One particular day, a colleague turned to me and questioned, “What is FYI?”
“For your information.”
“What is actually FYA?”
“For your motion.”
“What’s WRT?“
“With reference to…”
Just before the conversation dragged on any more, I promptly looked up a site on acronyms applied in enterprise communications and despatched it to him through e-mail.
This discussion made me realise that the full which means of a lot of acronyms and abbreviations could not be instantly clear for numerous persons – pupils or functioning grown ups alike.
For starters, an acronym is a word developed from combining the initial letters of just about every term. For example, For your action.
An abbreviation is a term shortened from its first variety. For case in point, “Attn.” is an abbreviation of the phrase “attention” to express the this means “for the notice of”.
In common, a whole cease is utilized for abbreviations the place the past letter of the phrase and the abbreviation are not the same. For example, “Co.” (Company) needs a comprehensive quit but “Ltd” (Confined) does not. Acronyms do not will need punctuation marks.
Under are some commonly used limited varieties in small business communication like e-mails, faxes and letters:
a.k.a. – also regarded as
On Monday early morning, Kay El, a.k.a. The Boss, walked in fortunately and greeted her assistant, Pee Jay.
approx. – about
Examining her e-mail, Pee Jay study, “Today is the boss’s birthday. Can everyone please slip off quietly to the cafeteria in approx. 15 minutes?”
ASAP – as shortly as probable
Pee Jay opened up her day by day planner and scribbled ASAP future to some of the urgent goods on her to-do listing.
Attn. – for the attention of
Leafing as a result of the stack of mail to be despatched out, Pee Jay requested her boss, “To whom really should I handle the cheque for the once-a-year report?”
Her boss replied, “Just generate ‘Attn: Ms. Christine Jalleh’. She’ll know what to do with it.”
Bcc. – blind carbon copy or blind copy to. In this case, the carbon duplicate is sent to an e-mail recipient whose e-mail tackle is not obvious to the cc or other bcc recipients.
“By the way, I assume it is really far better if you bcc me in your e-mail to Brown. We wouldn’t want him pondering that I’m supervising you for this undertaking.”
Cc. – carbon copy, or duplicate to
“But I would like to be cc-ed on the e-mail to Mr Green as I have not however released the both of you to every other.”
c/o – in care of, utilised when sending a document to A who will get it on B’s behalf mainly because B is absent from the office environment.
“Manager, I consider Christine is again in China this week. Would it be all correct if I sent the cheque in care of her assistant? I am going to nevertheless write her identify on leading with c/o Ah Sis Tern below.”
COD – income on delivery, exactly where a person will make payment for an item buy following it has been sent.
“I am also sending out the cheque for the established of Business English reference textbooks we bought COD on eBay.”
e.g. – exempli gratia (for case in point)
Pee Jay replied to the e-mail, “Hi anyone. Make sure you bear in mind that the boss isn’t going to like surprises, e.g. everybody shouting ‘Surprise!’ in the cafeteria.”
et al. – et alii (and many others). Usually utilized to checklist co-authors right after the lead writer in a bibliography, this kind is now popularly made use of to address the other persons other than the receiver in e-mails.
She acquired a new e-mail, which read through, “Dear Pee Jay et al., I was reminded that the boss does NOT like surprises …”
etcetera. – et cetera (and so on OR and so forth)
This means that we will not be in a position to collectively shock her by springing out of the cafeteria doors as we had planned, etc.
exc. – besides
“Can absolutely everyone, exc. Pee Jay, be at the cafeteria in 5 minutes? We require to determine out a shock without the need of the surprise element. Thanks!”
FYI – for your data
Her boss’s voice brought the youthful assistant again to the current, “Pee Jay, I’m forwarding you all these e-mails FYI, okay?”
FYA – for your motion
“Notice that some of these e-mails are FYA …”
i.e. – id est (that is)
Soon after acknowledging her supervisor, Pee Jay determined to support her colleagues out and typed, “She’s in a excellent temper these days, i.e. we won a new account and concluded a key project.”
K – thousand, e.g. 450K = 450,000
“Just to give you an plan of her mood, it truly is a 450K retainer for the very first quarter …”
PA – particular assistant
The fast reply to Pee Jay’s e-mail read, “Thanks for the details, Pee Jay – you are the most effective PA!”
p.a. – for each annum (for each year)
Pee Jay smiled and responded, “Haha, there is a explanation why I’m compensated RM65K p.a.”
p.p. – per pro (utilized when signing a doc on someone’s behalf)
On the lookout back again at her paperwork, Pee Jay signed some invoices on her boss’s behalf, inserting p.p. just in advance of her signature.
Pto. – remember to flip in excess of, utilized at the conclude of a web page to reveal that there is a continuity to the textual content.
“By the way, make sure you remember to variety Pto. on the 1st website page of the proposal you might be sending. The final time we sent it to him, he forgot to browse the subsequent pages,” chimed in Kay El.
viz. – videlicet, particularly
She got up and remaining a take note on Pee Jay’s get the job done station before leaving. Scribbled on it was, “Can I go you my slice of birthday cake soon after I lower it? I genuinely really don’t have to have a whole lot of carbo, viz. refined flour, at my age.” The note ended with a wink.
Visitors can go to http://www.acronymfinder.com/ to research for the meanings of over 4 million acronyms and abbreviations. This on-line dictionary also lets people to filter their research in accordance to types like data engineering (IT), army and authorities, business enterprise and finance, science and drugs, organisations and schools, and slang and pop culture.
More Stories
Garnet Minerals – The Many Colors of Garnets
Is Vitamin B12 and Folate Good for Depression?
Carb Loading for Tennis?