English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate » Unit 78: Abbreviations and acronyms

Word List
  • AKA
  • ASAP
  • ATM
  • AWOL
  • carbs
  • cell(phone)
  • DNA
  • FAQ
  • gig
  • GM
  • high-tech
  • ID
  • IOU
  • kilo
  • laser
  • MI6
  • mobile
  • NATO
  • PIN
  • PS
  • PTO
  • radar
  • RIP
  • RSVP
  • SAD
  • satnav
  • sci-fi
  • scuba
  • sonar
  • the BBC
  • the CIA
  • The EU
  • the FBI
  • uni
  • WHO
  • air con
Exercises

78.1 ‣ Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.

  1. Wherever I am in the world I listen to the news on the
  2. Most websites have a page dealing with _____
  3. Maggie took some money out of my wallet and left me an _____
  4. What kind of people we are depends on our _____
  5. They won't let you into the club without any _____
  6. You won't be able to use the ATM if you've forgotten your _____
  7. I don't know where John can be -he's gone _____
  8. I always feel lethargic in December - I think I suffer from _____
  1. a) ID.
  2. b) PIN.
  3. c) BBC.
  4. d) SAD.
  5. e) FAQs.
  6. f) AWOL.
  7. g) DNA.
  8. h) IOU.

78.2 ‣ Find abbreviations from A, B or C opposite to fit these categories.

  1. Find two that relate to measurement.
  2. Find four that relate to food and health. _____ _____ _____ _____
  3. Find three that relate to money. _____ _____ _____
  4. Find one that relates to sport. _____
  5. Find three that are political organisations. _____ _____ _____
  6. Find two that relate to equipment using sound or radio waves. _____ _____

78.3 ‣ Fill each gap with an appropriate abbreviation or acronym.

  1. Please could you buy me a of apples?
  2. William Barclay _____ James Stubbs has been charged with burglary.
  3. The surgeons used _____ technology to carry out the operation.
  4. My sister works in a very _____ office using all the most up-to-date hardware and software.
  5. Bats cannot see and use a kind of _____ to find their way around.
  6. When you're driving it's much easier to use a _____ rather than a road atlas.

78.4 ‣ Complete the texts with the correct abbreviations from D opposite.

  1. Party! At Sam and Beth’s house Saturday 14 August 8 till late _____ by 28 July
  2. I’ve gone shopping wit hAna. Back around six. See you later. Emma _____ Tom phoned for you. Can you call him back?
  3. In loving memory of James Goodman 1945 - 2015 _____
  4. Patients should arrive ten minutes before their appointment time, and must inform their doctor if they are unable to come to an appointment. _____

78.5 ‣

Over to you

  1. What’s the nearest uni to the place where you live?
    _____
  2. Have you ever tried scuba diving?
    _____
  3. Would you be happy to eat GM food?
    _____
  4. Do you know anyone who has SAD?
    _____
  5. What is the main source of carbs in your diet?
    _____
  6. How common is air con in your country?
    _____
Answer Key
A ‣ Abbreviations pronounced as individual letters

Most abbreviations are pronounced as individual letters.

Abbreviations for groups or organisations:
BBCBritish Broadcasting Corporation
CIACentral Intelligence Agency (US government agency collecting information about other countries)
EUEuropean Union
FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
MI6Military Intelligence 6(UK equivalent of CIA)
WHOWorld Health Organisation
Other abbreviations pronounced as individual letters:
IDIdentity (an identity card or passport)
GMgenetically modified
DNAdeoxyribonucleic acid (chemical at centre of living cells)
FAQfrequently asked questions
AKAalso known as
IOUI owe you
ATMautomated teller machine (cash machine usually outside bank)
ASAPas soon as possible

Language help

When these abbreviations are stressed words in the sentence, the stress falls on the last letter, e.g. She works for the CIA. I heard it on the BBC.

B ‣ Abbreviations pronounced as words

Abbreviations pronounced as individual words are called acronyms.

NATO /neɪtiəʊ/North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
PIN /pɪn/Personal Identity Number (e.g. for a bank or credit card)
SADseasonal affective disorder (lacking energy and enthusiasm in winter in latitudes where there is little sunlight at that time)
AWOL /eɪwɒl/absent without leave [permission; usually used in military contexts]

Some acronyms have become so normal as words that people do not think of them as abbreviations any longer, and so they are not written in capital letters.

  1. laser
  2. radar
  3. scuba
  4. sonar

C ‣ Clippings

Some words are often used in an abbreviated form in informal situations. We say, for example, kilo instead of ‘kilogram’ or gig for ‘gigabyte’. Other examples include:

  1. air con (air conditioning)
  2. satnav (satellite navigation system)
  3. uni (university)
  4. mobile (mobile phone) or (US) cell (cellphone)
  5. carbs (carbohydrates)
  6. sci-fi (science fiction)
  7. high-tech (high-technology)

D ‣ Written abbreviations

Some abbreviations are most frequently used in writing.

PTOPlease turn over (turn to the next page)
PSpost script (written at the end of a message or letter, when you want to add something else)
RSVPRépondezs’il vous plaît (French, meaning ‘please answer’)(written at the end of an invitation, to indicate that you should reply)
RIPRest in peace (often written on a headstone where someone is buried after they have died)

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