{"id":4744,"date":"2021-05-05T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=4744"},"modified":"2021-05-10T19:10:02","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T00:10:02","slug":"punctuation-for-abbreviations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/titles\/punctuation-for-abbreviations\/","title":{"rendered":"Punctuation for Abbreviations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who write in American English may sometimes wonder when to abbreviate a word as well as how to abbreviate it. This review will help address those questions.<\/p>\n

An abbreviation is a shortened or contracted form of a word or a phrase (e.g., Mister <\/em>to Mr.<\/em>). If you’re ever in doubt about when and how to abbreviate a word, you can start by consulting a current dictionary or stylebook, as prevailing usage can change.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the following guidelines can be useful in providing direction.<\/p>\n

Punctuation for Abbreviations: Names and Titles<\/h2>\n

Abbreviate names with a single letter followed by a period. If two successive letters are abbreviated, do not include spaces between the periods.<\/p>\n

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, J.P. Morgan, k.d. lang<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If a person’s full name is abbreviated, use only first letters without periods: JFK <\/em>(John F. Kennedy), LBJ <\/em>(Lyndon B. Johnson), MJ <\/em>(Michael Jordan).<\/p>\n

Abbreviate and capitalize junior <\/em>or senior<\/em> if it follows an individual’s name. Many stylebooks now also allow for a comma before junior <\/em>or senior<\/em> to be omitted.<\/p>\n

Ken Griffey Sr., Ken Griffey Jr., John F. Kennedy Jr., Robert Downey Sr.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If someone’s personal or professional title appears before the full name, it is abbreviated. Some common abbreviated titles are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Reverend: Rev.<\/em><\/td>\nGovernor: Gov.<\/em><\/td>\nMister: Mr.<\/em><\/td>\nSenator: Sen.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Doctor: Dr.<\/em><\/td>\nProfessor: Prof.<\/em><\/td>\nMistress: Mrs.<\/em><\/td>\nRepresentative: Rep.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Rev. Peter Jones, Prof. Carrie Newsom, Mrs. Janette McCauley, Sen. Ken Hanson<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some stylebooks may advise to not abbreviate a professional title if it is followed only by the last name.<\/p>\n

Reverend Jones, Professor Newsom, Senator Hanson<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If a professional title follows a name, its abbreviation might not always be punctuated. A comma will also usually precede the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Christine Mundt, Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)<\/td>\nMary Richards, MD (Medical Doctor)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thomas Legend, RN (Registered Nurse)<\/td>\nChester Gamble, J.D. (Juris Doctor)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Punctuation for Abbreviations: Addresses, Dates, and Times<\/h2>\n

The Associated Press Stylebook <\/em>advises to use abbreviated, punctuated compass points and Ave., Blvd., <\/em>or St. <\/em>only with a numbered address: 1060 W. Addison St.<\/em>, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. <\/em>but<\/u> Addison Street, Pennsylvania Avenue.<\/em><\/p>\n

Formal writing usually does not abbreviate days and months. Less-formal writing may accommodate punctuated abbreviations for specific dates. In each case, the abbreviation would be punctuated by a period.<\/p>\n

Abbreviations for days are Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat.<\/em>, and Sun. <\/em>Abbreviations for months are Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., <\/em>and Dec.<\/em> (March, April, May, June, <\/em>and July <\/em>are not abbreviated.)<\/p>\n

Sun., Feb. 12<\/em>; Thurs., Oct. 31; Wed., Dec. 9; Fri., Sept. 23, 1988<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whether to abbreviate such date formats is a matter of preference and style.<\/p>\n

Punctuation of time is yet another style item that can vary by source. Many stylebooks will punctuate a.m.<\/em> (or A.M.<\/em>) and p.m.<\/em> (or P.M.<\/em>): 7:15 a.m., 8:05 P.M.<\/em><\/p>\n

Zone abbreviations are typically not punctuated (EST<\/em>, CDT<\/em>, PST<\/em>). Time eras are usually abbreviated and punctuated (B.C.<\/em>, A.D.<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Punctuation for Abbreviations: Acronyms and Initialisms<\/h2>\n

Although sometimes thought to be synonymous, acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations are different categories of letters.<\/p>\n

Acronyms are abbreviations pronounced as words (e.g., AIDS, OPEC<\/em>). Initialisms are formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words, and each letter is pronounced (e.g., ABC<\/em>, FBI<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Many stylebooks agree that acronyms and initialisms are not punctuated. Some examples are NATO<\/em>, NAFTA<\/em>, YMCA<\/em>, and NAACP<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Punctuation for some initialisms can vary among style sources. For example, The Chicago Manual of Style <\/em>will instruct the use of R.S.V.P.<\/em>, but\u00a0AP <\/em>will advise using RSVP.<\/em><\/p>\n

Punctuation for Abbreviations: Other Common Uses<\/h2>\n

Other terms that are commonly abbreviated and punctuated with periods are academic degrees, units of measure, and Latin terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Bachelor of Arts: B.A.<\/em><\/td>\ninch: in.<\/em><\/td>\nid est: i.e.<\/em><\/td>\npost scriptum: P.S.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bachelor of Science: B.S.<\/em><\/td>\npound: lb.<\/em><\/td>\nexempli gratia: e.g.<\/em><\/td>\net alia: et al.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Related Topics<\/h3>\n

Abbreviations vs. Acronyms vs. Initialisms<\/a>
\nAbbreviation, Acronym<\/a>
\nUnusual Plurals of Abbreviations<\/a><\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Applying what we’ve discussed, adjust any words that can be abbreviated and punctuated.<\/p>\n

1. Darla lives at 546 West Mighty Mouse Boulevard.<\/p>\n

2. The box weighed 35 pounds.<\/p>\n

3. Bobby Jo Bryan Senior will receive the honors for lifetime achievement.<\/p>\n

4. The brunch at the community center will be on Saturday, November 11.<\/p>\n

5. Representative Fields is giving the speech at the ribbon-cutting event.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. Darla lives at 546 W.<\/strong> Mighty Mouse Blvd.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. The box weighed 35 lbs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Bobby Jo Bryan Sr.<\/strong> will receive the honors for lifetime achievement.<\/p>\n

4. The brunch at the community center will be on Sat., Nov.<\/strong> 11.<\/p>\n

5. Representative Fields is giving the speech at the ribbon-cutting event. No abbreviation or punctuation<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those who write in American English may sometimes wonder when to abbreviate a word as well as how to abbreviate it. This review will help address those questions. An abbreviation is a shortened or contracted form of a word or a phrase (e.g., Mister to Mr.). If you’re ever in doubt about when and how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,36,46,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abbreviations","category-dates-and-times","category-periods","category-titles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4744"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4744"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4800,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4744\/revisions\/4800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}