Abbreviations in English are not a unique phenomenon peculiar only to this language. Most languages of the world are prone to a similar process. So, for example, in the Russian language, the familiar “right now” and “hear”, also quite often hurt the ear. Such reductions remain though characteristic feature in common parlance and are in no way represented in dictionaries.
English is more flexible in this regard. Here you can find not only colloquial vernacular ‘em’ instead of ‘them’. Many forms have become so firmly established that they have become official and are quite appropriate even in formal speech.
English abbreviations(Contracted forms/Short forms) can be divided into three groups: grammatical verbal abbreviations, abbreviations of long words and expressions, colloquial abbreviations.
Shortened forms of verbs
Short verb forms are official abbreviations in English. Despite the fact that initially they were present only in colloquial speech, over time the situation has changed. Now most of the world's publishers, such as Cambridge, Oxford, Longmann and some others, include information and exercises on abbreviated forms in English in their textbooks. They can be found in literary texts, songs, films and television. It should be noted that such abbreviations should be avoided in business correspondence, negotiations or in the texts of official letters.
- am = 'm
- are = 're
- is/ has = 's
- have = 've
- will/shall = 'll
- would/ had = 'd
I'm a mother. - I am a mother.
You're the second in line. - You are second in line.
She's (she is) my best friend. - She is my best friend.
We've three cats. - We have three cats.
I'll be back. - I'll be back.
They'd (they would) rather be nice. - They should be nice and friendly.
If you use a shortened form of a verb, you should put an apostrophe in place of the letters that are missing. Not every verb has a short form. It is presented for modal and auxiliary verbs, forms of to be and the verb have/has - “to have”.
Abbreviated forms are used:
- after personal pronouns
- question words what, who, how
- after the words that, there, here
- After nouns and proper names, only the abbreviation -‘s- (derived from has or is) is possible
An important point is that only the negative short form will be used in short answers. It would be a mistake to say:
Are you ok? - I'm. ERROR
The short form assumes an unstressed position, and the verb in the short answer MUST be stressed. The stressed syllable is retained only in short negation:
Is Michael at home? - It isn’t. RIGHT
The Imperative Let's
The imperative mood also has a shortened form in English. It consists of the verb ‘to let’ - “to allow” and the pronoun ‘us’ - “to us”. This design looks like this:
Let's (= let us) invite the Johnsons. - Let's invite the Johnsons.
Ain't
Another interesting case in verb contractions is represented by the negative contraction ain’t. This word is representative of colloquial and even dialectical English. Nevertheless, it is very popular and can replace many other verbs in informal communication:
ain’t = are not/ /is not/am not/ have not/ has not/ do not/ does not, / did not
In fact, it has no number, no face, no time. Moreover, this negation is capable of creating double negatives in English (“trick”):
Ain't it funny? - Isn't it funny?
I ain't got no money. - I don't have a penny.
Shortened forms of long words
The second group of English abbreviations includes polysyllabic words and concepts that can be shortened to an abbreviation. Abbreviations are acceptable in both colloquial and literary English. In speech practice you can often find the following abbreviations:
TV - television - television/ TV will sound like 'TV set'
pro - professional - professional
sec - second - second
bra - brassiere |brəˈzɪr| - bra
amp - amplifier - amplifier
DUI - driving under influence - driving while intoxicated
Simplification in colloquial speech has made such words independent.
Colloquial abbreviations
Finally, the third group consists of English vernacular abbreviations, the analogues of which are the Russian “pasib” and “schas”. These concepts have no official status, but they are natural and popular in the English language.
In conclusion, we would like to point out that abbreviated forms should be used wisely. The main thing in this matter is not to overdo it. From time to time they will help refresh the conversation and “save” time. It should be comfortable to speak and pleasant to listen to.
We wish you success in learning the intricacies of the English language!
