Tips on Abbreviations in a Manuscript

It’s best to avoid abbreviations when you write, but sometimes you do need to use them. Here are some common instances to be aware of. Know that in nonfiction, there are technical terms that can be abbreviated, but the entire word or phrase must be spelled out in full the first time it’s used, with the letters in parentheses following. Example: This car accelerates to 70 miles per hour (MPH) in 6 seconds. Last year’s model of the same car accelerated to 55 MPH in 6 seconds.

First Words of Sentences

Sometimes a character’s dialogue line starts off with an abbreviated word that leaves off one or two first letters: Because might be ’cause instead. Example: “’cause I said so, that’s why.” Notice a few important things about this. The apostrophe represents the two missing letters, and it faces the direction of where the two letters are supposed to be. To get the apostrophe facing the right way, you can type ecause then insert the apostrophe (e’cause) and then delete the “e.” Also notice that the “c” of ’cause isn’t capitalized. This is because the apostrophe replaced the “Be”. 

Measurements, weights, or speed, and so forth: Spell it out.

Incorrect: I drove 40 MPH the entire way. Correct: I drove forty miles per hour the entire way. (See above for nonfiction use.)
Incorrect: He weighed 180 lbs. Correct: He weighed one hundred eighty pounds.
Incorrect: She finished 1^st in the race. Correct: She finished first in the race.

Addresses

Spell them out: Avenue, Boulevard, Court, Drive, Street, Lane, Parkway, Place, Square, etc. Also spell out North, South, East, and West—except when the address is NW, NE, etc., after the street name: Park Street NW.

State Names

Always spell out the state name when using it by itself. Incorrect: He’s live in FL for ten years. Correct: He’s lived in Florida for ten years.

Always spell out the state name when it follows the city, with two exceptions: Use D.C. rather than spell out District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) and leave out the state for cities that are well known enough to not require the state be included: Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta, Las Vegas. Make sure the city you mean to use is quite clear (Athens, Greece vs. Athens, Georgia). And the first time you mean New York City, write it out that way so readers don’t confuse it with the state of New York. Or, you can be specific about which New York City borough you mean: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island.

Ampersand: Spell out the word “and” rather than use “&”—unless it’s part of a title, say, of a restaurant in your novel: Bob & Sam’s B-B-Q.

ID: It’s an abbreviation for one word—identification—so should never be written as I.D.

Sr., Jr., II, III, IV: Use a comma after the name when you refer to senior or junior, but not when you use Roman numerals (This is Samuel Jones, Sr., and walking toward us is Samuel Jones, Jr. The young fellow behind him is Samuel Jones III.)
There is a lot more to know about abbreviations in creative and formal writing, of course, but these are several common occurrences writers are sometimes unfamiliar with or confused by.

Find more helpful tips in WRITE, GET PUBLISHED, AND PROMOTE (covers the basics for beginning writers—Also available on Nook) http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/jls1422

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