Search results for 'tag:Abbreviations tag:Vowels' matching tags 'Abbreviations' and 'Vowels'

Re: Apostrophe

Alienvoord — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:05:16 GMT

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There was formerly a respectable tradition (17-19c) of using the apostrophe for noun plurals, especially in loanwords ending in a vowel (as in We do confess Errata's, Leonard Lichfield, 1641, and Comma's are used, Philip Luckcombe, 1771) and in the consonants s, z, ch, sh, (as in waltz's and cotillions, Washington Irving, 1804). Although this practice is rare in 20c standard usage, the apostrophe of plurality continues in at least five areas: (1) with abbreviations such as V.I.P.'s or VIP's, although such forms as VIPs are now widespread. (2) With letters of the alphabet, as in His i's are just like his a's and Dot your i's and cross your t's. In the phrase do's and don'ts, the apostrophe of plurality occurs in the first word but not the second, which has the apostrophe of omission: by and large, the use of two apostrophes close together (as in don't's) is avoided. (3) In decade dates, such as the 1980's, although such apostrophe-free forms as the 1980s are widespread, as are such truncations as the '80s, the form the '80's being unlikely. (4) In family names, especially if they end in -s, as in keeping up with the Jones's, as opposed to the Joneses, a form that is also common. (5) in the non-standard ('illiterate') use often called in BrE the greengrocer's apostrophe, as in apple's 55p per lb and We sell the original shepherds pie's (notice in a shop window, Canterbury, England).
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- The Oxford Companion to the English Language page 75

What's so wrong with some variation anyway?

Re: A or an?

Yankee — Thu, 17 May 2007 19:31:57 GMT

If the abbreviation is pronounced as two separate letters (i.e. it sounds like you're saying "es eye"), then you need to say "an SI" because the first sound after 'an' is a vowel sound ('e').

These are further examples -- using university degrees:

- an MBA
- a BA
- a PhD

Re: teachers, please help

Yankee — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:37:32 GMT

And...

"I am writing an SOP." is correct if the letters are pronounced individually.

Use an before a word or abbreviation that begins with a vowel sound.
The letter S sounds like "es" as a single letter, therefore you would need to use an.

Re: Abbreviated Words

Likeguslee — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 21:16:50 GMT

No, you can't automatically put "an" in front of any abbreviation. You have to observe the vowel sound rule when placing either "an" or "a" before an abbreviation.

For example, a J.D (Juris Doctor) and not an J.D

I am working for a Ph.D degree, and not an Ph.D degree.

He is a UNICEF adviser and not an UNICEF adviser since "U" is pronounced as YOU, a non-vowel sound.

Re: Abbreviated Words

Clive — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 21:06:29 GMT

Hi,

So, finally, is it okay if I used "an" to address all kinds of abbreviations?

No, use 'an' only for those that start with a 'vowel sound' when you say them.

eg A CIA operation. A NATO plan.

These examples do not start with a vowel sound if you speak them aloud.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Abbreviated Words

nona the brit — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 18:46:56 GMT

Precisely because when you say these abbreviations, the first sound of the first letter is a vowel SOUND, even though it is not a vowel.

SMS - ess em ess . You are not saying SSS MMM SSS you are saying ess em ess. Imagine you are talking about an essay. AN essay. the sounds are the same as the start of AN SMS - an ess em es. so it takes 'an' and not 'a'. Same as the previous example.

If it starts with a vowel sound, no matter whether it is a word or an abbreviation like your examples, you use an. An FBI.... An RCPCA....

Has something made you think the rule is different with abbreviations? It isn't.

Re: I'd like to drink coffee.

CalifJim — Sun, 14 May 2006 06:29:13 GMT

May I know all the words that ... use 'd as a shortcut?

I take it you want to know which words the 'd can possibly be a substitute for.

Only would and had normally fall into this category, if you're looking for full words (the 'd in cont'd being an abbreviation for the past tense ending ed).

I'd go. = I would go.
I'd gone. = I had gone.

I say normally, because in everyday conversational speech, the 'd can be a substitute for did after an initial question word, especially one that ends in a vowel sound.

Who'd you see?
Where'd you go?
How'd you get that?
Why'd you do that?

The 'd and y combination is usually pronounced as a j in these patterns.

CJ

Re: Very Important Questions!

Woodward — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:52:32 GMT

1) How long is a piece of string?

Exactly 27.82cm. Anything other this is either shorter or longer than it should be.

2) Who Said an Orange should be called an Orange , and not a Window?

First, windows weren't invented back then. Second, it was almost called a Green because long ago, at the time when there were no windows, they used to eat oranges before they were ripe, when they were green.

3) What do you call a bedroom with no bed in it?

It's called a floorroom.

4) Day light savings time - why are they saving it and where do they keep it?

Every knows that the sun will not last for ever and of course if there is no sun, there is no day, only night. So someone with a little foresight decided to start saving daylight for that tragic day. Where do they keep it? They keep it tightly compacted in little missiles that they will later send up into the air and explode, thus giving us daylight. That's why so much light comes out of an atomic bomb when is exploded.

5) Are there any Bi-polar bears?

Yes, it is quite a typical occurance in natural. That's why they have that 'I want to go up to you and cuddle you' appearance but one which will leave you with your intestines being chewed on if you go and try it. Yet they can just leave you alone too. You never know until you try with these characters.

6) Are Nobel Gases Knighted?

Well no they aren't. They are ignited to hide the smell since when you are sitting with fellow barons and other royalty, it's not really appreciated having it drifting over the dinner table. Not wise having all those candles about too.

7) Who Cares for the Care Bears?

No-one. That's why you don't see them around any more. Since nobody cared for them, they all died.

8) Is duck tape made out of ducks?

