Style question: abbrevation dots and full stops Thread poster: Karin Walker (X)
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Karin Walker (X) 
Germany
Local time: 16:22
German to English
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If your sentence ends with 'etc.', would you use a) the dot marking the abbreviation PLUS 2) the full stop, resulting in etc..?
Somehow, the double dot solution seems most logical to me but it does look a bit weird.
Are they any thoughts on this, or even (preferably) a reliable style guide offering some guidance on this?
TIA
K.
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| No second dot | Oct 24, 2003 |
The rule dictates that, as there is no dot before question and exclamation marks.
Good luck!
[Edited at 2003-10-24 23:01]
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Karin Walker (X)
Germany
Local time: 16:22
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
mónica alfonso wrote:
The rule dictates that (as in the case of question and exclamation marks).
Do you have a reference? Sorry, 'a rule' is a bit vague...
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| http://www.grammarbook.com/ | Oct 24, 2003 |
See this URL for some rules. Not many, but useful ones. In this particular case:
Rule 2. If the last word in the sentence ends in a period, do not follow it with another period.
Examples:
I know that M.D. She is my sister-in-law.
Please shop, cook, etc. I will do the laundry.
[Edited at 2003-10-24 16:39]
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Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 16:22
Italian to English
In memoriam | It depends ... | Oct 24, 2003 |
... on the style guide you use.
The US publishers I translate for tend to use the Chicago Manual of Style, which says:
An abbreviating period, however, is never omitted before a mark of sentence punctuation *unless the latter is the period terminating the sentence.*
Other publishers may use other guides, such as the Oxford Style Manual, by Robert Ritter, or Judith Butcher's "light blue" equivalent, Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Authors a... See more ... on the style guide you use.
The US publishers I translate for tend to use the Chicago Manual of Style, which says:
An abbreviating period, however, is never omitted before a mark of sentence punctuation *unless the latter is the period terminating the sentence.*
Other publishers may use other guides, such as the Oxford Style Manual, by Robert Ritter, or Judith Butcher's "light blue" equivalent, Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Authors and Publishers, or have their own rules.
It is a very good idea to select a "default" style guide and stick to it, so that you have an answer ready if anyone questions your punctuation.
It's also useful to agree with clients what guide should be used for each job. You can save the copy editors an amazing amount of time if all your commas are in the right place!
Cheers,
Giles ▲ Collapse
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lien
Netherlands
Local time: 16:22
English to French
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you write etc. and not etc...
You put it even for an exclamation mark
etc. !
But at the end of a sentence, not second dot.
les feuilles, les branches, etc.
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Monika Coulson
Local time: 08:22
Member (2001)
English to Albanian
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SITE LOCALIZER | Same in Albanian | Oct 24, 2003 |
In Albanian you should write:
etj.; etj., etj.!
but
etj. (if it is the end of the sentence.)
Monika
lien wrote:
you write etc. and not etc...
You put it even for an exclamation mark
etc. !
But at the end of a sentence, not second dot.
les feuilles, les branches, etc.
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| Isn't this the same thing? | Oct 24, 2003 |
An abbreviating period, however, is never omitted before a mark of sentence punctuation *unless the latter is the period terminating the sentence.*
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| No, it's not the same thing | Oct 26, 2003 |
Alexandru Pojoga wrote:
An abbreviating period, however, is never omitted before a mark of sentence punctuation *unless the latter is the period terminating the sentence.*
Lets say that you want to list items 1, 2, 3, etc., then the abbreviating period for etc. is not the end of your sentence, but there is a punctuation mark after it (the comma).
Same also applies to e.g., i.e., etc., etc.
HTH
Alison
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