Initials

[stillaboveground]

Hi good morning to everyone. I have on a number of occasions had to ask what certain initials mean, I don't want to moan but it would help if people wrote the full names of treatments etc. so idiots like me can figure out what they are talking about, (moan over) I hope you all had a good Christmas and have a happy and healthy new year

[Heythrop51]

I have noticed there is a pinned post about abbreviations and I have also noted that many of the more knowledgeable posters do explain things.

I get more irritated by posts done in a sort of text speak with no capital letters, no punctuation and invented abbreviations. The one time I asked someone to clarify I just got cheek back!

Happy New Year!

[stillaboveground in reply to Heythrop51]

Hi Heythrop51, I did see the pinned post after I had sent the message, thank you for your reply.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

I like anything that makes a post easier to read. That works for me.

Referring across to a list or working out acronyms is just awkward.. I know that sounds lazy........

[Sunnie2day in reply to Kristin1812]

Nope, it doesn't sound lazy at all - having to stop reading a post to go reference a list then go back to the post is a pain. It would be exceptionally helpful if people would follow the universal grammar rule: when using a term the first time in a piece of writing, write out the full name/label/term then immediately follow it with the abbreviation in brackets. Then in the same post if the condition/term is referred to again the initials only are used as it's presumed the reader knows the term and context for that particular piece of writing.

Example: 'I have Rheumatic Heart Syndrome (RHS) in addition to a few other heart conditions. I was diagnosed with RHS around aged seven...'

I don't want to sound the Lady Curmudgeon I know I am - but really, do schools no longer teach that grammar rule?!

I have a word doc that is now at three pages (and growing), alphabetised and on my desktop so I can 'simply' use my taskbar to open the doc without having to leave the page the post I'm reading - but I've 'dropped' pages doing even that so-called 'simple' doc opening to work out what those abbreviations mean.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star in reply to Sunnie2day]

Good rule, good idea!