Abbreviations

You know the world of English is a fun and exciting place to be.

I’m so glad you could join me for another lesson.

In this lesson we will take a look at what happens when we want to make a long word or a group of words into a smaller and easier to remember form or as it is commonly known - Abbreviation.

The first type of abbreviation is initial abbreviation, where the first letter of each word is used to form the final abbreviation. They are read as individual letters.

For example, the abbreviation VIP is formed from using the letters from - Very Important Person. So VIP is the result. It is easier to remember and also much easier to say.

So here we go with some other examples of initial abbreviations:

LOL – Laugh Out Loud

UFO – Unidentified Flying Object

GB – Great Britain

BMW – Bavarian Motor Works

FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation

WWW – World Wide Web

MTV – Music Television

SMS – Short Message Service

PC – Personal Computer

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

DND – Do Not Disturb

Secondly, there is a type of abbreviation we call Acronym. In this case the first letters from each word actually form another word.

For example, LASER. The word is made up from the first letters of Light Application by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Here you will notice that not all of the first letters are used. Often the word “and” is left out of the formula. This rule mostly applies to conjunctions and prepositions.

Here are some more examples of acronyms.

AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization

WHO – the World Health Organization

JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group

NASA – National Aeronautical and Space Administration

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

scuba - self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

FIFA - The Federation of International Football Associations

PIN – Personal Identity Number

Some English words are used in a shortened form in informal situations - Clipping

The beginning is left.

ad = advertisement

cable = cablegram

doc = doctor

exam = examination

fax = facsimile

gas = gasoline

gym = gymnastics

pub = public house

pop = popular music

The middle part is left.

flu = influenza

fridge = refrigerator

The final part is left.

chute = parachute

coon = raccoon

gator = alligator

phone = telephone

Clipping is common when we use personal names:

Some abbreviations have only written forms. They are pronounced as the full word.

Mr – Mister                   Dr - Doctor                             i.e. – that is

Mrs – Missis        St – Saint                      St - street

Ms - Miss            e.g – for example          No – Number

km – kilometer(s)                                      etc. – and so on

When we want to make a word or phrase shorter we abbreviate it by omission of internal letters which are replaced by an apostrophe. This is called contraction.

I am = I'm

He is = He's

He does not = He doesn't

I must not= I mustn't

They have = They've

With the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, VK, emails, online gaming services, mobile phone text messaging (SMS) came emergency in a new texting language.

The main principle of SMS - language is the maximum information in the minimum amount of keystrokes.

There are four main rules of forming sms-shortening.

1. One letter or number substitute the whole word, for example:

be - b; ate - 8; see - c; for - 4; are - r; to / too - 2; you - u; why - y; your / you are - ur.

2. One letter or number substitute the syllable, for example:

great - gr8; later - l8r; before - b4; today - 2day; no one - NO1; anyone - NE1; forever - 4eva.

3. Changing the value of symbols, for example:

ss - $; oo -%;-orr-- oz; sorry - soz; tomorrow - 2moro; thanks - TX; today - 2dA; says - sez; because - coz or bcoz; please - plz;

4. Omitting of letters and punctuation marks:

text – txt, with - w / t (a); something - s / t; boyfriend - b / f; homework - h / w; class work - c / w, between - btw; speak - SPK; people - PPL; please - PLS; friend - frnd; message - msg, probably - prbly

Here are some other examples of modern text lingo:

WU? - What’s Up?

TTY - talk to you later

BTW - by the way

IMHO - in my honest opinion

HAND - have a nice day

OMG – Oh my God

CU - See You

NP - No problem or Noisy parents

PLS - Please

RUOK - Are You OK?

ZZZ - Sleeping

HBD - Happy Birthday!

BRB – Be right back

ILY – I love you

TGIF – Thanks god it’s Friday

IDK – I don’t know

2MI - Too much information

REHI - Hello Again (re-Hi!)

OTF - On the Floor

HHOK - Ha Ha Only Kidding

HTH - Hope This Helps

TAFN - That’s all for now.

Read the text messages below and try to decode them.

1. I hope I will CU L8R. MayB 2mrw?

OK! Hand.

I hope I will see you later. Maybe tomorrow?

OK! Have a nice day.

2. Had a gr8 time tnx 4 ur present. C u 2mrwJ

Had a great time. Thanks for your present. See you tomorrowJ

3. Y did ur bro send me that msg?

IDK.

Why did your brother send me that message?

I don’t know.

4. 2B or not 2B?

To be or not to be?

5. hi m8. ruok? i soz i 4gt 2 cal u lst nyt. y dnt we go c film 2moz

Hi, mate. Are you okay? I am sorry that I forgot to call you last night. Why don't we go and see film tonight?

Abbreviations make our life easier.

There are hundreds of abbreviations around and new ones are constantly being created. You could even invent your own shortened phrase.

However, when using them, don't overdo it.

TAFN. TNX Can you guess what it stands for?

That’s all for now. Thanks