Acronym - defined:  a set of initials representing a name, organization, or common expression, with each letter pronounced separately

The following list of acronyms are commonly used by English speakers:

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ASAP – As Soon as Possible.<o:p></o:p>

FYI – For Your Information

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RSVP – this is a French word. Most native English speakers don’t know what this means in French, but we use it for… to reserve, make a reservation for a party, or when we invite someone and we want them to reply. In French it means Répondez s’il vous plaît (Please respond)

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ETA – means Estimated Time of Arrival

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AKA – means Also Known As

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FAQ – means Frequently Asked Questions

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ATM – means Automated Teller Machine, but also At the Moment.

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TBA – To Be Announced

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TGIF – Thank God it’s Friday

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RIP – what you see on graves at the cemetery is Rest in Peace

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PS/P.S. – what you write at the end of letters, Post Script [English. In Latin: Post Scriptum]

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ESL – like when you see it with English, English as a Second Language

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EFL – English as a Foreign Language

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DIY – Do it Yourself. Like a project that you might do it yourself, without professional help.

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ID/I.D. – It means your Identification, usually provided by the government to prove who you are.

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IQ is your Intelligence Quotient, which is what a lot of intelligence tests will measure.

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GMO means Genetically Modified Organism, so make sure you don’t eat GMO’s.

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PC – Personal Computer

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PR – Public Relations

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SOS – what you might see if you’re stranded or stuck on a desert island, you might write SOS in the sand  – Save Our Souls. This is to get help. (Note: also, this may also mean “Save Our Ship”).

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AWOL – means Absent Without Leave. Leave is to have permission to leave, to be on vacation. So, this comes from the military. You might say this when you have a friend or somebody that’s missing, so that person is AWOL.

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MIA – means Missing in Action (a military acronym) .

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POW – another military term, is Prisoner of War.

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AD – which means after the year 0 (the year Christ was born). It is 2016 AD. AD means Anno Domini, which is a Latin word.

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BC – means before the birth of Jesus Christ (2016 years ago).

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i.e. - means “in other words or to say the same thing using different words”. Used sometimes to make the meaning of the previous sentence or phrase clearer.

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e.g./EG – means “for example”… the two words come from Latin (exempli gratis).

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DOB – means Date of Birth.

BSc -- means Bachelor of Science

BA -- means Bachelor of Arts

PEng -- means Professional Engineer

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MD – means Medical Doctor.

LLB -- means Bachelor of Laws

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HR – means Human Resources

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Do you have any favourite acronyms that you want to add to this list?

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