Acronyms, Intitialisms, And Abbreviations 7.2 Flashcards
Acronyms
Abbreviations made up of of the first letters of each term in a phrase.
They are pronounced as a single word. (e.g., NASA)
Initialisms
Are made up of the first letters of each term in a phrase.
Each letter is pronounced separately (e.g., FBI)
Introducing Acronyms and Initialisms
Give the full term first, with the shortened form following in parentheses.
Ex/
The creators of the Weizmann Institute of Science Experimental Astrophysics Spectrography System (WISEASS) have been banned from naming future systems.
After it’s been introduced, the shortened version should be used thereafter.
If it only appears once in a document, there is no need to include the acronym or Initialisms in parentheses.
*Some style guides suggest defining the abbreviation in brackets if the full terminology is introduced in parentheses.
Ex/
Some animals in these zones are endangered (World Wildlife Fund [WWF], 2014).
Common acronyms
Some everyday acronyms don’t need to be introduced.
Ex/ IRS and USA, TV and IQ
*just ensure clarity
Acronyms and Initialisms proceeded by an article
This ultimately depends on its pronunciation.
Typically, the definite article (the) is used more often with initialisms but not acronyms.
Ex/
I contacted the UN.
I contacted UNICEF.
Because they’re pronounced as a single word.
The use of indefinite articles (a or an) Use common sense.
If it has a consonant sound use a and if it has a vowel sound use an.
Punctuating Acronyms and Initialisms
Putting periods between each letter is largely a matter of stylistic preference.
*check style guides and check for Clair out and consistency
Capitalizing Acronyms and Initialisms
They are typically written with capital letters.
• Initialisms (pronounced letter by letter) are almost always written capitalized. Regardless of dialect.
• Acronyms (i.e., pronounced as a single word) US treats the same as Initialisms but some UK and AUS suggest capitalizing only the first letter.
Abbreviations and lowercase letters for specific words
Some use them:
• lowercase for specific words (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT)
• some common words are technically abbreviations (e.g., laser and scuba).
• the terms a.m. and p.m. can be written punctuated, capitalized, or even with small capitals.
Ex/ 9am 9AM 9a.m. Etc
Alphabet soup
Too many abbreviations pileup and make it difficult to follow.
Redundancies with abbreviations
ATM machine
PIN number
LCD display
Delete the redundant term
ATM
PIN
LCD
Abbreviated Titles (truncated titles)
Punctuation depends on dialect.
US
Always follows with periods
Ex/
Mr., Mrs., Dr., Prof.,
UK
Only uses periods if the final letter of the full word is missing
Ex/
Mrs , Dr , Prof.
Abbreviated units of measure
Imperial units are generally followed by a period (e.g., oz. or ft.)
Metric units are not (e.g., ml or cm)
*particularly common in US but check style guides
