Do not use periods or spaces in abbreviations composed solely of capital letters, except in the case of proper names:unless the name is only composed of initials: My initial impression of you was not favorable. If you end a sentence with an abbreviation containing a period, do not put another period at the end of the sentence. Write the initials of her first name, middle name and last name, in that order, on the item, or her first name, last name and then middle name. Box 460 • Burlington, WI 53105 U.S.A. • Ph: 1-800-261-0637 • Fax: 262-763-2651, Using Punctuation: Period with Initials and Abbreviations. ; I know your first name, but what is your middle initial. Abbreviations can be written with or without periods () full stops ( ). Ms. The M.D. ), NYC, pm (or p.m.), US (or U.S.). A period ( . ) L.J. As for italics, they say, “Small capitals are used for specifying eras. All amphibians are thriving in the new pond; e.g., two bullfrogs were spotted yesterday. Or purchase our handy Proofreader's Guide ebook or Write for Business handbook. She moved from I.T.V. and to omit periods with most uppercase abbreviations (examples: FBI, IRS, ATM, NATO, NBC, TX). Why do we have more than one word to represent an era? Periods (Full Stops) in Abbreviations It is considered untidy to mix abbreviations with periods and ones without periods in the same article. Whatever format you use, be consistent. Note: When an abbreviation is the last word in a sentence, do not add a second period. Do not use periods when the last letter of the abbreviation is the same as the last letter of the full word, such as Dr as in Doctor, Mr as in Mister, St as in Street, Rd as in Road, Ave as in Avenue, etc. For a small monthly bonus, you can present staff with shop tokens, flowers, chocolates, theatre tickets, ect. e.g. A single letter may be as few as 1 dot or as many as 5 dots. as in Editor, etc. Use periods with these abbreviations. as in Reverend, Feb. as in February, Ed. R. L. I was also told that it was more formal to write your initials without the periods and spacing, leaving just RL. The current style is to use periods with most lowercase and mixed-case abbreviations (examples: a.m., etc., vol., Inc., Jr., Mrs., Tex.) My initials are R and L. Would the correct one be one of the following? Use periods with most abbreviations in American English. For example, if your name was John Doe, your initials would be J. D.Depending on whether or not you use your middle name or names, the initials of your name will generally be two or three letters separated by a period. Do you disagree with something on this page. Editor’s note: Author, Jennifer Mensik, does not endorse, recommend or favor any program, product or service advertised or referenced on this website, or that appear on any linkages to or from this website. (name abbreviated, 7.62) J.-P. Sartre (hyphenated name, 8.7) H.D. It is always best to check a dictionary or a style manual to be certain. However, when listing professional designations alongside academic degrees, periods should be used (assuming that you've chosen to use periods in the abbreviations of academic degrees). R. L. I was also told that it was more formal to write your initials without the periods and spacing, leaving just RL. Green asked Ms. Grey if she had met Dr. Jekyl. Download Grammarly's app to help with eliminating grammar errors and finding the right words. Thanks so much in advance for helping me! Abbreviations and End Punctuation. Or write, “Here is something I wonder about,” and then keep writing. Follow the initial and period (or the stand-alone initial) with a single space, not a … A period should be placed after an initial and after most abbreviations. For more business-writing tips, browse our blog or use the search box atop the page. May, June, and July ar… Straight talking and methodical, "Smashing Grammar" (Our Grammar Book, 2019), Read about using periods / full stops in titles, Periods (full stops) in titles and contractions. Is this true? UpWrite Press understands the importance of writing skills in business: We're business people just like you. Let’s clear things up for our students (and possibly for ourselves). It happened in August, i.e., two months ago. INCORRECT: The meeting is in the a.m. Time Zones ; As an adjective, initial is defined as existing or occurring at the beginning. If you are submitting a hard copy of your letter, use a standard business letter format with the date and your contact information at the top of the page—if you’re emailing your letter, this information isn’t necessary. or eg. The most common format is to omit periods in uppercase abbreviations (for example, CNN, ITN) but to use them in lowercase abbreviations (for example, e.g., p.m.). Horner; Chicago separates initials with a space, like you would with a spelled-out name. A personal monogram consists of three initials (first, middle and last names). The band travelled around UK and USA last year. However, if a sentence ends in an exclamation mark or a question mark, include both the abbreviation's period and the end mark. : exempli gratia It means “for example.” Use e.g. Personal Monograms. Use periods with most contractions, particularly where the word is cut part-way through, such as Rev. Mary Jane Smith could be MJS or MSJ with a larger S. I'm embossing my initials onto a bag, but I'm unsure of whether I need a space between my initials. All braille is written as a combination of 6 dots per cell. Capitalize the first letter of all names and capitalize all initials. I never dreamed of using initials for my author name, not least because I don’t have any middle names (like