Hello and welcome to Basic Punctuation.
In this video, you will learn what abbreviations are,
and the correct use of punctuation so that you can abbreviate properly.
Abbreviations are shortened forms of word or phrases.
They are made by leaving letters out, and replacing a group of letters
with another letter or symbol, which is often a period.
We use abbreviations because sometimes there isn’t enough space to write a word, and sometimes
we just want to save time while writing, especially if the word or phrases are too long.
You probably already know abbreviations in calendars.
Sometimes when the space is limited, the words for the days of the week
or the months of the year will be shortened.
Here are some examples of the abbreviations used for the days of the week.
The abbreviation or short form for Sunday is Sun.
The first three letters of the word Sunday are written,
but the last three letters “day” are replaced by this period.
The abbreviation for Monday is Mon. where “day” is replaced by a period.
The abbreviation for Tuesday is Tues. where “day” is replaced by a period.
The same for Wednesday, which is a long word.
To shorten it, you can remove the “nesday” and replace all of those letters with a period.
You may also have seen the months of the year abbreviated in the same way.
Here are some abbreviations used for the months of the year:
Jan. is the abbreviation for January.
Feb. is the abbreviation for February.
Mar. is the abbreviation for March.
And so on.
We can also represent measurement and time using abbreviations.
Here are common units of measurement: inches, feet, and ounces.
Whenever a part of the word is removed, it’s replaced by a period.
in. is the abbreviation for inches.
ft. is the short form for feet.
And, oz. is the short form of ounces.
Be careful though, not all units of measurement use a period when abbreviated.
Some exceptions are centimeter, kilometer, and kilogram.
These are units of measurement in the metric system.
Even though the words get shortened, we do not add a period to the end of the abbreviation.
If you’re not sure whether to use a period or not, always check a dictionary.
Some other examples of abbreviations with units of time are:
hr. is the abbreviation for hour.
sec. is the abbreviation for second.
And, min. is the abbreviation for minute.
Other common abbreviations are made when addressing an envelope,
since envelopes are small, and you want to make it as clear as possible for the mail carrier.
The names of states and provinces are often abbreviated and the word street is shortened.
Let’s look at a few examples.
NY or N.Y. is equal to New York.
Ont. equals Ontario.
St. is equal to street.
Within a letter, if you have more to say after you have signed the letter, you can write a P.S.
Did you know that P period S period stands for post script which means after the signature?
Finally, here are some other common abbreviations you might come across when you read.
I.e. id est is Latin for that is.
E.g. exempli gratia, Latin for for example.
Etc. et cetera is Latin for and so on.
There are many more uses for abbreviations.
You have learned some of the common forms.
Thanks for watching and remember to practice what you’ve learned with our fun games and
quizzes on Always Icecream and Clever Dragons.