Abbreviations in English

Abbreviations are short forms of regular words, like ‘can’t’ for ‘cannot’ and ‘gotta’ for ‘got to’. They are found mostly in informal texts or stories and very rarely in formal texts, however in recent times the process of abbreviating has become very popular thanks to the advent of the SMS language in instant messaging and texting. 

We unintentionally use abbreviations while speaking, either in a rush to get the words out or simply because of our accent or dialect. It is from here that abbreviations were born and were included into written English as well. 

The general rule of using abbreviations is to use a period (.) or an apostrophe (‘) to indicate where the word has been shortened or where the two words have been combined for example - ‘cause is an abbreviation of ‘because’ and Mr. is an abbreviation of ‘mister’ while don’t is an abbreviation of ‘do not’.

Abbreviations are used in texts to save time and space or to give an impression of the speech used by someone. However we must remember that most abbreviations are informal and casual in nature and should not be used in formal texts like reports or theses unless you wish to convey something by using an abbreviation.  

In the case of SMS language, there is no limit to the amount and types of abbreviations that are being invented by people all over the world every day. Some of the common ones are R for our/are, U for you etc. however these abbreviations are not acceptable at all in any written text using the English language.

Learn about the different abbreviations and the difference between them and acronyms before you attempt to use them yourselves. Avail yourself of the different English Quizzes and worksheets offered on the site and learn all about abbreviations today.