me, my parents preferred the simple life). Note, however, that Chicago recommends using the two-letter postal codes (and therefore US) wherever abbreviations are used." This makes them a subset of abbreviations. Trying to sort out the alphabet soup behind a nurse's name can be difficult, but all those letters actually have a very specific meaning. Practice varies with regard to periods, with current usage increasingly in favor of omitting them, especially when the initialism consists entirely of capital letters. Vocational rather than academic, "Grammar for Grown-ups" is packed with real-life examples and keeps you engaged with a wealth of great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson. In other words, you can write: C.N.N. if writing US in a line of capitals, the periods may be necessary to distinguish it from the word ‘us’, although in this example using USA is preferable). Often, you have a choice. The period just represents the missing letters. MM and M are usually used in date formats like MM/DD/YY. e.g. "Initialisms are made up of the initial letters of words and are pronounced as separate letters: CIA (or C.I.A. But writing it J.L.Smith, without spaces leads to JamesLamarSmith, which is wrong and does not make sense as @tautophile referred in a comment. Any shortened form of a word is an abbreviation, for example, etc. However, since many people are referred to by their initials as nicknames in dialog, I think the periods would be eliminated. Check out the APA style guide, where they do use spaces: Van Vugt, M., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, R. B. Like the married couple, the middle letter is always slightly larger than the other two letters. Usually, when you abbreviate a word in American English, you'll add a period to the end. When you abbreviate a name to just an initial, you are just making the name shorter, which does not change the spacing. Write the initials of her first name, middle name and last name, in that order, on the item, or her first name, last name and then middle name. for etcetera and Oct. for October; but acronyms are special kinds of abbreviations, such as ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing) and OPEC(Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), that can be pronounced as words. (plural mos.). R.L. Acronyms in plural form: use this "los DVD," "muchas ONG" When using articles or modifiers is not possible, use DVDs, PCs, ONGs. My initials are R and L. Would the correct one be one of the following? I'm embossing my initials onto a bag, but I'm unsure of whether I need a space between my initials. If … I win! For example, the first 10 letters of the alphabet use the top 4 dots, while the next 10 letters add the bottom left-hand dot to the previous 10 letters. Insert a period after the initial unless the birth or baptismal record does not use a period after the initial. A period should be placed after an initial and after most abbreviations. Thanks so much in advance for helping me! Using Punctuation: Period with Initials and Abbreviations. (special case for pen name, 14.73) AP (p. 142): Periods, no space. So I got my answer, the formal style is J. L. Smith because an initial is followed by a period/full stop and space, but in British English periods/full stops are omitted, so J L Smith is also acceptable. is a form of punctuation used to end a declarative sentence. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here. Addresses The band travelled around UK and … Titles such as mister, miss, and doctor, as well as the names of academic degrees such as bachelor of arts and doctor of philosophy are almost always abbreviated. Most abbreviations for WMU offices, departments and programs are homemade, unknown outside our University and unfamiliar to many or most of our own students, alumni, faculty and staff. after an irresistible offer from the B.B.C. Periods are frequently, but not always used, after initials and with two-letter abbreviations (U.S.). Unfortunately, there is no only proper way. Write another paragraph (if you want — you make the rules in this game) describing something that made you laugh. What is the proper way to abbreviate the word “month”? Using periods in abbreviated names is correct, if one is using the full address. 7:30 A.M. 7:30 AM; 7:30 a.m. This garage sign in the UK should say "M.O.T.". The dots are arranged in 2 vertical rows. People's Names and Titles. Placing a Period at the End of an Abbreviation: In American usage, an abbreviation that includes the … • In general, if you abbreviate a term, … How do we punctuate and capitalize these abbreviations? Abbreviations in people's names and titles generally do use periods, but academic degrees and Roman numerals do not require periods. = Mistress (pronounced “missus”)Ms. = (pronounced “miss” or “miz”)Sr. = SeniorJr. Standing tall and with the Lord's Prayer mumbling across our lips, we entered the chamber....". … The shop will be taken over by the clothing company s.Oliver in June. DO NOT abbreviate clock time when no number is attached to the abbreviation. Using The Period to Indicate Abbreviations. when you want to provide specific examples of a generalization. All acronyms are abbreviations, but not all abbreviations are acronyms. On this blog you'll find tips to improve your writing, along with topics of interest to our staff. Please note: Abbreviations used on this page denote common usage unrelated to documenting sources. or CNN. In American English, title abbreviations are followed by a period; in British English, the period is omitted.The most common title abbreviations include:Mr. = MisterMrs. (2008). after