Victoria Tetkina
Not a single written speech, be it business correspondence or, moreover, informal correspondence cannot do without abbreviations and abbreviations. Abbreviations in English are also found in colloquial speech - acronyms (abbreviations that have become independent words) such as NASA, NATO, USA or Radar are used. In this article we will talk about the most common abbreviations that you may encounter in English texts.
Table with abbreviations of verb constructions
Studying English Times, you may have noticed that verb constructions are very rarely written in their full form; abbreviations are much more common. Full forms can most often be found in official texts (legal or scientific literature). Contracted forms have auxiliaries and , as well as the verb be.
Abbreviations of the verb have
Abbreviations of the verb be
| Full form | Reduction |
|---|---|
| I am | I'm |
| he is | he's |
| she is | she's |
| it is | it's |
| you are | you're |
| we are | we're |
| they are | they're |
| how is | how's |
| when is | when's |
| where is | where's |
| why is | why's |
| am not | aren't, amn't, an't, ain't |
| is not | isn't |
| are not | aren't, an't, ain't |
| was not | wasn't |
| were not | weren't |
Shortened forms of other modal verbs
| Verb | Full form | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| can | cannot could not |
can't couldn't |
| may | may not might not |
may not mightn't |
| must | must not | mustn't |
| need | need not | needn't |
| shall | shall shall not |
‘ll shan't |
| will | will will not wilt not |
‘ll won't Wilt's |
| would | would wouldn't |
‘d wouldn't |
Slang abbreviations
During informal communication with native speakers, you can often get lost in abbreviations and acronyms, or even completely stop understanding what the interlocutor is talking about. We hope our table will make it easier for you to communicate with English-speaking friends:
Free lesson on the topic:
Irregular English verbs: table, rules and examples
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| Reduction | Decoding | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 2F4U | Too Fast For You | Too fast for you |
| FYEO | For Your Eyes Only | Only between us |
| AAMOF | As A Matter Of Fact | In fact |
| ACK | Acknowledgment | Confirmation |
| AFAIK | As Far As I Know | As far as I know |
| AFAIR | As Far As I Remember | As long as I remember |
| AFK | Away From Keyboard | Left the computer |
| BTK | Back To Keyboard | Returned to the computer |
| BTT | Back To Topic | Let's get back to the topic |
| BTW | By The Way | By the way |
| B/C | Because | Because |
| C&P | Copy And Paste | Copy-paste (copy and paste) |
| C.U. | See You | See you |
| C.Y.S. | Check Your Settings | Check your settings |
| EOBD | End Of Business Day | End of the working day |
| EOD | End Of Discussion | End of conversation |
| EOM | End Of Message | End of message |
| FKA | Formerly Known As | Previously called |
| FWIW | For What It's Worth | As it were |
| FTW | Fuck The World | Fuck this world |
| HF | Have Fun | Have some fun |
| HTH | Hope This Helps | Hope this helps |
| IDK | I Don't Know | I don't know |
| IMHO | In My Humble Opinion | In my humble opinion |
| IMNSHO | In My Not So Humble Opinion | In my humble opinion |
| IOW | In Other Words | In other words |
| LOL | Laughing Out Loud | Laughing out loud |
| DGMW | Don't Get Me Wrong | Do not get me wrong |
| mmw | Mark My Words | Mark my words |
| NNTR | No Need To Reply | You don't have to answer |
| NOYB | None Of Your Business | It's none of your business |
| OMG | Oh My God | My God |
| O.T. | Off Topic | Off-topic |
| OTOH | On The Other Hand | On the other side |
| POV | Point Of View | Point of view |
| ROFL | Rolling On The Floor Laughing | Rolling on the floor laughing |
