Popular abbreviations in English. Types of abbreviations in modern English

In the 21st century, brevity has become the closest sister of not only talent, but also a close friend of most Internet users. Brevity is sometimes a close relative of saving time and money. If Pushkin were alive, he would have gone bankrupt by sending sms, write every time “I remember a wonderful moment, you appeared in front of me ...” instead of the modern “ILY” (I Love You).

Be sure by sending the next "SY" (see you) that the interlocutor will understand you correctly. We also advise you not to write such messages to older people and do not forget that in oral speech such words sound at least strange, but for your grandmother it is also intimidating.

How not to get lost in the world of abbreviations and abbreviations, read below and right now!

The most common and short ones do not need a lengthy introduction. For those whose eye hurts "a lot of letters", Anglophiles have adapted the following spellings of common words:

b- be
asap- as soon as possible
b4- before
bout- about
C- see
day- they
idk- I don't know
l8er- later
gr8- great
str8- straight
ttyl- talk to you later
wht- what
w8 - wait
U, Y- you
u2- you too
cnt- can "t
gd- good
love- love
n-and
r are
1t- want
2 - too, to
2day- today
4 - for

IMHO and FYI
Do you still think that IMHO is a brutal “I have an opinion, you can argue with hell”? Then we come to you with explanations. The Russian "IMHO" has become an echo of the English "IMHO", which is not at all distinguished by pretentious impudence, but politely reminds that it is only "in my humble opinion" - "In My Hummble Opinion". The abbreviation "FYI" (For Your Information) means "for your information."

TNX or THX
It's not a brand of clothes or a car. It doesn’t smell like a brand at all: the expression of gratitude “thank you”, familiar from childhood, is reduced by Russian-speaking lovers of abbreviations to “attc”, English-speaking “thanks” are most often converted to “tnx”, “thx” or “thanx”. "Thank you" is often written with the acronym "ty", which has nothing to do with the Russian "you".

lol
"LOL" has nothing to do with a similar-sounding Russian word. This is just an acronym for "laughing out loud" or "lots of laughs", which literally translates as "laughing out loud." Be careful, because some innocent "LOL" can be interpreted as a goofy laugh like "gee-gee-gee" or a skeptical "haha how funny."

NP and YW
Polite people respond to "thank you" with "please." In the maelstrom of events, the solemn “You” re welcome” is reduced to “yw” - “you are always welcome” or “contact.” “NP” has nothing to do with what you had time to think about in Russian - just a light and carefree “no problem" - "no problem", "no problem".

plz and pls
Let's continue the lesson of English computer-sms courtesy: "PLZ" and "PLS" stand for "please" / "please".

What does XOXO mean?
"HOHO" is not the laugh of a good Santa. Include as much fantasy as you need to understand Malevich's Black Square. “HOHO” is a symbolic image of the action “hugs and kisses”, which in Russian sounds like “kiss-hug”. Where is the logic? The letter "X" resembles lips folded in a bow and means a kiss. Someone considers "X" a symbol of two kissing people, then the left and right halves are represented as separate lips. The letter "O" symbolizes the embrace between the kissers.

ROFL
Do you know what it's like to laugh until your abs hurt? Figuratively speaking, rolling on the floor with laughter. In English, "ROFL" means the same: Rolling On the Floor Laughing.

WTF
Do not understand what is happening, taken aback by what you saw, sincerely perplexed? WTF is here to help! The phrase "What the fuck?" translates as "what the hell? ” or even “what the hell?”, having a compact version of “wtf”.

omg
In this phrase, you can fit a huge range of emotions from joy to disgust. "OMG" stands for "Oh my God!" or "Oh my God!" in Russian.

BRB
Is your lively conversation interrupted by a phone call? And “no time to explain, I will soon” is packaged in three letters “brb” - short for the phrase “be right back”. Thus, the interlocutor reports that he left, but promised to return. Usually, after "brb" they write the reason for the absence, for example: "brb, mom "s calling" or "brb, someone at the door".

RLY
The already short word "Really", meaning "truth", "really", in the messages began to be reduced to "RLY". Perhaps, in order not to be mistaken once again in the number of letters "l" in this word?

btw
By the way, the acronym "BTW" stands for "By The Way" or "by the way" :)

AFK or g2g
Are you going to be temporarily separated from your favorite computer? Need to get away from the keyboard? Hurry up to say it in 3 characters "AFK" (Away From Keyboard) or "g2g" / "GTG" (Got To Go) - it's time to go.

