Article with Abbreviations

[Keo Somala]

Hello

Here's a good question to be discussed.

The orginal phrase is "the Department of Media and Communication". When I abbreviate it, it'll be "DMC".
But will I have to use "the DMC" then?

Do we use the articles with abbreviations all the time?

Thanks for your answers.

[Sarath]

Hi Keo,

an excellent discussion it will be... my understanding is as follows:

If the title includes a countable noun that indicates the type of an entity, we generally use 'the'.
ex: the International Olympic Committee (the IOC), the United States of America (the USA), the United Nations Organisation (the UNO)

If the group of initials is pronounced like a word, the is not used unless it is written in full.
ex: NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Oganisation)

so, hope to see more on this.
all d best,
sarath

[Kimlong]

What about The National Bank of Cambodia, should we use " The NBC"?

[___Tola___]

Can I say The JBL ( John Bresel Layfield) ,The MVP....etc,

[Sarath]

What about The National Bank of Cambodia, should we use " The NBC"?

yes, Ms. Keo, i feel you are correct.

[Sarath]

Can I say The JBL ( John Bresel Layfield) ,The MVP....etc,

my idea behind saying 'countable noun' means the 'countable common noun'; hope you are clear!!!

[Kimlong]

What about The National Bank of Cambodia, should we use " The NBC"?

yes, Ms. Keo, i feel you are correct.

I'm Kimlong not Ms.Keo te na mate!!

You feel that the use of "The NBC is correct" but I dare tell you we don't use the word "The" here. I don't know why like that, but I work there. No one write with The!

[Sarath]

What about The National Bank of Cambodia, should we use " The NBC"?

yes, Ms. Keo, i feel you are correct.

I'm Kimlong not Ms.Keo te na mate!!

You feel that the use of "The NBC is correct" but I dare tell you we don't use the word "The" here. I don't know why like that, but I work there. No one write with The!

as per grammar rule, i think we can use it... but not sure if there are any exceptions to this rule!!    as we know, in English, we see many exceptional case

[Keo Somala]

Generally, the definite article is needed before abbreviations, but if an abbreviation poses an acronym, the is dropped. The abbreviation (DMC) is not an acronym, so we are obliged to use it with the.

I received this comment from my online friend. 

[Sarath]

Generally, the definite article is needed before abbreviations, but if an abbreviation poses an acronym, the is dropped. The abbreviation (DMC) is not an acronym, so we are obliged to use it with the.

I received this comment from my online friend. 

i didn't get what you mean by acronym here... do you mean to say that DMC is not an acronym??? 

[Keo Somala]

At first, Sarath, let's differentiate between 'abbreviation and acronym' for me, please. 

[Sarath]

At first, Sarath, let's differentiate between 'abbreviation and acronym' for me, please. 

acronym - A word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name
abbreviation - Shortening something by omitting parts of it

An abbreviation is the shortened form of something. It can be a word or a phrase. "I. Q", for example, is the abbreviated form of "intelligence quotient". Similarly, "St." and "Mt." stand for "saint" and "mount". Here are some common abbreviations that we use in our everyday life: "Mr.", "Mrs.", and "Dr.".

The "a" in the first syllable of "acronym" is like the "a" in "act" and "pact", while the following "o" is like the "a" in "china". The final "nym" rhymes with "him", "dim" and "gym". The stress is on the first syllable. An acronym, unlike an abbreviation, is a word formed from the first letters of a series of words. "NATO" is an example of an acronym. It is formed from the words North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The first letter of every word has been used to form "NATO". The dreaded disease "AIDS" is another example of an acronym. The full expansion of AIDS is "acquired immune deficiency syndrome". "POTO" is also an acronym. Unlike an abbreviation, an acronym is usually pronounced as a word. You do not pronounce it letter by letter. The British Broadcasting Corporation is often abbreviated to BBC. We pronounce all three letters. In the case of acronyms like NATO and AIDS, we pronounce them as words.

[Sarath]

Hi Keo,

an excellent discussion it will be... my understanding is as follows:

If the title includes a countable noun that indicates the type of an entity, we generally use 'the'.
ex: the International Olympic Committee (the IOC), the United States of America (the USA), the United Nations Organisation (the UNO)

If the group of initials is pronounced like a word, the is not used unless it is written in full.
ex: NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Oganisation)

so, hope to see more on this.
all d best,
sarath

simple fundaaaa... if you pronounce like a WORD, omit THE, if you pronounce each letter separately, include THE... 

[Keo Somala]

Aiiiiyoooooo...

The "a" in the first syllable of "acronym" is like the "a" in "act" and "pact", while the following "o" is like the "a" in "china". The final "nym" rhymes with "him", "dim" and "gym". The stress is on the first syllable. An acronym, unlike an abbreviation, is a word formed from the first letters of a series of words. "NATO" is an example of an acronym. It is formed from the words North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The first letter of every word has been used to form "NATO". The dreaded disease "AIDS" is another example of an acronym. The full expansion of AIDS is "acquired immune deficiency syndrome". "POTO" is also an acronym. Unlike an abbreviation, an acronym is usually pronounced as a word. You do not pronounce it letter by letter. The British Broadcasting Corporation is often abbreviated to BBC. We pronounce all three letters. In the case of acronyms like NATO and AIDS, we pronounce them as words.

Thanks so much for your clear explanation.

I learn at the DMC (the department of Media and Communication). What made me raise this question is that one of my lecturers suggested to use 'the' in front of "DMC". At first, I didn't like the idea as I didn't believe it. I thought we didn't use an article in front of acroynyms or abbreviations. Okayyyyy...such a long story. So I've been clear with these two "acroynym and abbreviation". I pronounce an acronym as a word and a abbreviation in letters...yeah, got it now. Thanks a million. 

[Sarath]

Aiiiiyoooooo...

The "a" in the first syllable of "acronym" is like the "a" in "act" and "pact", while the following "o" is like the "a" in "china". The final "nym" rhymes with "him", "dim" and "gym". The stress is on the first syllable. An acronym, unlike an abbreviation, is a word formed from the first letters of a series of words. "NATO" is an example of an acronym. It is formed from the words North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The first letter of every word has been used to form "NATO". The dreaded disease "AIDS" is another example of an acronym. The full expansion of AIDS is "acquired immune deficiency syndrome". "POTO" is also an acronym. Unlike an abbreviation, an acronym is usually pronounced as a word. You do not pronounce it letter by letter. The British Broadcasting Corporation is often abbreviated to BBC. We pronounce all three letters. In the case of acronyms like NATO and AIDS, we pronounce them as words.

Thanks so much for your clear explanation.

I learn at the DMC (the department of Media and Communication). What made me raise this question is that one of my lecturers suggested to use 'the' in front of "DMC". At first, I didn't like the idea as I didn't believe it. I thought we didn't use an article in front of acroynyms or abbreviations. Okayyyyy...such a long story. So I've been clear with these two "acroynym and abbreviation". I pronounce an acronym as a word and a abbreviation in letters...yeah, got it now. Thanks a million. 

you are welcome... 
of course, you are my best friend... 
all the best and cheers...