Well the original duck tape was made from a mixture of duck fat and paper. They used to use it in the lower mountain regions of China. The duck they used was from the same family as the Peking Duck.

9) Why is it you must wait until night to call it a day?

This is out of consideration for the small island countries that are to the right of the international date line. They would feel left out and not a part of the rest of the world if they didn't have their day along with everyone else.

10) Why get even, when you can get odd?

This expression comes from years of playing poker. If you get evens or in other words pairs, it will win you a lot more money that having odds, or non-pairs. That's why they say 'get even' because you will win if you do.

11) Why does a grapefruit look nothing like a grape?

It is in fact a type of grape. About 500 years ago, there were a lot of grapes in the Southern region of Paraguay. But with Global warming, the normally rainy Amazonic region to the north has had a permenant change in redistribution of the rainfall. It is currently raining a lot more present day in the South of Paraguay than it did 500 years ago. So now the grapes that used to be grown there have been saturated so often by rainfall that they were continually swollen in size. With each generation of grape produced in the region, it retained a little of its swollen size. The problem with this is that the vines couldn't cope with the excess weight so they became tree like in form. And since the fruit grew higher from the ground than normal, over time it created a defense mechanism of a thick skin (the peel) so that it wouldn't explode on contact with the ground when it fell.

12) Why do they call it 'chili' if it's hot?

Well actually chilies are not hot despite common belief, they are in fact incredible cold. The burning sensation you have in your mouth is not from heat but from the cold. It's like when you hold some ice cubes in your hand, it kind of hurts because of the cold. That's the same sensation in your mouth. The association for the protection of the Chilies rights are currently pleading their case at the UN to get this common misconception rectified since it is causing irrepairable damage to their name.

13) Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

No, it is totally forbidden in that way that Humanitarians are not permitted to eat humans either.

14) Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?

It is because of the original starting position of the rain and snow. The next time you are flying above the clouds (in a plane I mean) take a close look at them. You will see that the top of the cloud doesn't look wet at all. Why? Because the rain is being held inside the cloud (you just can't see it). So when something comes out of your hand by accident, it drops, just like the rain that is being held by the cloud. Now if you take another look at the cloud, very closely at the top of it, you will see that it is usually covered in a light fluffy substance. This is the snow sitting on top of the cloud. Now, sometimes when the cloud moves, the snow just falls off it. Like if you have a cup on the table, it falls off and doesn't drop. That's the origin of rain drop and snow fall.

15) Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

That is because no-one every finishes doctor school. People who want to be doctors are in fact slow learners and a practice is to cover that fact. They are constantly practising or experimenting on you. You will often hear them say... Let me see (because they have never seen it before and they are curious). That's why Tests are called tests. A blood test is a way of saying, I need to test (using your blood) whether I am right or wrong because I don't know in the first place.

16) Why is clear considered a color?

Because it is. If you look at a clear thing really really closely, and I mean get your nose right up to it, you will see the clear is in fact a very, very light white.

17) Who chose Dyslexic ( sp? ooh the ultimate irony) as a word for peeps who have spelliing difficulties?

Dr Dyslex's secretary. The truth is that he had no problem spelling, he was just alcoholic and got things a little mixed after the fifth bottle. It used to be a bit of a joke with all the ladies who worked with him. If anyone did anything a little wrong or made a mistake, they would say, "Aren't you a little dyslexic today". Funnily enough, when ever the doctor made cheques, the bank tellers would say the same thing referring to his writing.

18) Why isnt the word Palindrome, a Palindrome?

Well, Palidrome is actually an abbreviation for Palindromeemordnilap. Since it is too long to say (especially at 3 in the morning after a couple of bottles of red wine), it is almost always shorten.

19) Why does the alphabet go a,b,c ,d etc... and why does it have to have 26 letters?

The creators of the Alphabet thought they would write it according the most common words that were used by babies and young children. According to the internationally reknown Child psychologist of the time, Dr. Sdik Etahi, the first sounds are usually, a, a ,a, and then ba, ba, or caca then frequently they say dada, then the next vowel they use is the E which gives them babe, ace, dead and so on. So that is why the alphabet starts with A and ends with Z (since kids almost never use Z in their first words).

Originally there were more than 26 letters, in fact there were 47 and a half letters. Over time the Alphabet got smaller and smaller in much the same way as computers have done. They took up too much space. There are rumours that eventually the World Alphabet Association (WAA) would like to reduce the alphabet to include only 12 letters to make it easier to type words and so keyboards can be made smaller.

The shortest sentence with all letters

Bibu — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 11:28:35 GMT

I have recently reached to the shortest sentence with all letters;lazy,&quick tv-show frog jumped in a bx.(bx. is an approved abbreviation of box).Only a,i,o,and u are repeated,and all are vowels!Thank God!and thank you!

Re: 's in acronyms

Clive — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 18:30:49 GMT

Hi,

Point well taken. All I can do is throw myself on the mercy of the APOSTROPHE PROTECTION SOCIETY and have my counsel enter a plea in mitigation:

My Lords,

My client deeply regrets 'shooting from the hip' in this matter.

As regards the rude insertion of an apostrophe, he acknowledges the offence but claims that he was provoked by the deplorable modern habit of omitting to include a period after each letter in an abbreviation.

He states that he can accept cases where the abbreviation ends with a consonant (RFPs, VIPs, HQs, ICBMS) but that cases which end in a vowel (POs, BAs, CEOs, OBEs, DAs, NCOs) seem to him to resemble a tortured and unnatural word, not only an offence against nature but an abomination. He is, if you will, a victim of his own highly-developed aesthetic sensibility.

In closing, I draw the attention of Your Lordships to my client's fairly unblemished character and await that mercy which is the hallmark of all APSs (Apostrophe Appreciation Societies) throughout the civilized world.