ABBREVIATIONS MADE EASYWritten by Tim North
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A CONTRACTION is a shortened form of a word that does include  full word's final letter. Here are some examples of abbreviations: Tues. Tuesday approx. approximately doz. dozen Aug. August Prof. Professor Aust. Australia a.m. anti meridian p.m. post meridian i.e. id est e.g. exempli gratia Abbreviations are followed by a full stop. You can think of full stop as being a replacement for missing final letter. Note that abbreviations like "p.m." are actually two separate abbreviations: "p." for "post" and "m." for "meridian." Here are some examples of contractions. Contractions should not be followed by a full stop as they retain final letter of original word. Rd Road govt government St Street ft feet Mr Mister mfg manufacturing Dr Doctor Mme Madame Pty Proprietary Ltd Limited dept department yds yards * * * Not everyone will agree with this approach. Still, in my view, distinguishing between abbreviations and contractions is a better way to proceed than ambiguous definition quoted earlier that relies on you guessing what "often followed by a period" means. I hope you find this useful.
Tim North http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com info@BetterWritingSkills.com
| | Create A Press ReleaseWritten by Jean Melconian
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2. Only send release to one person per news outlet. Any problems that develop from duplicate coverage and effort will be blamed on you. 3.Don't just send press releases- call editor or writer directly. If you want your release covered, call person before sending release, and a couple of days later to make sure they received it. Just don't become a pest. 4.Know your deadlines. Magazines, even weekly ones, are often planned months in advance. Seasonal events, such as Christmas and Easter, are a great example of this For calendar items, know news outlet's deadline for section. 5. Keep it short and informative. Reporters and editors are notoriously busy. Most press releases should be kept to one page. Two is acceptable. If they want more information, they'll ask. 6.Write in a news style. That means putting prime information (who, where, what and when) into lead (first paragraph). It also means keeping sales pitch subtle. No exclamation points!!! Many papers will directly reprint a press release, as long as it is written in a professional news style. Use short words and sentences. Make sure what you're saying is very clear. 7.Always include, at top corner of every page, a two- or three-word description of story, name and phone number of key contact people (no more than two), page number ( if there us more than one page) and release date (usually "For Immediate Release"; otherwise " Please hold until xx/xx/xx"). 8.End a press release with ### typed across center margin a couple lines below end of your text. If a release is continued on another page, type- "-more-" at bottom of page in center. 9.Use standard 8 ½" x 11" paper typed on one side only. Never break a paragraph across two pages. Leave plenty of margins for editors to write notes-an inch and a half all around should be fine. 10.Bright Idea; Whenever you distribute a press release, also post release somewhere on your Web site, under heading "Corporate Information," "Company Background," or "Press Releases."
Jean Melconian is the owner of WebTrans International, Inc., International trade resources and logistics are available at: http://www.webcargo.net.
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