Mechanics: Abbreviations

To abbreviate means to shorten an existing word. Abbreviations are considered grammatically correct, however there is a series of rules governing how to abbreviate words and which words can be abbreviated.

Titles

Names

In formal writing, it is necessary to use someone’s full name. For example, John Smith. However, when making a list or writing an address it is acceptable to abbreviate first names. For example, J. Smith.

Social Titles

Abbreviations of social titles must always begin with a capital letter and end with a period. For example:

Mr. for Mister

Mrs. for Misses

Ms. for Miss

Jr. for Junior

Other People Titles

Abbreviations of all professional, religious, military or political titles begin with a capital letter and must end in a period. For example:

Dr. for Doctor

Rev. for Reverend

Capt. for Captain

Sen. for Senator

It should be noted that there are no rules governing how an abbreviation is formed and it shouldn’t be assumed that the first few letters will make up the abbreviation. When in doubt, consult a dictionary.

It is not always appropriate to use an abbreviation. When only a surname is given, the title should be written out unless the title is a social title or the professional title Doctor. If a first name is provided, it is acceptable to use a title and initials.

Academic Titles

An academic title should follow a name, and not be used without a name. Academic titles are set off with commas. In academic titles, every letter is typically separated with a period. Ph. D. Is an exception to that rule. For example:

John Smith, M. D., studied medicine for many years.

Time

There are three types of time that can be abbreviated: time spans, A.M. and P.M., as well as B.C. and A.D..

Time Spans

Abbreviations for clocked time start with a lowercase letter and end with a period. Abbreviations for months or days begin with a capital letter and end with a period. For example:

sec. for second

Fri. for Friday

Apr. for April

Typically, these abbreviations are not appropriate for formal writing.

A.M./P.M.

These abbreviations are so common and accepted in all types of writing that many people are unaware of what they’re abbreviating. A.M. is the abbreviation for ante meridiem, which is Latin for “before noon.” P.M. is the abbreviation for post meridiem, which is Latin for “after noon.” When writing numeral time, use these abbreviations. For example:

I woke up at 8:00 a.m.

Notice that when the abbreviation falls at the end of a sentence, two periods are not used. It is acceptable to use capital or lowercase letters with these abbreviations.

B.C./A.D.

The abbreviation B.C. means “before Christ,” and the abbreviation A.D. means “anno Domini,” which is Latin for “In the year of the Lord.” Because these phrases contain proper nouns, Christ and Domini, the letters of the abbreviations must be capitalized and followed by periods. They are typically used along with numerals. B.C. must be placed after the number it refers to. For example:

During 689 B.C., the city-state of Babylon was in revolt.

A.D. may come before or after the number; however, if they word century is present, the A.D. must be after the number. For example:

The Renaissance began in 1401 A.D. -or- The Renaissance began in A.D. 1401.

The Renaissance spread rapidly during the fifteenth century A.D.

Geographical Abbreviations

Although seldom used in formal writing, geographical abbreviations can be useful when it comes to making lists, charts, and writing addresses.

When abbreviating a geographical term before or after a proper noun, the abbreviation is capitalized and ends with a period. For example:

I live on Newburry Dr. by the park.

Ryan vacationed to Mt. Everest.

Countries and states also have abbreviations. There are no set rules governing how these abbreviations are formed, so consult a dictionary. All country and state abbreviations begin with a capital letter.

Measurements

When abbreviating measurements, the system of measurement used will determine the rules for writing out an abbreviation. Measurement abbreviations are acceptable in most writing when used with numbers, particularly that which is scientific and informative. It is not common to use an abbreviation with a number spelled out in letters.

Metric

When abbreviating metric measurements, use lowercase letters and do not end the abbreviation with a period. For example:

I drank 2 l of soda!

U.S. Customary System

When abbreviating U.S. Customary measurements, use small letters and put periods at the end. For example:

I am 5 ft. and 8 in. tall.