AFAIK
Do you want to express your opinion with a certain amount of uncertainty? Then feel free to use the tactful acronym "AFAIK" (As Far As I Know), which in Russian sounds like "as far as I know."

AC/DC
Hard rock band A.C./DC and the official abbreviation for physics "alternating current/direct current" (alternating current / direct current) can go to rest for now. In slang, the expression " AC/DC" means bisexual. The reduction added scandalous rumors about the members of the famous group. If you are interested in another slang expression for the word "bisexual" in America, here it is - "each way".

BYOB
Is there an incomprehensible "BYOB" at the bottom of the invitation to the party? The owners politely warn: a snack at their expense, and take care of the drink yourself. "Bring Your Own Bottle" means "bring your own bottle."

XYZ
See a friend with an unzipped pants? Tell him "XYZ" and he'll understand. "XYZ" - instead of a thousand words. It translates as "Examine Your Zipper" or "check the lock on your fly."

SY
"SY" is not "si" and not "su", but the farewell phrase "See you!" or in English "See You". Why bother with the whole 6 characters? "SY" or "CYA" or even "CU" is just right!

We hope the article clarified for you what you have long wanted to ask the all-knowing Google, but did not dare to spend a couple of minutes. Abbreviations and acronyms, like everything in this world, are good in moderation. THX, GTG, SY!

In any language, we use abbreviations, shortening words and whole phrases. This allows you to save time and get your point across faster.

English is no exception either.

How to use abbreviations in English? In the article we will consider 2 types of abbreviations.

Using an apostrophe to shorten English words

An apostrophe is a superscript character in the form of a comma (").

In English, we can abbreviate some words. In such cases, we put an apostrophe (") in place of missing letters.

Here are the main accepted abbreviations:

Examples:

He "s studying now.
He is studying now.

We "re ready.
We are ready.

I "m calling him.
I call him.

They don't smoke.
They don't smoke.

I 'll translate.
I will translate.

Using an abbreviation for an abbreviation in English

An abbreviation is a conditional abbreviation of words or phrases.

They need to be known, as they are used daily, both colloquially and in writing.

In English, e has the following most common abbreviations.

1. Abbreviations of words that are found in texts, in letters or SMS:

Mr(Mister) - Mr.
Mrs(Mistress) - Mrs.
Dr(Doctor) - doctor
St(Saint / Street) - saint or street
NB- please note - (Latin nota bene) - notice well, note
RSVP- please reply - (French repondez s'il vous plait) - to respond to an invitation
e.g.- for example - (Latin exempli gratia) - for example
a.m.(ante meridiem, in the morning) - in the morning
p.m.(post meridiem, in the afternoon) - in the evening
i.e.(id est, that is) - this means
e.g.(exempli gratia, for example) - for example
u(you) - you
etc.(from lat. et cetera) - and so on
2moro(tomorrow) - tomorrow
2day(today) - today
BD or BDAY(birthday) - birthday
2nite(tonight) - in the evening
4ever(forever) - forever

Mrs Smith is our English teacher.
Mrs Smith is our English teacher.

Could you call me 2day?
Can you call me today?

2. Words that we abbreviate in informal speech:

Lab(laboratory) - laboratory
TV(television) - television
Exam(examination) - exam
Ad(advertisement) - announcement
case(suitcase) - briefcase
mum(mother) - mother
phone(telephone) - telephone
Board(blackboard) - board
Fridge(refrigerator) - refrigerator
Bike(bicycle) - bicycle
Dad(father) - father
Flu(influenza) - influenza

He failed the exam.
He failed the exam.

Our fridge is broken.
Our refrigerator is broken.

3. Sometimes we shorten whole phrases and use abbreviations:

V.I.P.(very important person) - a very important person
P.S.(from Latin "post scriptum") - after the written
A.D.(from Latin "Anno Domini") - our era
B.C. / B.C.E.- before Christ - before Christ / before Common Era - before our era
ASAP(as soon as possible) - as soon as possible
2G2BT(too good to be true) - too good to be true
AFAIK(as far as I know) - as far as I know
btw(by the way) - by the way
RLY(really) - really, really
BRB(be right back) - I'll be back soon
TTYL(talk to you later) - we'll talk later, "before communication"
IMHO(in my honest opinion) - in my opinion, in my opinion
AKA(also known as)
TIA(thanks in advance) - thanks in advance

I need it ASAP.
I need it ASAP.

