free pages from our English Language software program
Acronyms – definition
An acronym is an abbreviation created from the initial letters of a phrase or name.
Examples
| BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation |
| IBM | International Business Machines |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organisation |
Use
These acronyms are useful, because they save you the trouble of writing out the name in full every time you wish to refer to it.
Some acronyms, like those above, are very well known, and can be used without too much problem in most written communication.
However, any which are not so well know should always be named in full the first time they are used, and the acronym shown immediately afterwards in brackets. Here’s an example.
The committee elected four new members to the Corporate Affairs Steering Group (CASG) who will report immediately before the annual general meeting (AGM) at the end of July.
Some abbreviations are spoken as if they were complete words: for instance, NATO (“NayTow”). and International Criminal Police Organization (“Inter-Pol”)
Others are spelled out. For instance Very Important Person is (VIP) usually spoken as three separate letters “Vee-Eye-Pea”.
There is no need to put full stops between the letters of an acronym.
The plural of an acronym is shown by adding the letter s – as in compact disks (CDs)
There is no need to use an apostrophe, which should be reserved for cases showing possession – as in ‘the CD’s jewel case was broken’.
Most acronyms are formed by the use of capital letters, but where a normally pronounceable word is formed, they often include lower case letters as well – as in (Radar) – radio detecting and ranging.
Acronyms are particularly useful when taking notes, but you should remember to make a record of the full name of any new instances.
| AIDS | acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
| ASBO | Anti-Social Behaviour Order |
| BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation |
| CD | Compact Disc |
| FAQ | frequently asked questions |
| Gestapo | Geheime Staatspolizei (secret state police) |
| Interpol | International Criminal Police Organization |
| Laser | Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| Radar | radio detection and ranging |
| Scuba | self-contained underwater breathing apparatus |
| SQL | Structured Query Language |
| WHO | World Health Organisation |
Self-assessment quiz follows …
© Roy Johnson 2011
English Language 3.0 program
Books on language
More on grammar