Plural and possessive forms of abbreviations
- 1 Abbreviating plural and possessive weights and measures
- 2 Abbreviating plural and possessive metric units
- 3 Abbreviating a single letter possessive
- 4 Plural and possessive lowercase abbreviations
Plurals
Simply put, the plural form of a noun indicates that there is more than one object. For most nouns, plurals are formed by adding an "s" at the end of the word.
Abbreviations, acronyms and brief forms/slang terms aren't substantially different.
Form the plurals of most abbreviations, acronyms and brief forms by adding a lowercase s without the apostrophe.
EEGs
exams
CVAs
MVAs
PVCs
too many I's
two U's
To form a plural of a capitalized abbreviation or acronym or brief form, add a lowercase s without an apostrophe.
EKGs
PVCs
WBCs
To form a plural of a brief form, add a lowercase s without an apostrophe.
labs
exams
monos
basos
To form the plural of a lowercase abbreviation, add apostrophe s ('s).
To form the plural of a single-letter abbreviation or symbol, add apostrophe s ('s).
X's
K's
T's
etc.
Where the context is clear, no apostrophe is necessary.
He gets As in school.
There were several type Os in the study group.
Some nouns ending in "o" are pluralized by adding "es." There is no simple rule to explain the difference.
hero/heroes
echo/echoes
potato/potatoes
If uncertain, look the word up in a dictionary.
Possessives
Merriam-Webster? definition of possessive: " 1: of, relating to, or constituting a word, a word group, or a grammatical case that denotes ownership or a relation analogous to ownership 2: manifesting possession or the desire to own or dominate."
Simply put, possessives indicate a relationship of possession. Abbreviations, acronyms and brief forms/slang terms are not substantially different.
The JCAHO's paper on dangerous terms should be referenced.
The AMA's membership voted on the issue.
The CDC's latest bulletin contains important information on infectious diseases.
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