ENGLISH STUDY GROUP ONLINE

Abbreviations and Acronyms are similar to each other as they both are short forms of longer words; however they are two different parts of the English language.

Abbreviations are shortened versions of one or two words which are still pronounced the same way, even if they are written as an abbreviation.

Mr. Hall is pronounced Mister Hall and not M-R Hall.

This rule is only relaxed when the abbreviation is of a word taken from another language like e.g. which actually stands for exempli gratia. In this case, we say the meaning of the phrase instead of the phrase it self - for example instead of exempli gratia.

Acronyms, on the other hand, are shortened versions of phrases that are most often the names of something. They are pronounced as their short forms rather than their actual full form.

NATO is pronounced NAY-TOE and not as North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Acronyms are also pronounced by the individual alphabet like with U.N, FBI, etc.

Latin Abbreviations

Abbreviations	Full Form	Meaning	Use
A.D	Anno Domini	In the year of our lord	Used to show years after the birth of Jesus Christ -1600 A.D
a.m	Ante Meridian	Before midday	Used for the hours after midnight and before noon - 10a.m, 2a.m
c. / ca.	Circa	Approximately	Used for years/months when not sure of exact date - ca. 1500
C.V	Curriculum Vitae	Course of Life	A document summarizing a person’s education and experience.
e.g.	Exempli gratia	For example	To give an example or instance of something - different cities, e.g. New York, Delhi, Beijing etc.
Et al.	Et Alii	And others	Used to show that there are more names that are unmentioned on a list - Tom, Jane, Jack et al.
Etc.	Et cetera	And other things	Used to signify similar things that are unmentioned on a list - milk, cheese, yoghurt etc.
i.e.	Id est	In other words / That is	Used in sentences to rephrase or show a connection between clauses - Jack, i.e. the most popular senior, likes Beth.
p.a	Per Annum	Through the year	Used to show something in the manner of ‘yearly’ - He earns 2 million dollars p.a.
p.m	Post meridian	After midday	Used to show the hours after midday and before midnight - 10p.m, 2p.m
P.S	Post Scriptum	Something written after the main text was finished.	Used mainly in letters to add something extra after the signoff - Yours Shirley, P.S - I’ll be in Canada for 2 weeks.
R.I.P	Requiescat in pace	May he/she rest in peace	Used as a prayer for someone who has died - May Janet R.I.P.
Stat	Statim	Immediately	Used most often in the medical fields - This man needs a bypass stat.

Abbreviations Related to Names

Abbreviation	Meaning	Use
Dr.	Doctor	Dr. Smith was also invited.
Gen.	General (army)	Gen. Luke ordered them to fire at the enemy.
Hon.	Honorable	Hon. James Smith gave away the prizes.
Mr.	Mister	Mr. Hall is in office at the moment.
Mrs.	Mistress	Mrs. Hall is waiting for her car.
Ms.	Miss	Ms. Jane Watson is here to see you.
Prof.	Professor	Prof. Jain is a popular faculty in college.
Rev.	Reverend (clergyman)	Rev. Jones blessed the house today.
Sr. / Jr.	Senior / Junior	Bates Sr. and Harry Bates Jr. were inspecting the grounds.
St.	Saint	St. Patrick is one of the most popular Irish saints.

General Abbreviations

Abbreviations	Meaning	Use
Assn.	Association	They named their club; Assn. of Low and Highs.
Ave.	Avenue	They said they would be waiting at Lexington Ave.
Dept.	Department	The Arts Dept. is holding a bake sale.
Est.	Established	Annabel’s est. 1963 in London, England.
Fig.	Figure	Look to fig. 8 to see how the process takes place.
Hrs.	Hours	We will reach the next camp at 1500hrs.
Inc.	Incorporated	Apple Inc. was founded in the 1970s by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Mt.	Mount	Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on earth.
No.	Number	The address is House no. 64, Mulberry Lane.
Oz.	Ounces	The recipe needs 34 oz. of honey.
Sq.	Square	The rent is 100 dollar per sq. inch.
St.	Street	The shop is located at Xyza St. near the intersection.
Vs	Versus	The final match is going to be Australia vs. India.

Abbreviations of Grammar

Abbreviation	Meaning
Abbr.	Abbreviation / Abbreviated
Adj.	Adjective
Adv.	Adverb
Obj.	Objective
Pl.	Plural
Poss.	Possessive
Prep.	Preposition
Pron.	Pronoun
Pseud.	Pseudonym
Sing.	Singular
Syn.	Synonym
Trans.	Translation
V. / Vb.	Verb

General Acronyms

Acronym	Full Form	What It Is
ATM	Automated Teller Machine	A computerised cash dispenser
BPO	Business Process Outsourcing	The outsourcing of specific functions of a business to a third party.
CAT	Common Admission Test	An ability based admission test conducted by the Indian Institute of Management.
DNA	Deoxyribonucleic Acid	The molecule in any living being that contains all the genetic data of the living being.
DVD	Digital Versatile Disk	A compact optical storage disk, used for storing videos and other information.
FAQ	Frequently Asked Questions	A common section in most sites containing common queries from the visitors.
HR	Human Resources	The workforce of any organisation can also refer to the department that is in charge of human resources.
LCD	Liquid Crystal Display	A type of video display panel
LED	Light Emitting Diode	A glowing light source used in indicators.
PC	Personal Computer	A computer whose size, price and capabilities are useful for individual use.
RAM	Random Access Memory	A way/disk to store data on a computer
SONAR	Sound Navigation And Ranging	A technique that uses echoes to navigate or communicate usually used in submarines.
USP	Unique Selling Proposition	A term used to show how one product or service is different and unique from another.
VIP	Very Important Person	A person who gets special privileges due to their status or importance.
WWW	World Wide Web	Interlinked web documents accessed by the internet

Acronyms of Names

Acronym	Full Form	What It Is
AIDS	Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome	A disease of the immune system caused by the HIV.
ASEAN	Association of Southeast Asian Nations	A political and economic organisation based on geographical location.
CERN	Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire - European Organization for Nuclear Research	An international organisation that operates the largest particle physics laboratory
FIFA	Federation Internationale de Football Association	Organisation in charge of international association football.
InterPol	International Criminal Police Organization.	An international organisation helping police cooperation across countries.
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	An American government agency handling space research.
NASCAR	National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.	A family owned business sanctioning auto-racing events.
SARS	Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome	A respiratory disease in humans which is fatal.
UN	United Nations	An international organisation for inter-country cooperation.
UNICEF	United Nations Children’s Education Fund	A UN program that provides humanitarian help to children.
YMCA	Young Men’s Christian Association	A worldwide association that helps to put Christian principles into action.
HIV	Human Immunodeficiency Virus	The virus that causes AIDS.

Acronyms of Education

Acronym	Full Form
B.A	Bachelor of Arts
B.Sc	Bachelor of Science
M.A	Master of Arts
M.B.A	Master of Business Administration
MBBS	Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae - Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
MD	Medicinae Doctor - Doctor of Medicine
PhD	Philosophiae Doctor - Doctorate of Philosophy