| SCNR | Sorry, Could Not Resist | Sorry, I couldn't resist |
| TIA | Thanks In Advance | Thank you in advance |
| THX, TNX | Thanks | Thank you |
| T.Q. | Thank You | Thank you |
| TGIF | Thank goodness it's Friday | Thank God it's already Friday |
| TYVM | Thank You Very Much | Thank you so much |
| TYT | Take Your Time | You don't have to rush |
| TTYL | Talk To You Later | Let's talk later |
| WRT | With Regard To | About |
| WTF | What the fuck | What the heck? |
| YMMD | You Made My Day | You made my day |
Common abbreviations
We have long been accustomed to abbreviations in the Russian language and different, etc., singular, p.s., husband. and scientific do not cause any difficulty while reading texts. To make English texts just as easy to read, we have prepared for you a table with the most common written abbreviations and abbreviations:
| Full form | Reduction | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Before the Christian Era | B.C.E. | BC |
| As Soon As Possible | ASAP | In an extremely short time |
| By The Way | BTW | By the way |
| Do It Yourself | DIY | Do it yourself |
| Estimated Time Of Arrival | ETA | Estimated time of arrival |
| Frequently Asked Questions | FAQ | FAQ |
| Rest In Peace | R.I.P. | rest in peace |
| Very Important Person | VIP | VIP |
| Exempli gratia | e.g. | For example |
| Doctor | Dr. | Doctor |
| Mister | Mr. | Mister |
| Mistress | Mrs. | Mistress |
| Miss | Ms. | Miss |
| Senior | Sr. | Senior |
| Junior | Jr. | Jr |
| Saint | St. | Saint |
| Et cetera | Etc. | And so on |
| Anno Domini | A.D. | Ad |
| Post scriptum | p.s. | After what was written |
Abbreviations for Weights and Measures
As in Russian, in English there are a number of abbreviations for measuring weight, time and distance:
| Full form | Reduction | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| centimeter | cm | cm |
| millimeter | mm | mm |
| foot | ft. | foot |
| meter | m | meter |
| inch | in | inch |
| kilometer | km | kilometer |
| ounce | oz | ounce |
| gram | g | gram |
| kilogram | kg | kilogram |
| pound | lb | lb. |
| liter | l | liter |
| pint | pt | pint |
| gallon | gal | gallon |
| ante meridian | a.m. | before noon |
| post meridian | p.m. | afternoon |
| Greenwich Mean Time | GMT | Greenwich Mean Time |
| Eastern Standard Time | EST | Eastern Time |
| Central Standard Time | CST | Central Standard Time |
Video about abbreviations in English:
As you know, abbreviation is the “shortening” of a word, when some letters are, as it were, “thrown out” of the word. In English, “expelled” letters are replaced by an apostrophe (’).
Abbreviated or short forms are an integral part of English speech. Their use directly speaks to the tone of the conversation. Many people mistakenly assume that there is no place for downsizing, e.g. writing. However, in friendly correspondence, for example, they are quite acceptable. Of course, they should be avoided in business reports and documents.
Most often, the negative particle is contracted 'not' . She turns into n't , while merging with the previous verb:
- After verb forms be: aren't, isn't, wasn't, weren't
- After modal verbs: can"t, couldn"t, mustn"t, shouldn"t, won"t, wouldn't
- After verb forms do: didn't, doesn't, don't
- After verb forms have: hasn't, haven't, hadn't
We were not ready for the changes. = We weren’t ready for the changes.
She could not have missed it. = She couldn’t have missed it.
Why didn't you call me? = Why didn’t you call me?
They have not arrived yet. = They haven’t arrived yet.
In addition to the particle 'not', in English it is customary to abbreviate the forms of verbs 'to be', 'to have', 'to do', as well as modal verbs 'can', 'may', 'must', 'need', 'will ', 'shall', etc. in all tenses.
