Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations and acronyms act as useful stand-ins for long words or multiple groups of them. An abbreviation is a shortened version of a particular word. For instance, Mr. is an abbreviation of the word mister. An acronym is a set of letters created from the first letter of each word in a group. NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The use of acronyms and abbreviations prevents a piece of writing from needlessly getting bogged down in lengthy technical terms or organizations with multiple names. In addition, when a writer makes use of abbreviations and acronyms he or she is keeping the focus on the main ideas of the writing and not distracting a reader with the various names of organizations.