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Re: Free books

From Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid>
Newsgroups rec.arts.books.childrens, rec.arts.books, alt.books, alt.usage.english
Subject Re: Free books
Date 2025-08-03 08:19 +0100
Message-ID <mf8gr6FifigU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References (6 earlier) <1rgfvpj.1mym3r51nlwg8wN%nospam@de-ster.demon.nl> <44ds8kh3n9is5ko5eb32s0hdv681eefk9e@4ax.com> <106me1a$1cadd$1@dont-email.me> <mf8c95Fhb1mU2@mid.individual.net> <106n0c3$1fd88$2@dont-email.me>

Cross-posted to 4 groups.

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Le 03/08/2025 à 07:42, Richard Heathfield a écrit :
> On 03/08/2025 07:01, Hibou wrote:
>>
>> The Americans also use a full stop after abbreviations such as Dr. and 
>> Mr.. (That double full stop is a Hibouisme - la logique avant tout !) 
>> In BrE, a full stop is used if the last letter of the abbreviation is 
>> not the last letter of the word - etc., Feb., Rev., but Mr not Mr. - 
>> and to avoid ambiguity - to the relief of the infamous coy. commander.
> 
> I was taught 40 years ago not to punctuate abbreviations, at least not 
> in business correspondence. It seemed like weird advice at the time, but 
> it has stood up to 40 years' hard use and has worn well.
> 
> Maybe what is usual in BrE isn't quite as usual as you thought.

That's possible, and certainly full stops can seem fussy (and I would 
not use them) in such abbreviations as GEC (the company, not Conan 
Doyle's hero), BMW, IBM, and AT&T - or indeed, AI (aircraft 
interception), RF, QED, AC, ADSL, AM, EPROM, etc..

The advice I quoted comes from Carey's 'Mind the Stop' (Penguin, 1971). 
The main concern is to remove ambiguity, and after that to be consistent.

>> That's all that comes to mind for the moment. 


After writing that, I went through to breakfast, to be faced by an 
American-style time display on the DAB radio: "07:05". "07.05" in BrE, 
though so pervasive is American influence that many Britons know it not.

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Thread

Re: Free books Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2025-07-31 06:33 +0200
  Re: Free books nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2025-07-31 12:41 +0200
    Re: Free books Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2025-07-31 17:15 +0100
      Re: Free books Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2025-08-01 06:08 +0200
        Re: Free books Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2025-08-02 06:00 +0200
          Re: Free books nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2025-08-02 13:03 +0200
            Re: Free books Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2025-08-02 17:57 +0200
              Re: Free books Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> - 2025-08-02 22:09 +0100
              Re: Free books Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2025-08-03 11:29 +1000
                Re: Free books Jeff Barnett <jbb@notatt.com> - 2025-08-02 23:13 -0600
                Re: Free books Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2025-08-03 06:40 +0100
                Re: Free books Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2025-08-03 08:34 +0200
                Re: Free books Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2025-08-03 07:01 +0100
                Re: Free books Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2025-08-03 07:42 +0100
                Re: Free books Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> - 2025-08-03 08:08 +0100
                Re: Free books Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2025-08-03 08:19 +0100
                Re: Free books Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2025-08-03 10:23 +0200
                Re: Free books lar3ryca <larry@invalid.ca> - 2025-08-03 22:23 -0600
                Re: Free books Chris Elvidge <chris@internal.net> - 2025-08-04 07:13 +0100
                Re: Free books Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2025-08-04 15:21 +0100
                Re: Free books Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2025-08-05 08:11 +1000
                Re: Free books Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2025-08-05 01:07 +0100
                Re: Free books charles <charles@candehope.me.uk> - 2025-08-03 09:00 +0000
                Dialectical differences Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2025-08-03 17:39 +0200

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