List of common abbreviated forms
Table. Shortened forms of verbs in English.
|
he had; he would |
|
|
he will; he shall |
|
|
she had; she would |
|
|
she will; she shall |
|
|
that is; that has |
|
|
there is; there has |
|
|
they had; they would |
|
|
they will; they shall |
|
|
we had; we would |
|
|
what will; what shall |
|
|
what is; what has |
|
|
where is; where has |
|
|
who had; who would |
|
|
who will; who shall |
|
|
you had; you would |
|
|
you will; you shall |
|
You probably noticed that it is the auxiliary verbs that are abbreviated, because there are few of them, everyone knows them and they are easy to recognize in their abbreviated form, which cannot be said about all other verbs. For example, how to reduce reserve, buy, write to be understood?
There is one thing:
You should not shorten the auxiliary verb if the sentence consists only of a subject and that verb. In this case, the logical emphasis falls on it: if we reduce it, then there will be nothing to emphasize.
Are you a student? - Yes, I am. Yes, I'm.
Have they written the report yet? - Yes, they have. Yes, they've.
This rule does not apply to abbreviations with not: in them the verb remains whole.
The table also shows that abbreviations “stick” to pronouns and question words. What about nouns? Is it possible to say ‘The table’s been repaired’? In principle, it is possible, but, frankly speaking, such use is rare. Abbreviations can be attached, for example, to names or words that designate people.
Alicia’s going to see the doctor on Friday.
The doctor’s fixed the appointment on 11 a.m.
If you notice, am not is not abbreviated. Once upon a time it was possible to say ‘ amn't', but today this form is practically not used. However, instead of it you can put aren't, for example, in questions with a tail.
I am her brother, aren’t I?
Ain't , however, can replace any auxiliary verb+not. This is usually observed in dialects and slangs, as well as in colloquial speech.
English abbreviations- these are abbreviated forms of some parts of speech ( don't, I"m, etc.), which are widely used in colloquial and informal speech and writing.
Abbreviations in English
The table below shows abbreviations in English and examples of their use.
| Unabbreviated form | Short form | Example |
| I am | I"m | I"m (= I am) already here. I'm already here. |
| I have | I"ve | I"ve (= I have) seen that movie several times. I've watched this movie several times. |
| I will | I"ll | I"ll (= I will) deal with this. I will take care of it. |
| I had / I would | I"d | I"d (= I had) done it by the time you came. I had done it by the time you arrived. I promised you I"d (= I would) do it. |
| You are | You"re | You"re (= you are) one of the best students in this class. You are one of best students in this class. |
| You have | You"ve | You"ve (= you have) been such a good friend to me. You have been such a good friend to me. |
| You will | You"ll | You"ll (= you will) see him soon enough. You'll meet him pretty soon. |
| You had/you would | You'd | You passed the test because you"d (= you had) prepared for it. You passed test because I prepared for it in advance. You"d (= you would) like it, I"m sure. |
| He is / he has | He's | He"s (= he is) a very talented actor. He is a very talented actor. He "s (= he has) never lied to us. |
| He won't | He"ll | He"ll (= he will) show up, he is just running a little late. He will come, he is only a little late. |
| He had/he would | He"d | He"d (= he had) helped me a lot to finish the work by your arrival. He helped me finish my work before you arrived. He"d (= he would) be very glad to contribute. |
| She is / she has | She's | She"s (= she is) standing by the window. She is standing by the window. She"s (= she has) got a lot of money. |
| She will | She"ll | She"ll (= she will) come over to our house tonight. She will come to us this evening. |
| She had / she would | She"d | She"d (= she had) called me before she came. She called before she came. She said that she"d (= she would) give me a call during the lunch-break. |
| It is / it has | It's | It"s (= it is) hot today. Today it's hot. It"s (= it has) never been so hot. |
| We are | We"re | We"re (= we are) coming, we"re almost there. We're on our way, we're almost there. |
| We have | We"ve | We"ve (= we have) tried to get a hold of you, but failed. We tried to contact you, but were unable to. |
