Today we are going to learn 16 of the most common abbreviations of everyday life in the United States.
A fan of my YouTube channel has noticed that the abbreviation for pounds is lbs, and he tells me it looks like Spanish: pounds.
Why?
Well, it comes from Latin rather than Spanish, and it is also reflected in the symbol they use for the pound sterling: £.
I suppose there are many things that are still made in Europe (and by extension the United States, Canada, Australia, etc.) that are like that simply because the Romans decided to do so 2,000 years ago.
This is the story!
Well, let's look at the abbreviations.
If you prefer something more conversational, you may be interested in textspeak and internet slang, which talks about the proper abbreviations for text messages and online forums.
You may Read also what does wtw mean in texting
We continue ...
16 common abbreviations in English
Here is the video, and then you can see all the common abbreviations in English (we call them abbreviations, by the way) and a little explanation of their use and meaning.
I hope you liked it. Now, we can see all of them in writing. The abbreviations are divided into categories: street types, titles, units of measurement, etc.
Common abbreviations for streets and more
Ave = Avenue (avenue)
St = Street (street)
Blvd = Boulevard (boulevard)
Rd = Road (street or path, rather in the field)
Titles for people
Dr = Doctor (used for doctors and people with a doctorate)
Mr = Mister (honorary title for a man)
Mrs = Missus (a married woman or of a certain age)
Miss ... It has no abbreviation. Used for miss: a young or unmarried woman.
Ms = a woman indifferent to her marital status. It is not an abbreviation for anything, but it is written as if it were.
Common abbreviations for units of measure and distance
In the United States, we don't use a lot of kilos or centimeters or kilometers. So we have our own system of measuring things, which is somewhat more complex. But hey, we are used to it.
oz = ounces
lbs = pounds (pounds)
ft = feet (feet. also in the singular, foot)
in = inches (inches)
yds = yards (no idea ... a yard is three feet, slightly less than one meter)
mi = thousands (miles)
no = number (number)
And also… ambiguous abbreviations
St = We saw it as “street”, but it can also be Saint.
Dr = We saw it as a Doctor, but it can also be a drive (another type of street)
Here the position in the sentence tells us the meaning.
He moved to St Paul. (Saint Paul.)
He lives on Washington St. (Washington Street.)
To put points or not to put points?
The only thing it says about that in Practical English Usage is that in British English they are written without a period and in American English, it is typical to put periods.
On the other hand, it seems to me that the titles in American English would be more appropriate, but something like oz I do not see it with a point.
In any case, don't worry. Put it on or not, most likely no one will notice.
You should also mention that when the abbreviation is a title or part of a proper name, it should be capitalized.
So: Go down the street and it's on your left. (An abbreviation would not be used in such a sentence and it is lowercase because it is not a proper noun.)
But: The post office is on Lincoln St, next to the town hall. (There St. is part of the proper name and is capitalized.
Click here for more on capital letters and when to use them.
Acronyms in English - acronyms
Another topic is acronyms in English - acronyms.
Acronyms are formed from the first letters of various words. They are usually written in uppercase and without periods.
the FBI = the Federal Bureau of Investigation
the UN = the United Nations
the WHO = the World Health Organization
NAFTA = the North American Free Trade Agreement
the USA = the United States of America
the EU = the European Union
We also have acronyms for common expressions. The acronym should be capitalized, technically, but anything goes in texting.
Here are some examples ...
BTW = by the way
ETA = estimated time of arrival
DIY = do it yourself
ASAP = as soon as possible
Etc.
Some acronyms are pronounced like a word (like NAFTA), and others are pronounced letter by letter. Listen and you will learn ...
Note that some acronyms have the same letters as in Spanish but in a different order.
This is due to the difference that in English we put the adjective before the noun, while in Spanish it goes after it.
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid
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