Acronyms and initialisms? pps

Acronyms and initialisms?


According to The Business Writer's Handbook, "An acronym is an
abbreviation that is formed by combining the first letter or letters of several
words. Acronyms are pronounced as words and are written without periods.
EXAMPLES: radio detecting and ranging/radar Common Business-
Oriented Language/ COBOL self-contained underwater breathing apparatus/
scuba
An initialism is an abbreviation that is formed by combining the initial letter
of each word in a multiword term. Initialisms are pronounced as separate
letters.
EXAMPLES: end of month/ e.o.m. cash on delivery/ c.o.d. post meridian/
p.m.
Usage guidelines:
The following are sample guidelines to apply in deciding whether to use
acronyms and initialisms:
If you must use a multiword term as much as once each paragraph, you
should instead use its acronym or initialism. For example, a phrase such as
"primary software overlay area" can become tiresome if repeated again and
again in one piece of writing; it would be better, therefore, to use PSOA.
If something is better known by its acronym or initialism than by its formal
term, you should use the abbreviated form. The initialism a.m., for example,
is much more common than the formal ante meridiem. If these conditions do
not exist, however, always spell out the full term.
The first time an acronym or initialism appears in a written work, write the
complete term, followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses.
EXAMPLE: "The Capital Appropriations Request (CAR) controls the
spending of money." Thereafter, you may use the acronym or initialism
alone. In a long document, however, you will help the reader greatly by
repeating the full term in parentheses at regular intervals so that he or she

does not have to search back to the first time the acronym or initialism was
used to find its meaning.
EXAMPLE: "Remember that the CAR ( Capital Appropriations Request )
controls the spending of money."
Write acronyms in capital letters without periods. The only exceptions are
those acronyms that have become accepted as common nouns, which are
written in lowercase letters.
EXAMPLE: "NASA," "HUD," "laser," "scuba." Initialisms may be written
either uppercase or lowercase. Generally, do not use periods when they are
uppercase, but use periods when they are lowercase. Two exceptions are
geographic names and academic degrees.
EXAMPLES: EDP/e.d.p., EOM/e.o.m., OD/ o.d." (14-17).
Plurals of words, acronyms, and initialisms not normally pluralized?
Form the plural of an acronym or initialism by adding an s. Do not use an
apostrophe.
EXAMPLES: "MIRVs," "CRTs." To form the plural of words that do not
have true plural forms, just add s.
EXAMPLES: "The dos and don'ts of writing are many." "The ifs, ands, or
buts of life are many."