----------------------------------------------------------------- THE BETTER WRITING SKILLS NEWSLETTER, October 2011 By Tim North of Scribe Consulting www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Better Writing Skills newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE 1. Which abbreviations end with a full stop? 2. Is "per cent" one word or two? 3. Should a sentence end with a decimal point? 4. Just for fun Your comments and questions are always welcome. Just send email to: info@scribe.com.au Cheers, Tim North (Perth, Western Australia) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Which abbreviations end with a full stop? ----------------------------------------------------------------- One of the books on my shelf defines "abbreviation" like so: An abbreviation is a shortened version of a word or phrase and is often followed by a period. For example, c.o.d., ft-lb, St. or publ. Unfortunately, there is no explanation of what is meant by "often followed by a period". We're left to wonder *when* does an abbreviation take a full stop and when doesn't it? Other sources do a better job of answering this question by distinguishing between abbreviations (which usually take a full stop) and contractions, which don't. Here's the difference between them: An ABBREVIATION is a shortened form of a word that does NOT include the full word's final letter. Abbreviations should be followed by a full stop. A CONTRACTION is a shortened form of a word that DOES include the full word's final letter. Contractions should not be followed by a full stop. Here are some examples of abbreviations. Notice that they all omit the final letter of the full word and receive a full stop in its place: Div. Division approx. approximately doz. dozen Inc. Incorporated Prof. Professor Aust. Australia Here are some examples of contractions. Notice that they all include the final letter of the full word and are not followed by a full stop: Rd Road govt government Mr Mister mfg manufacturing Dr Doctor Mme Madame Pty Proprietary Ltd Limited Not everyone follows the guidelines presented in this article, although they are increasingly common. Still, in my view, distinguishing between abbreviations and contractions in this way is better than relying on the ambiguous definition quoted earlier that expects you to guess what "often followed by a period" means. Hope this helps. -- This article was adapted from my e-book "Editing and Proofreading". It's available for immediate download together with other e-books on report writing, proposal writing and online writing: http://www.scribe.com.au/ebooks.html Sample chapters and tables of contents are also provided. -- (c) 2011 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Is "per cent" one word or two? ----------------------------------------------------------------- My first correspondent this month, Kelly, asked about the spelling of "per cent": When writing about a percentage and the % sign is not used, should it be per cent (two words) or percent (one word)? Your advice is appreciated. This is another of those American English versus British English conversations. As a generalisation, American English writers are more likely to use the one-word spelling, British English writers the two-word spelling. The Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers (an Australian source) notes, though, that while the two-word form is more common in British English, the one-word form is often seen. Summary: If you use American English, prefer the one-word form. In British English, the two-word form is more common, but both are quite acceptable. Pick one and stick to it. Hope this helps. -- (c) 2011 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you know someone who'd like this newsletter? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a friend or colleague who'd find the Better Writing Skills newsletter interesting? If so, please feel free to send a copy of this issue to them. Alternatively, please tell them they can browse back issues here: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html Thanks for helping to make this newsletter so successful! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Should a sentence end with a decimal point? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sam wrote in to ask about ending sentences with a decimal point: When finishing a sentence with a number that includes a decimal place, should the sentence be concluded with a decimal also? The quotations received ranged from £10,186.32 to £27,535.00. Sam is pointing out that the final number in the example above appears to contain two decimal points because it's at the end of a sentence. While this may look a little strange at first glance, it's quite okay. Alternatively, you could rephrase the sentence so that it didn't end with a number: The cheapest quotation was £10,186.32; and £27,535.00 was the most expensive. Sam goes on to ask: I understand that it is European convention to use a comma to separate the decimal and so would alter the appearance of the two decimals so close together. Indeed. Some countries in Europe and elsewhere (France, Spain, Brazil etc.) use a comma as the decimal separator. Digit grouping is often accomplished using a space. The example cited above would appear like so: The quotations received ranged from £10 186,32 to £27 535,00. A list of those countries that use a comma as the decimal point can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_point [Scroll half-way down the page] Hope this helps. (c) 2011 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Just for fun ---------------------------------------------------------------- How can you resist a list that includes the phrases "a clutter of cats" and "an intrigue of kittens"? This month have a look at "Animals -- some collective nouns": http://www.herbweb.org/animals-collective-nouns.html Enjoy. Cheers, Tim. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like more help with your writing? ----------------------------------------------------------------- On my web site, you'll find my range of jargon-free, downloadable e-books that will help you to become a better writer. These e-books will help you with business proposals, report writing, term papers, technical writing, grant writing, creative writing and more: http://www.scribe.com.au/ebooks.html ---------------------------------------------------------------- REPRODUCING THIS MATERIAL You're welcome to reproduce the articles from this newsletter that are copyrighted by Tim North, but please don't modify or sell them. Also, please provide a clickable link back to: http://www.scribe.com.au FUTURE MAILINGS You can prevent (or receive) future mailings by visiting this page: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html This is a GENUINE service, and you will not receive any unsolicited email as a result. You have my word on it. -----------------------------------------------------------------