an irresistible offer from the B.B.C.. It all depends on context: mth (plural mths) is most popular. So what to do? Our newest book Write for Work, a practical guide to writing and communicating in the workplace. = DoctorMr. FDR (initials used alone, 8.4) MJ (entire name abbreviated, 10.12) President O. If someone doesn't have a middle name, they often use a dual initial monogram or opt to use their last name initial only. Latin Abbreviations. In some documents it is common to see just “m”. Mary Jane Smith could be MJS or MSJ with a larger S. Out of 92 listings for "OT," four of the top five results will be occupational therapy. Monday, November 22, 2010. The band travelled around U.K. and U.S.A. last year. ie … Just be consistent. Like the married couple, the middle letter is always slightly larger than the other two letters. P.O. = JuniorDr. The rules for using the period to abbreviations Check this out! When even native speakers get a certain aspect of English mixed up, you can bet it’s tricky for English language learners to master. For a term in parentheses, put the abbreviation in brackets after the term: (response time [RT]) • Group author names may be abbreviated in the text (e.g., American Psychological Association [APA]), but should not be abbreviated in references. A man's initials usually don't change—the exception is if he and his spouse use a hyphenated last name after they're married. Answer (1 of 7): Your initials are the first letters of your each name in your full name written with a period between each. Abbreviations used for most of our offices, departm… Spanish. A personal monogram consists of three initials (first, middle and last names). I don't think British English uses the initials, but I have seen various ways of doing it based on different style guides that govern different domains. Declarative sentence: Harry S Truman did not use a period after his middle initial. Abbreviations Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. Use abbreviations for clock time. CORRECT: The meeting is in the morning. In addition to ending a sentence, the period is used with certain abbreviations. Why don’t they have the same position in a sentence? This is usually true regardless of whether the abbreviation uses initial letters or just a shortened version of the word. Abbreviations. However, some commonly known abbreviations don't require periods. Declarative sentence: Harry S Truman did not use a period after his middle initial. When you write the names in full, you leave a space between each one. insisted that his PA had left by 4 o'clock. Don't use them. This is the case with writing and saying years. How to Write Nursing Credentials. R.L. Examples: Spacing after the periods (dots) is correct. If an English acronym is used, include the acronym, a comma and sigla en inglés (GSA, sigla en inglés). They advise writing BC, AD, BCE, and CE in small caps with no periods/points. m’th m-th mo. Some are written in capital letters; others use lowercase letters. The period (or full stop) is an important punctuation mark in English that actually has three different uses: ending a sentence, indicating abbreviations, and other stylistic uses. This is an area that is changing rapidly. When documenting sources using MLA style, the months with four or fewer letters, e.g. There is a small handful of abbreviations for Latin terms that are used (and misused) frequently in English writing. Use capital letters and periods, capital letters and no periods, or lowercase letters and periods. Omit periods in initials of organisations, political divisions and countries (CSIRO, UK, NSW). " In publications using traditional state abbreviations, use periods to abbreviate United States and its states and territories: U.S., N.Y., Ill. As I understand it, you do not "double" the period when ending a sentence with a person's initials: e.g., If you want to find out who caused the problem, you'll have to speak to A.D. For a fiction manuscript, if the speaker trails off at the end of dialogue ending with a person's initials, how wo Is this true? Rule #6: Many professional designations (such as CPA) are written without periods. A period ( . ) Omit periods and spaces in common abbreviations except where this may cause confusion (e.g. is a form of punctuation used to end a declarative sentence. Write acronyms in all caps and without periods between the letters: USDA, not U.S.D.A. They all passed easily, i.e., Jane scored 80%. The periods in the initials stand for truncations, so you would put a space after each one. This 8½ x 11 inch work-text is designed specifically to teach writing, grammar, and communication as it applies to the workplace. Go to abbreviations.comand search the abbreviation "OT." She moved from I.T.V. HHS for health and human services, HR for human resources, and IT for information technology produce similar results. I learned to type when it was newly fashionable to omit full stops (periods) after abbreviations, which still looks right to me after Mr or Mrs but wrong after ie (or i.e.) Periods are frequently, but not always used, after initials and with two-letter abbreviations (U.S.). These two examples have been marked as correct because the writer has been consistent. We have all seen multiple streams of initials after nurses’ names. 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Check this out declarative sentence: Harry S Truman did not use a at. Sentence: Harry S Truman did not use a hyphenated last name after they 're married we entered chamber! Than the other two letters period at the beginning, you can present staff with shop tokens flowers.