| We will | We'll | We"ll (= we will) watch over the kids. We'll look after the children. |
| We had/we would | We"d | We"d (= we had) traveled from Germany to Spain. We traveled from Germany to Spain. We"d (= we would) be much obliged if you helped us. |
| They are | They"re | We"re (= we are) going to talk about it next time. We'll talk about this next time. |
| They have | They"ve | I hear that they"ve (= they have) been told everything. I heard that they were told everything. |
| They will | They"ll | I hope they"ll (= they will) be on time. I hope they won't be late. |
| They had / they would | They"d | They"d (= they had) done their work long before I started doing mine. They did their job long before I started mine. I talked to them and they promised they"d (= they would) do everything in their power. |
| There is / there has | There's | There"s (=there is) little time left. There is little time left. There"s (= there has) been a very nice Chinese restaurant down the street before, but now it"s gone. |
| There will | There"ll | They say there"ll (= there will) be a new school in our district. They say a new school will appear in our area. |
| There had / there would | There"d | There"d (= there had) been many people here before. There used to be a lot of people here. I knew there"d (= the would) be a way. |
| Are not | Aren't | They aren't (= are not) here yet. They're not here yet. |
| Cannot | Can't | I can"t (= cannot) do it because I am very busy. I can't do this because I'm very busy. |
| Could not | Couldn't | Why couldn"t (= could not) you come in time? Why couldn't you come on time? |
| Dare not | Daren"t | I daren"t (= dare not) say it. I don't dare say it. |
| Didn't | Didn't | Helen says she didn't (= did not) know anything about it. Helen said she knew nothing about it. |
| Doesn't | Doesn't | He doesn't (= does not) like this book. He doesn't like this book. |
| Don't | Don't | Whatever you do, just don"t (= do not) touch my antique statuettes. Do what you want, just don’t touch the antique figurines. |
| Had not | Hadn't | We hadn't (= had not) seen such a beautiful place before we went there. We've never seen anything like this beautiful place before we got there. |
| Has not | Hasn't | Sam hasn't (= has not) read that magazine yet, give it to him. Sam hasn't read this magazine yet, give it to him. |
| Have not | Haven't | I haven"t (= have not) finished working yet, give me some more time. I haven't finished working yet, wait a little longer. |
| Is not | Isn't | I don"t know why he isn"t (= is not) there. I don't know why it's not there. |
| Might not | Mightn't | You should call him first, he mightn"t (= might not) be home yet. Better call him first, maybe he's not home yet. |
| Must not | Mustn't | You mustn"t (= must not) work so hard, have a little rest. You can't work so hard, take some rest. |
| Need not | Needn't | The teacher has said that we needn"t (= need not) do this exercise. Teacher said we don't need to do this exercise. |
| Ought not | Oughtn't | Tell him that he oughtn"t (= ought not) to speak with his parents like that. Tell him he shouldn't talk to his parents like that. |
| Shall not | Shan"t | Don"t come tomorrow, I shan"t (= shall not) be able to help you. Don't come tomorrow, I won't be able to help you. |
| Should not | Shouldn't | We shouldn"t (= should not) hurry, the work should be done very carefully. There is no need to rush, the work must be done very carefully. |
| Was not | Wasn't | I wasn"t (= was not) ready to go when you called me. I wasn't ready to go when you called. |
| Were not | Weren't | They weren't (= were not) going to come. They weren't going to come. |
| Will not | Won't | We won't (= will not) let you down. We won't let you down. |
| Wouldn't | Wouldn't | If I were you I wouldn't (= would not) underestimate him. If I were you, I wouldn't underestimate him. |
Notes:
1. In spoken English there is non-standard shape ain"t, which may be an abbreviation of the forms am not, are not, is not, have not or has not(however, this form has a strong informal connotation):
He ain"t going to come. = He is not going to come.
He will not come.
Don"t talk to me like that – you ain"t my master. = You are not my master.
Don't talk to me like that, you are not my master.
I ain"t got anything to read. = I have not got anything to read.
I have nothing to read.
