Use of abbreviations and capital letters in British and American grammar.

[CookieMonster]

Its explained above by TastyReuben - whether or not they are capitalised depends on how they are pronounced.

In British English, if you say the letters separately eg. ISS, FBI, HMRC, CIA, AT&T then they are written all capitals. But if you make an actual word out the the abbreviation eg. Nasa, radar, laser, scuba, we don't generally capitalise them (grammatically this is called an acronym). Nasa is actually a bit of an unusual one because its both an acronym and a proper noun so it is always capitalised but is not written in full capitals.

I not sure who decided "nasa" is a proper noun.
not me, not anyone on the left side of the Atlantic.

why is "nasa" a proper noun and "fbi" is not a proper noun?
is "opec" a proper noun?

 

[caseydog]

I not sure who decided "nasa" is a proper noun.
not me, not anyone on the left side of the Atlantic.

why is "nasa" a proper noun and "fbi" is not a proper noun?
is "opec" a proper noun?

It depends on usage. An acronym can be used as a proper noun in a sentence. "NASA announced a new mission today."

CD

 

[MrsDangermouse]

I not sure who decided "nasa" is a proper noun.
not me, not anyone on the left side of the Atlantic.

why is "nasa" a proper noun and "fbi" is not a proper noun?
is "opec" a proper noun?

Nasa is a noun when its used a word instead of an abbreviation acronym. And because its a noun that refers to a specific entity (organisation/person) its automatically a proper noun (and therefore requires capitalisation). I'm pretty sure it is also a proper noun in American English too?

FBI is not a proper noun because it hasn't become a word, it remains an abbreviation acronym - unless you know of instances where its pronounced "Ffbee" instead of F B I ???

Opec is also a proper noun which is actually an abbreviation but sometimes used as a word (I couldn't think another good example yesterday, but this one also follows the same rules as Nasa).

I love grammar (and English grammar is actually pretty simple compared to some other languages LOL)

 

[caseydog]

Nasa is a noun when its used a word instead of an abbreviation. And because its a noun that refers to a specific entity (organisation/person) its automatically a proper noun (and therefore requires capitalisation). I'm pretty sure it is also a proper noun in American English too?

FBI is not a proper noun because it hasn't become a word, it remains an abbreviation - unless you know of instances where its pronounced "Ffbee" instead of F B I ???

Opec is also a proper noun which is actually an abbreviation but sometimes used as a word (I couldn't think another good example yesterday, but this one also follows the same rules as Nasa).

I love grammar (and English grammar is actually pretty simple compared to some other languages LOL)

In the US, both NASA and FBI are acronyms, which are treated differently to abbreviations like Dr. in place of Doctor (Dr. John Doe). That is the reason we use all caps for them.

Nasa would be seen as a typo here, as would Opec.

I would tend to think that FBI could be used as a proper noun, because it is an acronym for the proper name of an organization (< also correct US spelling). I would need to do some homework on that, but I do know that in the US, it would always be all-caps.

CD

 

[MrsDangermouse]

In the US, both NASA and FBI are acronyms, which are treated differently to abbreviations

Sorry yes, I meant acronym not abbreviation.....haven't had my second cup of tea yet this morning

 

[caseydog]

Sorry yes, I meant acronym not abbreviation.....haven't had my second cup of tea yet this morning

I believe they are both acronyms and abbreviations -- acronyms are a form of abbreviation? I think?

I don't know all the technicalities. I just know how I was taught to write in English, which is American English.

Languages evolve. Sit down and read some Shakespeare sometime. How many of his words are not used in modern England? Even Dickens uses some words and phrases that were unfamiliar to me when I first read them, but I can understand Dickens. Reading Shakespeare makes my brain hurt.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

I couldn't think another good example yesterday, but this one also follows the same rules as Nasa

I have one...NATO/Nato.

 

[Morning Glory]

I believe they are both acronyms and abbreviations -- acronyms are a form of abbreviation? I think?

An acronym is indeed a form of abbreviation - but not all abbreviations are acronyms.

• An acronym is an abbreviation formed by using the first letters of other words and pronounced as a single word. NASA/Nasa is an acronym.
• FBI is an intialism - an abbreviation formed by using the first letters of other words but not pronounced as a single word.

However, in recent common usage the word acronym is accepted as covering both intialisms and acronyms.

'Dr' is simply an abbreviation.

Definition of INITIALISM

Acronym is a fairly recent word, dating from the 1940s, although acronyms existed long before we gave them that name. The term was preceded in English by the word initialism, meaning an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of a phrase, and which has been in use since the late 19th century.
Some people feel strongly that acronym should only be used for terms like NATO, which is pronounced as a single word, and that initialism should be used if the individual letters are all pronounced distinctly, as with FBI. Our research shows that acronym is commonly used to refer to both types of abbreviations.