Learn English: 10 abbreviations you should know

Hello. My name is Emma, and in today's video, we are going to talk about 10 abbreviations

you should know.

So first of all, what is an abbreviation? Well, here's a clue in the word. You have

the word "brev". "Brev" -- in other words, "brevity" -- it means to be short. So abbreviations

are words or sentences that we have made short, usually to save time. So for example, ASAP,

RSVP, RIP, BYOB, BBQ -- you see the pattern? We have capital letters, and they all stand

for something that's longer. So it's a short form of a word or a sentence. So let's look

at ten common abbreviations.

So the first one we have, "ASAP". What does this mean? "As soon as possible", okay? We

use this a lot when we're writing emails, letters, sometimes in conversation. "As soon

as possible" is long, so when we don't want to say "as soon as possible", we can shorten

it to "ASAP". What are some examples? "Email me ASAP." "Take our quiz ASAP." "Go see the

principal ASAP." So it just means to do something as quickly as you can. And this is a very

common expression.

Our second abbreviation, "RSVP". What does it mean, "RSVP"? It means, "Please reply."

Okay? So we often use this if you're invited to something. If, for example, I'm having

a birthday party, and I want all of you to come, I would ask you to RSVP. "Please RSVP

by Friday." This means, "Please reply. Please tell me you're coming by Friday." "Please

RSVP as soon as you can." "Please RSVP by next Saturday." So it means, again, "Please

send me a reply so I know you're coming." You, again, see this on invitations, any type

of invite, you will see this.

Our next common abbreviation, RIP. You may have seen this before. It means, "Rest in

peace." So when somebody passes away -- when somebody dies -- often on their tombstone,

you'll see "RIP", which stands for, "Rest in peace". If you're on Facebook, and someone

you know, maybe they lose a member of their family, they will often write, "RIP Fluffy"

if it's a cat; "RIP whoever it is". And it means, "Rest in peace." Okay? So this one

has to do with dying and death.

No. 4, "BYOB". This is common when we're talking about parties. And it means, "Bring your own

beer" or "bring your own booze". Beer, booze -- they're both alcoholic drinks. So "booze"

is any drink with alcohol in it. And so what that means is if you're invited to a party,

maybe the host doesn't have any alcoholic drinks, so they will tell you, "Bring your

own drinks." "Bring your own beer." "Bring your own wine." "BYOB" means "bring your own

alcohol". Okay? So it's a very common expression for parties.

No. 5, "BBQ". "BBQ" means "barbecue". What's a "barbecue"? It's a way we cook meat. It's

a way we cook food. You usually have a grill. You put maybe hamburgers, hot dogs on the

grill. You barbecue them. You can eat barbecued chicken, different types of barbecue. So "BBQ"

refers to a type of food or a party where they will serve hamburgers and hot dogs. So

let's check out five more abbreviations.

No. 6 on our list is "PIN". So a "PIN" is a password. Usually, you use it with your

bank. Maybe you have a debit card. You put it into a machine, and it asks you for your

PIN. "PIN" means "personal identity number". So it's a number; sometimes it's four digits;

sometimes it's six numbers. And it's pretty much a password.

No. 7. "E.g." is an abbreviation many people get confused with No. 8, "i.e." So I'll first

explain what "e.g." means. So notice first it's E dot G dot. It means "example", okay?

So when you're writing -- you don't use this in conversation. You don't say, "E.g. blah,

blah, blah, blah, blah." You use it for writing, specifically. Now, the way you use it is if

you're talking about something -- for example, "I want to tell you about all the animals

that lay eggs." Okay, so animals that lay eggs. I could say, "There are many animals

that lay eggs. E.g. chickens or hens, ducks -- I think platypuses, although I'm not exactly

sure about that one -- snakes, alligators, other birds, ostriches." So I used "e.g."

to show these are examples. Okay? So it means "example".

This is different from "i.e." -- I dot E dot -- which is used to add clarity to something.

So it means that you say something, and then you want to say it again but maybe in different

words. So that sort of means "that is". So you restate an idea. For example, "This happened

on Halloween, i.e. October 31st." Okay? So it just clarifies something. It makes something

more clear. You have the same point, but you're repeating it, in a sense, in different words.

Okay? So "i.e." does not mean "example".

No. 9, "etc." -- E-T-C. So again, that means "et cetera". And what does this mean? When

you're listing a bunch of different things, you've got many, many things to say, you can

use this to mean "and so forth". Okay? So this -- seven, eight, and nine are all used

in writing, not in speech. If I read "etc.", an example of this would be, "Today, I went

grocery shopping. I bought many things. I bought eggs, bread, milk, chicken, juice,

etc." So it means I'm listing a long list -- instead of saying every single thing I

bought, which can take me a long time, "etc." means "and so forth". Okay? "I play many sports.

I play soccer; I play baseball, tennis, badminton, etc." Okay? So it means "and so forth".

Finally, No. 10, "ATM". What is an "ATM"? It stands for "automatic teller machine",

okay? "ATM" is a machine. You usually find it at the bank, or you can find it sometimes

in stores, on the street. And it's like a bank. You put in your debit card, and it gives

you money. So it's a machine that gives you money, and it's associated with your bank.

Okay? So you might ask, "Where's the closest ATM?" "Are there any ATMs in this mall?" Meaning,

"Are there any bank machines?" Okay?

So I hope you come and visit our website at www.engvid.com ASAP, okay? As soon as you

can. As soon as possible. There, you will find our quiz. You can practice all of these

abbreviations and more. So until next time.