Have you ever seen the abbreviation p.a.?
As in the sentence:
Sales increased by 5 per cent p.a.
The abbreviation p.a. is short for per annum and is a Latin phrase meaning per year.
You might know that I’m not a big lover of abbreviations, as I find they can often confuse people. I’d rather use the full term.
So I suggest writing:
Sales increased by 5 per cent per year.
You’ve probably seen the word “Xmas” before. It’s quite a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It’s considered to be informal and should, therefore, only be used in headlines or in greeting cards. I would never use it in a formal piece of writing.
Do you know these job titles and their abbreviations?
(I’ve not yet met a CCO, CMO or COO. But, I know the others!)
Do you know what these abbreviations mean? They are all educational degrees.
You’ll find a long list of British degrees here.
Do you sometimes find recipes in English and don’t know what the abbreviations means? Not to worry. Help is at hand.
