Abbreviations seem to be more popular as language progresses and hybrid products are created. They also have become quite common in our everyday writing and speech, probably due to the fast-paced world we live in. Text messages and email make abbreviations even more prevalent. It sometimes seems that abbreviations have taken over our language!

Abbreviations are used to shorten both phrases and words. There are two types of abbreviations used to shorten phrases: acronyms and initialisms.

Acronyms are abbreviations that are pronounced as words. Some examples are

NATO
AIDS
OPEC
SQL

Initialisms are abbreviations that are pronounced one letter at a time. Some examples are

FBI
HTML
XML
IBM
HP
DVD
VHS

Keep an eye out for redundant words when using abbreviations. Redundant abbreviations are so common that New Scientist, a specialist consumer magazine, coined the term RAS Syndrome, which stands for Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome. Another example of a redundant acronym is PIN number. You wouldn’t say personal identification number number, would you?

Some other popular redundant abbreviations are

ATM machine
UPC code
HIV virus
LCD display
ABS system
VIN number

 

Try It!

1. Make a list of 5 popular acronyms.
2. Make a list of 5 popular initialisms.
3. Make a list of 5 popular redundant abbreviations.

We compare things every day and are constantly expressing our opinions about one thing or another. One way we do this is with the words different from and different than. To make your writing clear, professional, and correct, know how to use them in a sentence.

Different from is primarily used when introducing a phrase. Different than can also be used, but different from is the preferred form. Different from is also used for simple comparisons where the things being compared have the same grammatical structure.

For example: My books look different from her books. My books and her books have the same structure and are being compared to one another. In cases where this parallel construction appears, different from should be used.

Different than is used in a sentence when it is followed by a clause. However, differentfrom can also be used if more words are added with the clause.

For example: Married life is different than I expected. In the sentence, different than precedes the clause I expected.

Now look: Married life is different from what I expected it to be. The additional words in the sentence allow you to use different from.

If instead of the word different you need to use differently, the above rules still apply. Differently than is used when it is followed by a clause. When more words are added to the clause, differently from can be used.

A pronoun allows the writer to make a reference to something without using the name each time. Pronouns replace one or more nouns in a sentence. For example, instead of using the nouns Amy, the bookcase, apples, or my friends and I, you could use the pronouns she, it, they, and we. Using one word too many times can make a sentence or paragraph awkward.

Subject pronouns and object pronouns are two main types of pronouns.

There are two ways subject pronouns can be used. First, when a pronoun is the subject of a sentence, a subject pronoun is used.

Example: She read the book.

She is the subject pronoun and also the subject of the sentence.

In this case, I, you, he, she, it, we, and they can all be subject pronouns.

Second, subject pronouns occur after to be verbs to rename the subject.

Example: The caller was she.

The subject pronoun she comes after the to be verb was and replaces the noun caller. Caller is the subject of the sentence, and it is renamed to the pronoun she.

Subject verbs in this form can be difficult because spoken English is often not grammatically correct when it comes to this form. Keep the correct subject pronouns in mind (I, you, he, she, it, we, and they) and resist substituting them with words like me, him, her, and them.

Another type of pronoun is the object pronoun. An object pronoun is used when the pronoun is the direct object, the indirect object, or the object of the preposition. Object pronouns include the pronouns it, her, him, me, you, us, and them.

When the pronoun is the direct object, the pronoun is directly receiving the action of the verb.

Example: Mary kicked it.

Kicked is the verb and it is the object pronoun. It is receiving Mary’s kick so it is receiving the action of the verb.

The indirect object of a sentence tells us where the direct object is going. The answer to the following questions will give you the indirect object: “To whom?” or “For whom?”

Example: John gave her flowers.

Identify the indirect object by asking, “To whom did John give the flowers?” John gave the flowers to her, so her is the indirect object pronoun. Then determine who or what is receiving the action. Flowers is being given and is the direct object.

An object pronoun is also used in a prepositional phrase. Prepositions are words such as at, to, of, by, off, in, but, before, between, behind, about, without. Some examples of prepositional phrases are at home, for the car, and after several minutes. An example of a sentence in which the object of the prepositional phrase is a pronoun is: Ben went home without her. The prepositional phrase is without her. Without is the preposition, and the pronoun her is the object of the preposition.