to dot or not to dot
to dot or not to dot
(OP)
You PEs seem to be unable to decide to dot or not to dot. So which is it?
PE
or
P.E.
PE
or
P.E.
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RE: to dot or not to dot
a) Full stops are generally used at the end of abbreviations (i.e. where the last letter of the abbreviated word is one of the omitted letters) - e.g. B.Sc. for Bachelor of Science.
b) Full stops are generally NOT used in contractions (i.e. where the last letter of the contracted word is still shown) - e.g. St for Street or Saint, Rd for Road. (Does "St." imply that you have omitted the "reet" from "Street", whereas "St" implies you have omitted the "tree"?)
c) Full stops should not be used in acronyms, when the contraction is pronounced as a single word - e.g. NATO. In some cases, the acronym becomes so generic, that it is no longer even spelt out in capitals - e.g. Qantas, Anzac. In other cases, even the initial letter is no longer capitalised - e.g. laser, radar.
d) Full stops are optional when the abbreviation is common, and will be recognised in context with or without the full stops - e.g. Mr, PE, BBC, etc.
e) Full stops should be used whenever necessary to avoid ambiguity - for example, when the abbreviation could be confused for a different unabbreviated word in the context. (It's a useful rule, but I can't think of any examples at the moment.)
As I say, practice varies. For example, I would prefer to use B.Sc. as indicated in a) above, but others will argue for BSc, because it is a common and easily recognised abbreviation, as in d) above.
The main thing is to use a consistent style throughout any piece of writing, and preferably, across all of your writing.
RE: to dot or not to dot
Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
RE: to dot or not to dot
RE: to dot or not to dot
Hg
Eng-Tips guidelines: FAQ731-376
RE: to dot or not to dot
As ajack1 said, in regular British English (and by adoption, in Australia also - I can't speak with any authority for other regions), the "dot" punctuation mark is called a "full stop" when it is used to mark the end of a sentence, AND when it is used to denote an abbreviation, AND when it is used between units of money ($15.37), AND when it separates hours and minutes (10.30 a.m.). Technically, these are all "full stops". (The full stop in numerical applications is more commonly called a "point", but technically, it is still "full stop".)
The question mark and exclamation mark are NOT called "full stops" in Britain or Australia - but common usage in America may well be different.
While we also understand the American term "period" for the specific use of a full stop at the end of a sentence, the term "period" is not yet commonly used in this sense in Britain or Australia. (Although the all-pervasive nature of the Microsoft Word spell-checker, American film and TV, and so on, may well see that change in the not-too-distant future!).
RE: to dot or not to dot
Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
RE: to dot or not to dot
To us "full stop" means pulling up to the stop sign and slowing down to a speed of approximately 10km/h. Check to make sure you are not going to get hit, then pull through the intersection.
RE: to dot or not to dot
So - if you don't come to a full stop at a Stop sign, and you drive on through and have a collision, you are likely to be found to be the guilty party - period?
RE: to dot or not to dot
U.S. Postal Service
Digital text processing
The Postal Service (or USPS, as they prefer) standard addressing guidelines don't use any periods for state abbreviations.
With digital storage of text, the periods just seem to get in the way, and many web-based data entry forms won't even accept them if you try to enter them.
I suspect the use of periods will disappear entirely over time, except where it might be required to distinguish an abbreviations from a word.
RE: to dot or not to dot
You are correct about the full stop at the end of a sentance however the use of it as a decimal point is not technically correct.
What I was taught was that the decimal point should be placed half way up not at the base where the full stop is. In maths the full stop can actually take the place of a multiplication sign. For example 2.5.3=30 however due to the expanding use of computers the full stop is now used to take the place of a decimal point as there is no other option although it is not technically correct
RE: to dot or not to dot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_separator
Hg
Eng-Tips guidelines: FAQ731-376
RE: to dot or not to dot
RE: to dot or not to dot
Hg
Eng-Tips guidelines: FAQ731-376