. Otherwise, you’ll just confuse your readers. Here is how to use abbreviations correctly.

1. Abbreviate social titles and titles of rank, both before and after a person’s name.

Mr. Mrs. Ms. Dr.

Quick Tip

Miss is a title that comes before a person’s name, but since it isn’t an abbrevia­tion, it doesn’t have a period at the end. A usage note: Many women now prefer the title “Ms.,” but some still prefer “Miss.” When in doubt, ask the woman what title she prefers.

2. Abbreviate names of academic degrees.

Jonathan Hernandez, B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)

Hi-Jing Yu, M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts)

Because of their Latin roots, abbreviations for many degrees can be written in either direc­tion: M.A. or A.M. for Masters of Arts, for instance. The following chart shows some of the most commonly abbreviated degrees:

3. Abbreviate time.

A.M. (before noon; ante meridian)

P.M. (afternoon; post meridian)

4. Abbreviate some historical periods. In most—but not all—cases, the abbreviation is placed after the date.

Ancient times (2,000 years in the past)

B.C. (before the birth of Christ)

B.C.E. (before the common era)

Modern times (within the last 2,000 years)

C.E. (common era)

A.D. (Anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord,” an abbreviation that comes before the date)

Here’s how these abbreviations are used:

Emperor Augustus lived from 63 B.C. (or B.C.E.) to A.D. 14 (or C.E.).

5. Abbreviate geographical terms.

Sammi lives on Woodlawn Dr.

The following chart lists the most common abbreviations for geographical terms.

6. Abbreviate names of states.

Use the official U.S. Post Office zip code abbreviations, which are not followed by periods.

There’s a list of all 50 abbreviations in your telephone book.

FL (Florida) PA (Pennsylvania)

7. Abbreviate some Latin expressions.

e.g. (for example) et al. (and others)

8. Abbreviate measurements.

inches is abbreviated in.

feet is abbreviated ft.

Here are some of the most common abbreviations for measurements. Note that metric abbre­viations are not followed by a period.

9. Abbreviate the titles of some organizations and things.

These abbreviations are not followed by a period.

UN (United Nations)

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

TV (television)