• FACULTY:PHLOLGY-HISTORY

SPECIALITY:ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHI
G
COURSE:4
GROUP:XD1/18
STUDENT:QULIYEVA FIDAN
TEACHER:GASIMOVA VUSALE
SUBJECT: LEXICOLOGY

Baku Girls University

Abbreviations
Abbreviations:
Main points
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or group of
words. Depending on the abbreviation, it may be written
in capital or small letters and with or without one or more
periods. There are a lot of miscellaneous abbreviations in
English.

For example: a.m. (before noon); e.g. (for example); etc.

(and so on); ft. (foot, feet); lb. (pound, pounds); ESL
(English as a second language); IBM (International
Business Machines); 
 Abbreviations are often used in tables, footnotes,
lists, catalogs, orders and bills, drawings, drafts,
figures, captions to illustrations, and the like – that
is, where space is tight and brevity is necessary.
Also, there may be many abbreviations in technical
writing. Some abbreviations may also be used in
informal writing (for example, in informal letters to
friends and relatives).
 English texts of general nontechnical character (for
example, books, stories, articles, reports, business
correspondence) are usually regarded as formal writing.
Abbreviations are rarely used in formal nontechnical
texts, with the exception of certain standard
abbreviations.
Formal
writing
Standard abbreviations that are considered appropriate
for use in formal written materials include titles used
before surnames (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.), academic
degrees (for example, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.), certain Latin
abbreviations (a.m., p.m., A.D., B.C.), official
abbreviated names of companies and organizations (for
example, BBC, NATO, UN), and some others.
• In reference materials,
abbreviations are often grouped
according to their meaning and
field of use, for example, technical Types of
abbreviations, computer
abbreviations, medical abbreviations
abbreviations, legal abbreviations,
sports abbreviations, and so on.
• Some abbreviations are used only in
writing and are pronounced in full in
speech. For example, "lb." and
"bldg." are used only as written
abbreviations; they are read as
"pound" and "building". Some other
abbreviations are written and read as
abbreviations, for example, "a.m.,
DNA".
 • Abbreviations of units of measure are
a large group that includes
abbreviations of units of weight,
length, area, volume, time, speed, and
so on. Abbreviations of units of
Abbreviations of measure are most frequently used in
tables, lists, catalogs, drawings, and
units of measure the like.
• For example: lb. (pound); oz. (ounce);
gal. (gallon); ft. (foot); in. (inch); sq.
mi. (square mile); cu. in. (cubic inch);
sec. (second); min. (minute); hr.
(hour); mph (miles per hour).
 • Latin abbreviations in English include a
number of various abbreviations; some of
Latin them are quite common in written English.
For example: a.m., p.m., e.g., i.e., etc.
abbreviations
• Some Latin abbreviations are always read as
abbreviations. For example, "a.m." ['ei'em]
and "p.m." ['pi:'em]: He got up at 7:00 a.m.
(read as "at seven a.m.")
 • Generally, the names of countries
should not be abbreviated. Names of
Abbreviations of some countries may be abbreviated in
names of tables, footnotes, and the like. There
may be variants of spelling, as well as
countries, states, preferences in use. For example, "U.S."
is used as an adjective or noun;
streets, months "U.S.A." and "USA" are used as nouns;
"USA" is used mostly in mailing
addresses. The noun "United States"
can be used in most cases.
• Abbreviations of the names of the states of
the United States exist in two variants: two-
letter postal abbreviations and older
traditional state abbreviations. For example:
AL and Ala. (Alabama); CA and Calif.
(California); KS and Kans. (Kansas); NC and
N.C. (North Carolina); TN and Tenn.
(Tennessee); WY and Wyo. (Wyoming).
Abbreviated state names are read in the same
way as their unabbreviated names. State
abbreviations are usually spelled out in
formal writing.
• Abbreviations on road signs and in mailing
addresses, for example, "Ave., Blvd., Hwy.,
Rd., R.R., St.; Apt., Bldg.", are said as their
full words: "avenue, boulevard, highway,
road, railroad, street; apartment, building".
• Abbreviations of the names of months and days of the week, for
example, "Jan., Feb., Mar., Jul., Sept., Dec.; Mon., Tues., Fri., Sat.",
are said as their full words: "January, February, March, July,
September, December; Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday". Such
abbreviations may be used where space is really tight (for example, in
tables) or in informal writing (for example, in short messages to
friends).