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PART II Last month I discussed the Latin abbreviations e.g. and i.e.—similar phrases with subtle yet important differences. These two combined with etc. comprise most of the Latin you’ll ever use, but I thought I’d toss in a couple extra for this month’s column before moving on to other issues, such as the proper use of the word “ironic.” :) Just call me Re No, it’s not an abbreviation for “regarding,” although it may help to think of it in such terms. From the Latin in re, meaning “in this matter.” You can use it in place of “regarding,” “about,” “concerning,” “relating to,” etc. It’s not technically an abbreviation, which means you shouldn’t place a period after it. Often followed by a colon, a practice most email programs, for example, use to denote a reply, it’s not necessary to do so. Re is fine. Almost always pronounced REE, it’s actually re as in Charles. Cf. An abbreviation for confer, think of it as a synonym for “see,” as in “cf. page 126.” But note that the term also implies a comparison. In other words, “cf. page 126” would not simply mean, “go to page 126 and read it,” but more accurately, “go to page 126 and see how it relates to the topic at hand.” A cool abbreviation that makes you appear smart without coming off as stuffy or overly academic (cf. “ergo” or “Q.E.D.”). Vs. We all know it means versus. Against, in opposition with. Not to be abbreviated “v.s.,” although “v.” by itself is just fine. C. An abbreviation for circa. Around, about. Commonly used in reference to the date of someone’s birth or death, implying the exact date is not known. Can also be abbreviated “ca.” Grunge type, c. 1992. Etc. I’ve actually seen it “ect.,” and have heard it “ex setterah.” Both wrong of course. It’s an abbreviation of et cetera—“and so on,” or “and so forth.” Often used in repetition, “etc., etc.,” I try to avoid using it more than once unless some dramatics are in order (for example, when expressing exasperation or monotony). Otherwise it seems trite, and brings to mind those shampoo commercials from the 70s (“And they told two friends, and so on, and so on...”). If you want to identify yourself as a member of the typographic elite, try abbreviating it “&c.” The ampersand is itself an abbreviation of the Latin et—“and.” Be careful though. Web wonks might mistake it for some new HTML code. Et al. “And others,” which could be either things or people, but usually people. It may help to think of it as etc. for people. In fact, you shouldn’t use etc. after a list of people, but rather et al. Put a period after al., which is an abbreviation for alia or alii, depending on whether you’re talking about things or people, but not after et, which simply means “and.” Photoshop Tech Support (Ken Oyer et al.) discusses just about everything you need to know about Adobe Photoshop. Stet Any editors or printers out there are already familiar with this phrase, Latin for “let it stand,” used imperatively as a direction on a printer’s proof or manuscript to retain material previously deleted or re-written. When I review the edits of editors, I invariably use this word a lot. ;) It’s not an abbreviation, so requires no period, but is often meant as a one-word sentence, so a period’s okay. |
