Page 13 - Basic English Usage
P. 13
abbreviations
We usually write abbreviations without full stops in British English.
Mr (NOT 4) = Mister
Ltd = Limited (company)
kg = kilogram
the BBC = the British Broadcasting Corporation
the USA = the United States of America
NATO = the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
OPEC = the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Some abbreviations are made from the first letters of several words. We
usually pronounce these with the stress on the last letter.
the BBC /de bi:bi:'si:/ the USA /da juses'er/
Some of these abbreviations are pronounced like one word.
We do not usually use articles with these.
NATO /‘nettau/ (NOT the NAFO)
OPEC /"aupek/ (NOT the-OPEG)
about to
| be + about |
toinfinitive
+
If you are about to do something, you are going to do it very soon.
Don't go out now — we're about to have supper.
| was about to go to bed when the telephone rang.
For other ways of talking about the future, see 134-140.
above and over
Above and overcan both mean ‘higher than’.
A A is above/over B.
The snow came up above/over our knees.
There's a spider on the ceiling just above/over your head.
We use above when one thing is not directly over another.
We've got a little house above the lake.
A
8 Ais above B. (NOT Ais-everé:)
B