2. Abbreviations daren"t And shan"t very rarely used in American English.
3. Short for am not is the form aren't(which, unlike the form ain"t, is not colloquial and informal):
I am late, aren't I? (and NOT... amn"t I?)
I'm late, right?
A contraction is two or even three words combined into one shortened word, with some letters being dropped. An apostrophe is placed in place of the dropped letters on the letter. In English, abbreviations are used very often, mainly in colloquial speech. Mostly auxiliary verbs and the negative particle not are subject to contraction, since they are unstressed in the sentence. In addition, there are many contractions with modal verbs.
Let's look at the main abbreviations in English:
|
Reduction |
Pronounced |
Full form |
|
I had, I would, I should |
||
|
you had, you would |
||
|
he had, he would |
||
|
she had; she would |
||
|
we had, we should, we would |
||
|
they had; they would |
||
|
[ðɛəz], [ðəz] |
there is, there has |
|
|
there had, there would |
||
|
AM kæ̱nt] |
||
There are abbreviations verbal(when the verb itself is shortened) and negative(in which the particle not undergoes contraction).
Some negative contractions can take two forms:
he had not = he"d not = he hadn"t
she will not = she’ll not = she won’t
it is not = it’s not = it isn’t
Abbreviations with n"t(hadn"t, won"t) are more typical of the English language. The exception is the verb is, because in British English both are acceptable. In American English they use forms with not: she"s not.
In dividing questions am not has the abbreviation aren"t I:
I am in your team, aren’t I? - I'm on your team, aren't I?
Please note the difference in pronunciation: can"t: British English in American English.
Some abbreviations can imply different verbs, for example the abbreviation ’s can mean both is and has . How to distinguish? We differentiate by context. After is, either a verb ending in ing, an adjective or a noun is used:
He's waiting for you. - He's waiting for you.
She's a student. - She is a student.
It's beautiful. - This is wonderful.
After has there should be a verb in the third form:
He's got a new car. - He has a new car.
She's been to the USA. - She was in the USA.
The abbreviation "d" can "hide" had, would, should. After had we use the third form of the verb:
Sometimes the abbreviation is used for had better:
You'd better go home now. - You better go home now.
Would is often followed by like to :
I'd like to have a cup of tea. - I would like a cup of tea.
C should usually use the verb in the first form without the particle to (expression of advice):
You"d go and apologize. - You should go and apologize.
Do not confuse the abbreviated form it"s and the possessive adjective its.
Ain’t is a slang abbreviation for am not, are not, is not, have not, has not. It can be found in films, songs and in spoken language.
Using abbreviations in writing.
The use of abbreviated forms in writing is determined by the nature of the letter. Abbreviations should be avoided in official documents, formal correspondence, and scientific papers, but in informal letters, blogs, and articles, the use of abbreviations is allowed and even encouraged. Contractions give a more informal and light tone, while full forms, in turn, indicate seriousness and formality. Before using contractions in your writing, think about the nature, purpose, and recipient of your letter.
When using abbreviated forms in writing, there are several rules to remember.
The short form ‘s (is, has) can be used in writing with personal pronouns, nouns, question words, there) and (now’s):
He "s my brother. - He is my brother.
Tom's sleeping. - Tom is sleeping.
Where's he? What's he doing? - Where is he? What is he doing?
There's a car in the garage. - There's a car in the garage.
Here's a lot of people. - There are many people here.
Now's the time to go. - Now it's time to go.
The short forms 'll (will), 'd (had, should, would) and 're (are) are used in writing after pronouns and the word there, but in other cases the full forms are written, even if abbreviated ones are pronounced:
They're watching TV. The children are watching TV.
She'd like to go out. Mary would like to go out.
He'd eat healthy food. My father should eat healthy food.
Contractions are an important element of spoken English. Sometimes they make it difficult to understand native speakers when they speak very quickly, so it is important to develop your listening skills, and if you want to improve your spoken English, our teachers will help you with this. Good luck in learning English!
