Rules for writing abbreviations

Often, when a special edition of the texts of statements, open letters and other official documents you must use slozhnosmeshannye words and abbreviations. Their meaning is almost always clear and well known, but their writing often raises questions.

What is the abbreviation

Abbreviation - is a noun, consisting of the initial letters included in the initial phrase of words (and their parts), and consisting of truncated parts of the original complex word. The last part of the phrase can be a whole and as such constitute the end of the abbreviation.

Main types of abbreviations and their spelling

Abbreviations are of several types:

1. Initialism are abbreviations consisting of the initial letters of the original word (e.g. "UN" - United Nations, "NII - Scientific research Institute, "Ministry of foreign Affairs - Ministry of foreign Affairs). These abbreviations are read as words or letters. Sometimes the pronunciation of the letters in the acronym does not match with their name in the alphabet. The word "FBI" letter "f" is read as [Fe], and the word "gymnastics" is pronounced [Alpaca]. Please note that only capital letters are written the words, read the names of the letters, and read for the sounds, if at least one word in the source phrase is capitalized. Traditionally lower case letters are written abbreviations "College", "bunker", "RONO", "dot".

2. Slozhnosmeshannye words are abbreviations, consisting only of truncated words ("Finance Ministry" - the Ministry of Finance); truncated words and letters, so-called mixed abbreviations ("GlavAPU" - the Main architectural-planning administration, "SSR" - Azerbaijanskaya Soviet socialist Republic); and of whole and truncated words ("parts", "savings Bank"). The capital letter at the beginning slozhnosochinennyh words written in the name of the institution, and in mixed abbreviations are also written with capitals truncated words and other letters for other words in the phrase (except for "GULAG" - chief Directorate (the Executive labor) camps). The rest slozhnosmeshannye words written in lowercase letters.

There are abbreviations that are written in accordance with the sound of the letters in their original expressions (for example: "Eser" socialist - revolutionary).

There are also abbreviations with ambiguous writing: "PE" or "Cape" - emergency, "APC" or "APC" is the APC.

A decline of acronyms and their derivatives

In the decline of the end of the abbreviations are written in lowercase letters, without separation by a hyphen (for example: "employees of the Ministry of foreign Affairs", "prisoners of the Gulag").

Suffixal derivatives from waste abbreviations are written with letters ("ciskowski", "UN", "policeman"). In prefixal derivative words acronyms retain their capitalization, prefixes are written as one word or hyphenated ("PBX" "micro hydro", "microwave oven").

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