3 Tips for Using Correct Abbreviations

Abbreviations are the shortened forms of words. They are very useful, especially when you need to take down notes quickly. As an ESL student, you must familiarize yourself with common abbreviations used in the English language.

So how do you write abbreviations correctly? Here are three different ways to write abbreviations.

1. Shorten a Long Word by Writing Down the Beginning of that Word

You can abbreviate a long word by writing the first part of the word. This is a common abbreviation practice. Among the few familiar words in which this technique is used are: hippo (for hippopotamus), fem (for feminine), elem (for elementary), and diff (for different).
2. Omit the Vowels of a Word

You may also write the abbreviated form of a word by omitting its vowels. This simple technique can be used for words that are not too long or too short. Omitting the vowels leaves the abbreviated word recognizable from its original form. Examples of these are: qlty (for quality), tchr (for teacher), schl (for school), cntry (for century), and prgrss (for progress).
3. Write Just the First Letter and the Last Letter of a Monosyllabic Word

Monosyllabic words, or words that have just one syllable, can be abbreviated by writing the first and last letter of the word. This technique is demonstrated in these examples: mt (for mount), qt (for quart), gl (for girl), and ld (for land).

Learning to write abbreviations properly is an important aspect of ESL learning. For more information about this, you can check out our software for ESL learners. ESL software will help you to understand and learn the English language better.