25/2/2016 Abbreviations and acronyms worksheet ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS By Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com) Abbreviations are formed from the initial letters of two or more words and are used to represent a short form of the words, for example 'the UN'. Each letter is spelt as a letter in the alphabet e.g. /YOO EN/ and the letters are usually in capitals if the words, when written, start with a capital letter For speakers of Latin based languages like French, Spanish and Italian, a tip for understanding abbreviations and acronyms, especially with international and financial organisations, is first to reverse the order of the letters. It may not always work because sometimes individual words in the abbreviation are translated from English, but doing this will often get you close to the word order in your language English language and writing abbreviations abbr. / abbrev. = abbreviation approx. = approximately ASAP = As soon as possible B.A. = Bachelor of Arts BCC = Blind carbon copy (anonymous copy of email sent to) B.Sc. = Bachelor of Science c/o = care of e.g. when sending a letter to someone staying at a friend's house CAE = The Cambridge Advanced Examination CC = Carbon copy (copy of email message sent to) cf = confer / compare ch = chapter cont'd = continued Dip. = Diploma ed = edited by e.g. = for example (the letters stand for the Latin 'exempli gratia') encl. = enclosed etc. = and so on (stands for the Latin 'et cetera') ext. = extension (telephone number) FAO = For the attention of FCE = The Cambridge First Certificate in English fig = figure (drawing or picture) ID = Identity incl. = including / inclusive info. = information intro. = introduction I.Q. = Intelligence Quota LL.M = Master of Laws M.A. = Master of Arts misc. = miscellaneous (different examples of the same thing) M.Sc. = Master of Science N/A = Not applicable (does not apply) NB = important note (stands for Latin 'nota bene') p. = page para = paragraph Ph.d = Doctor of Philosophy PTO = Please turn over (the page) PP = pages qv = see another entry (in a dictionary) stands for the Latin 'quod vide' http://www.vivquarry.com/wkshts/acronym.html 1/3 25/2/2016 Abbreviations and acronyms worksheet ref. = reference (number) RSVP = Please reply to this (invitation) stands for the French 'Respondez s'il vous plait' s.a.e. = Stamped addressed envelope (a prepaid envelope with the address written on it) vocab. = vocabulary Location, measurement, numbers and time abbreviations 1st, 2nd & 3rd = the first, the second and the third C = Centigrade cm = centremetre(s) cwt = hundredweight doze = dozen (12) F = Fahrenheit g = gram GMT = Greenwich Mean Time kg = kilogram km = kilometre(s) lb = imperial pound (weight) m = metre(s) or million max. = maximum min. = minimum N, S, E & W = north, south, east & west (only capital letters in geographical place names) No. = Number oz = imperial ounce (weight) p.a. = per year (from the Latin 'per annum') pt = imperial pint (liquid) Rd. = Road St. = Street t = Ton (weight) tel. no. = telephone number tsp = teaspoon (cooking) tbsp = tablespoon (cooking) Xmas = Christmas Financial, commercial & business abbreviations CV = Curriculum Vitae (resume in American English) Dept. = Department FTAA = Free Trade Area of the Americas GM crops = Genetically Modified crops ('Transgenicos' in Portuguese) IMF = The International Monetary Fund IBRD The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IADB = The InterAmerican Development Bank ILO = International Labour Organisation IRS = Internal Revenue Service (USA) GNP = Gross National Product GDP = Gross Domestic Product GNI = Gross National Income Ltd = Limited (company) NASDAQ = National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (system) PA = Personal Assistant or Public Address (system) plc = pubic limited company p.p. = signed on behalf of (from the Latin 'per procurationem') VAT = Value Added Tax (Government tax on luxury goods) http://www.vivquarry.com/wkshts/acronym.html 2/3 25/2/2016 Abbreviations and acronyms worksheet VIP = Very important person International and governmental organisations CIA = The Central Intelligence Agency (International Security USA) EEC = The European Economic Community EU = The European Union FAA = Federal Aviation Administration (USA) FAO = Food and Agriculture Organisation FBI = The Federal Bureau of Investigation (Internal Security USA) FDA = Food and Drugs Administration (USA) IAEA = The International Atomic Energy Agency IOC = The International Olympic Committee MI5 = Military Intelligence 5 (National Security UK) MI6 = Military Intelligence 6 (International Security UK) MP = Military Police or Member of Parliament NGO = Nongovernmental organisation UN = The United Nations UNO = The United Nations Organisation UNHCR = Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees WFP = World Food Programme WHO = The World Health Organisation WTO = The World Trade Organisation WWF = The World Wildlife Fund USA = United States of America Acronyms An Acronym is a word formed from an abbreviation, where instead of spelling the letters individually, the abbreviation is made into a new word e.g. SARS /SARZ/. An acronym is also usually written in capitals AIDS = Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome FIFA = The Federation of International Football Associations NATO = The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation OPEC = Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries SARS = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language UEFA = Union of European Football Associations UNCTAD = United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNESCO = United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNICEF = United Nations Children's Fund (formerly the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) For more information on abbreviations and acronyms see this entry in the Wikipedia Back to abbreviations & acronyms exercises Back to vocabulary worksheets Home http://www.vivquarry.com/wkshts/acronym.html 3/3