Abbreviations and Acronyms

Some abbreviations are read as individual letters:

WHO            World Health Organisation

ID                  Identity (an identity card or passport)

BBC              British Broadcasting Corporation

GM                genetically modified

IRA               Irish Republican Army

UNO             United  Nations Organisation

PM                Prime Minister

MP                Member of Parliament

Some abbreviations are read as words. They are called acronyms:

NATO          North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

OPEC           Organisation of Petrolium Exporting Countries

AIDS            Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

PIN               Personal Identity Number

Some acronyms have become so normal as words that people do not think of them as abbreviations any longer, and so they are not written in capital letters: laser      radar

Some abbreviations are only written forms; they are always pronounced as the full word:

 Mr (Mister)    Dr (Doctor)     St (Saint or Street)    Rd (Road)

Within a written text some abbreviations are used as notes to organize the language and give extra information to the reader:

 etc [Latin et cetera] so on

i.e. [Latin id est] that is to say

e.g. [Latin exempli gratia] for example

PTO (P-T-O) please turn over

NB (N-B) [Latin nota bene] please note

Some abbreviations you might see on a letter / fax / envelope:

enc     enclosed (documents enclosed with a letter, e.g. an application form)

PS      postscript (extra information after the letter has been ended)

asap   as soon as possible

RSVP (R-S-V-P)  please reply [French responder s’il vous plait]

Exercises

Ex. 1. What do these abbreviations mean? Read them as individual letters or words. Translate the abbreviations into Russian:

    a.m.        ABC         a/c        AD        approx.       Ave.        BA         BC          BR            BT   

    CCTV        CET       CID         CNN           C of E              DIY            EC             GCSE  

     GMT       GPS         hr           HRH          lb        Ltd        no         p.a.         p.m.           PE  

     Sq.      FBI        Bkpt       CIF         et al.           qty            thx          attn             re            Jr.

     Mth        Inc.      p.w.        PA         pd          scuba            CD-ROM            AA           ATM

     HIV             LCD          n/a              c/o             w/o

 Ex. 2. Explain 1-5 and match them with the contexts on the right:

1. Students and OAPs: 2$                       on an aerosol can

2. WC Gents                                            in a newspaper headline

3. US forces take 5000 POWs                 on a museum entrance

4. Ozone-friendly: CFC-free                     on an airline timetable

5. Dep. 15.00         Arr. 1.42                     on a door in a pub or restaurant          

Ex. 3. Read the definitions or full words and put down the abbreviations:

1. Flying saucer                                              6. Means “especially”

2. Alphabet                                                     7. America

3. Royal Navy                                                 8. Short name for London Underground  

4. Short for biological                                     9. Refrigerator     

5. Music disc                                                  10. Serious infectious  bacterial disease of lungs