1. Introduction

Content

1.3 Abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases made by leaving out some of the letters or using only the first letter of each word. They are used for convenience and space saving. Generally, they are not appropriate in academic language, but some of them could be found there. It is recommended to check a style manual in your field to see whether a particular abbreviation is acceptable.

Task 4

Look at the following sentences and explain the meaning of the abbreviations.

  1. The names of political parties are always capitalised, e.g., the Green Party.

    exempli gratia=for example

  2. The conference covered a wide range of topics, i.e., climate change, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture.

    id est = that is

  3. This point is discussed more fully in a later chapter (ibid, pp.264-269).

    pp.= pages

  4. The method is described in an article by Feynman et al.

    et alia = and others

  5. The study compared the effects of caffeine vs. placebo on participants´ cognitive performance.

    versus = as opposed to; in contrast with

  6. The article mentioned the concept of “survival of the fittest” (sic), which is a misquote of Darwin´s theory.

    sic = sic erat scriptum = thus it was written

  7. The survey asked participants about their hobbies, interests, favourite books, etc.

    etc. = etcetera = and so on
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