I "ll BRB.
I'll be back soon.

So, these are the abbreviations that we use in English.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments:

1. She forgot her phone.
2. By the way, I was waiting for a call.
3. As far as I know, they left.
4. I will not come tomorrow.
5. Call me as soon as possible.

In the modern age, saturated with information, there is less and less time for communication and correspondence. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but the more information a person owns, the more ways he is looking for to reduce it and transmit it in a more concise form. One of the best ways to shorten words and expressions is to use abbreviations.

Today they are ubiquitous in general English, in business correspondence, in SMS messages and chats, in international terms. Many of them are used quite often, so not only English learners, but also an ordinary modern person should master a couple of the most common of them.

Abbreviation(Italian abbreviatura from lat. brevis - short) - a word formed by abbreviation of a word or phrase and read by the alphabetic name of the initial letters or by the initial sounds of the words included in it.

Abbreviations are found in any language of the world and play a huge role. Sometimes ignorance or incorrect use of one or another abbreviation in English can lead to a rather awkward situation or misunderstanding of what the interlocutor wants to express with this or that phrase.

Let's look at an example of the misuse of a fairly well-known abbreviation lol(laughing out loud - laugh out loud).

messages
Mom: Your beloved aunt just passed away. lol
I: Why is that funny?
Mom: It's not funny, David!
I: Mom, LOL means “laughing out loud”.
Mom: Oh my goodness! I thought it means “lots of love”...I sent it to everyone! I need to call everybody…

Messages
Mom: Your beloved aunt has just passed away. lol
Me: What's funny about that?
Mom: That's not funny, David!
Me: Mom, lol mean "laugh out loud".
Mom: Oh God! I thought it meant lots of love...
I sent this to everyone! We all need to call...

Business Letters and Abbreviations

Writing business letters and compiling business correspondence today requires high-quality study and a careful approach. When faced with the design and decoding of abbreviations in business English for the first time, a beginner sometimes experiences confusion and bewilderment of what it all means. The difficulty lies in the correct use of this or that abbreviation, as well as in the specifics of business vocabulary. However, as in any field of language learning, knowledge and a little practice will help to cope with any difficulties.

A number of abbreviations are used only in writing, but in oral speech the full forms of the word are pronounced:

Mr. (mister)- Mister;
Mrs. (mistress)- Mrs.
Dr. (doctor)- doctor;
St. (Saint/Street)- saint or street;
Blvd. (boulevard)- boulevard;
Ave. (avenue)- Avenue;
Sq. (square)- square;
Rd. (road)- road;
Bldg. (building)- building;
B. Sc. (Bachelor of Science)- Bachelor of Science;
M.A. (Master of Arts)- Master of Arts;
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)- PhD;
M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)- Doctor of Medical Sciences.

The most popular business abbreviations of English words are given below:

Co (company)- company;
PA (personal assistant)- personal assistant;
Appx. (appendix)- Appendix;
Re. (reply)- answer;
p. (page)- page;
smth. (something)- something;
smb. (somebody)- someone;
vs( lat. versus)- against;
etc. ( lat. et cetera)- And so on.

Popular three-letter acronyms ( TLA or Three Letter Acronyms) in the business area:

CAO (Chief Administrative Officer)- Head of Administration;
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)- chief executive officer (general director);
exp. (export)- export - export of goods outside the country;
HR (human resources)- personnel service of the enterprise;
HQ (Headquarters)- head office of the company;
LLC (limited liability company)- limited liability company (LLC);
R&D (research and development)- Research and development;
IT (information technology)- information Technology.

Examples of business correspondence using abbreviations :

Dear Mr. Brown, our co will be glad to offer you the position of CAO.- Dear Mr. Brown, our company will be glad to offer you the position of chief accountant of the company.
Dear Ms. Stone, my PA will definitely contact you about changes in exp. process - Dear Ms. Stone, my personal secretary will definitely contact you about changes in the export process.

Chats and SMS

As mentioned above, there are three-letter Acronyms in English ( TLA or Three Letter Acronyms), which help shorten and compress fairly large phrases down to 3 letters. Today, this is a fairly popular way to save time when chatting on social networks.

BFN (bye for now)- see you later, bye
BTW (by the way)- by the way
FYI (for your information)- for your information
JIT (just in time)- in time
IOW (in other words)- in other words, in other words
NRN (no reply is necessary)- no answer required
OTOH (on the other hand)- on the other side

As for SMS abbreviations, there are a huge number of them.
The specificity of such abbreviations is that it can be almost impossible to decipher without a detailed analysis.

GL (good luck)- good luck!
GB (good bye)- Bye
DNO (don't know)- I do not know
ASAYGT (as soon as you get this)- as soon as you receive it
B4 (before)- before
BC (because)- because
BON (believe it or not)- believe it or not
BW (best wishes)- with best wishes
BZ (busy)- busy
CYT (see you tomorrow)- see you tomorrow

Wish you GL on your exam. Mom. - I wish you good luck on the exam. Mum.
Sorry. b.z. CYT.- I am sorry. Busy. See you tomorrow.
I will be JIT. GB.- I'll be on time. Till.

For a detailed acquaintance with English abbreviations of words in SMS, we recommend visiting, which contains 2000+ abbreviations.

As we can see, the topic is quite extensive, but do not be afraid! Having encountered acronyms and abbreviations in English several times, you simply cannot help but love them for their originality and help in saving you time. And having fallen in love with something, you will surely and easily remember it!

We offer you to choose a couple of abbreviations for yourself right now and surprise your loved ones with improved communication! BFN and watch your step while texting!

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

Abbreviations in English can be a problem because abbreviations can hide any meaning that is incomprehensible to the student of the language. To be ready to recognize them in speech or writing, let's look at those that prevail in various subjects.

Abbreviations

The following abbreviations occur most often in written speech.

Please note: in the English language of SMS messages, etc., there is a popular tendency to replace the preposition to or a similar combination of letters with the number 2, because they sound very similar - 2 you, 2morrow.

Examples

I woke up at 5 am, it was still dark outside. I woke up at 5 am, it was still dark outside.
Send the agreement ASAP. TIA. - Get an agreement out as soon as possible. Thanks in advance.
Can you visit me on this weekend? BTW take that book with you, please. – Could you visit me this weekend? By the way, take a book with you, please.
Christina aka Christy lives on the 4th floor. – Christina, also known as Christy, lives on the 4th floor.
FIY, I knew that all the time, but just didn't show it. “For your information, I knew it all along, I just didn’t show it.
BP is normally expressed by two figures. – Blood pressure is usually expressed in two numbers.
There are a lot of movies and books dedicated to WWII. There are many films and books dedicated to the Second World War.
There are many beliefs among people about UFOs. There are many opinions about UFOs among people.
These events took place in 254 A.D. – These events happened in 254 AD.

Shortenings - abbreviations

Abbreviations

Let's look at what abbreviations of words are found.

A popular abbreviation in texts is etc. (etcetera), which corresponds to the Russian "etc."
A chapter (for example, in a book) would be chapter, or simply Ch for short.
Ed. - edition (edition).
Fem. - feminine, used to denote the feminine gender.
Masc. - masculine, denotes the masculine gender.
Info. – information (information).
Admin - administrator (administrator).
app. – application (application)
Exam - examination (exam).
Flu - influenza (flu).
Hippo - hippopotamus (hippopotamus).
Fridge - refrigerator (refrigerator).
Phone - telephone (telephone).
Lab - laboratory (laboratory).
Ad - advertisement (advertisement).

Please note: many abbreviated words have taken root in the language and are already perceived as a normal form of the word. There is often no period after such words.

The abbreviations for the days of the week look like this:

Sun / Su - Sunday (Sunday).
Mon / Mo - Monday (Monday).
Tues / Tue / Tu - Tuesday (Tuesday).
Wed / We - Wednesday (Wednesday).
Thurs / Thu / Th - Thursday (Thursday).
Fri / Fr - Friday (Friday).
Sat / Sa - Saturday (Saturday).

Calendar - calendar

Please note: abbreviations can be both three-letter and consist of two letters.

There are also set abbreviations for the months of the year. You can often find such abbreviations in calendars. Some short names remain unchanged:

Jan. - January (January).
Feb. - February (February).
Mar. - March (March).
Apr. - April (April).
May (May).
June (June).
July (July).
Aug. – August (August).
Sept. - September (September).
Oct. - October (October).
Nov. - November (November).
Dec. - December (December).

Please note: months, like days of the week, are considered proper names in English and therefore are always written with a capital letter.

In the English language, acronyms were formed - abbreviations that acquired the status of separate words and "lost" the dots after capital letters. Acronyms are fused, such as the word NATO.

Examples

The phone was ringing since very morning. The phone has been ringing since morning.
I have got flu and this week I'm staying at home. I have the flu and this week I am staying at home.
My sister passed her exams last week. My sister passed her exams last week.
The hippo was very funny, I like visiting the zoo. The hippo was very funny, I like to visit the zoo.
Put the milk in fridge, please. - Put the milk in the refrigerator, please.
You will find the lab on the second floor, the first door to the left. – You will find the laboratory on the second floor, first door on the left.
The ad was saying that they were offering a job for two people. The ad said they were offering jobs to two people.
I have downloaded and installed many new apps. – I have downloaded and installed many new applications.

Vocabulary

Let's complete the vocabulary by choosing new words from the examples.

Dark - dark.
outside - outside.
Agreement - an agreement.
To show - show.
To express - to express.
To dedicate - to devote.
Belief - opinion.
Figure is a number.
Event - an event.
To ring - call.
To pass - hand over.
To offer - to offer.
Floor - floor.
To download - download.
To install - install.

Here is what the inhabitants of Britain think about English abbreviations and abbreviations, whether it is worth adopting neologisms from social networks and fashionable informal language:

Abbreviations (abbreviations) have long been used in writing. The purpose of the abbreviations was to save space and speed up the writing of frequently used words and expressions. There are three types of abbreviations: letter abbreviations, syllabic abbreviations, truncated words.

Letter abbreviations and abbreviations are formed from the initial letters of abbreviated words and phrases:
etc. (Latin et cetera) - and so on
i.e. (Latin id est) - that is
a.m. (Latin ante meridiem) - before noon
p.m. (Latin post meridiem) - after noon
p. (English page) - page
NB (Latin nota bene) - note
e-mail (English electronic mail) - e-mail
B&B (eng. bed and breakfast) - a type of hotel, where the owners themselves often serve and provide bed and breakfast
BBC (Eng. British Broadcasting Corporation) - British Broadcasting Corporation
UNO (Eng. United Nations Organization) - United Nations Organization
UFO (English Unidentified Flying Object) - an unidentified flying object
PC (eng. Personal computer) - personal computer
UK (eng. United Kingdom) - United Kingdom of Great Britain.

The following letter abbreviations are used only in writing, but in oral speech they must be pronounced in full:
Mr (Mister) - Mr.
Mrs (Mistress) - Mrs.
Dr (Doctor) - doctor
St (Saint) - saint
Blvd. (boulevard) - boulevard
Emb. (embankment) - embankment
Ave. (avenue) - avenue
Sq. (square) - area
B. Sc. (Bachelor of Science) - Bachelor of Science
M.A. (Master of Arts) - Master of Arts
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) - Ph.D.
M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) - doctor of medical sciences.

Syllabic abbreviations are formed from the initial syllables of the components of phrases. Syllables form a continuous spelling, read as an independent word:

Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg) - Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
Internet (International Network) - worldwide network.

Next view - truncated words. They drop:

initial part of a word

bus (omnibus) - bus
cinema (cinematograph) - cinema

final part of the word

min (minute) - minute
fig. (figure) - drawing, drawing

middle part of a word

Ry (railway) - railroad
ft (foot)

In some cases, the abbreviation has multiple meanings. For example,
EP (electric primer) - electric fuse
EP (equipment part) - warehouse of technical property.

This should be taken into account when translating. It is also worth remembering that in Russian scientific, technical and newspaper styles, abbreviated words are used much less often, so many English abbreviations must be expanded into full-letter words.

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Categories

Popular

Popular abbreviations in English. Types of abbreviations in modern English

Using an apostrophe to shorten English words

Using an abbreviation for an abbreviation in English

Reinforcement task

Most popular abbreviations

Business Letters and Abbreviations

Chats and SMS

Abbreviations

Examples

Abbreviations

Examples

Vocabulary