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Latin shorthands: cf., vs., etc.

Hey there English learners!

Today, we're going to understand some Latin shorthanded roots that prevail in English writing catgory. Thus, its field of study is stenography: the art or process of writing in shorthand. Here we go! 

  1. 1. E.g. 
The abbreviation “e.g." comes from the Latin phrase “exempli gratia", which translates literally as "for example," and it is used in English with that meaning to introduce one or more examples that illustrate something previously stated in order to make it more clear or understandable. 
Here is an example: 
1.1. There are many communist countries in the world, e.g., China, Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba. 

  1. 2. Etc. 
The Latin phrase et cetera has been used in English since the early Middle Ages and translates as "and others of the same kind" or "and so forth." (Et means "and"; cētera means "the other, other part, that which remains.") Earliest print evidence of its common abbreviation,etc., is from the 15th century, and it is used after a partial list of things to indicate that many others of the same kind can be inferred, e.g., Jardim Zoológico had lions, bears, mambas, monkeys, etc. 

  1. 3. I.e. 
The abbreviation i.e. comes from the Latin phrase id est, which means "that is," and it is used in English with that meaning (or loosely "that is to say" or "what that means is") to introduce something that explains or clarifies a preceding statement more fully or exactly or that restates it in more simple or different terms. In other words, it means "in other words."  
3.1. The ointment only needs to be applied for a short period of time—i.e., three to five days.  
3.2. My grandfather is unfriendly, I.e., he has no friends.  

  1. 4. N.B. 
The abbreviation N.B. (or NB) comes from the Latin phrase nota bene, meaning "mark (note) well," and it is used to tell the reader that something is important. 
4.1. I am to send the payroll for all MATALANE’s soldiers (N.B. including the ones that are currently retired). 

  1. 5. V./VS Versus is usually abbreviated v. in legal writing, and the v may be roman or italic ("Brown v. Board of Education"). Otherwise, vs. is used ("good vs. evil")/ (Barcelona vs. Real Madrid). 

  1. 6. P./PP. 
p. is used to denote 1 page, pp. to denote a range of pages. This form of citation is used when you are using brief/in text citations. 
6.1. You can find the chapters on p. 45. 
6.2. Dear PBC’s students, you will find the difference between wake and awake (pp. 132-135).

7. Cf. 
  1. The abbreviation cf. (short for the Latin: confer/conferatur, both meaning" compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. 
       7.1. The properties of the electric field are given below (cf. with the magnetic field). 



Thanks for your interest. The champions are the ones you have read up downwards the page. 


Warmest regards,
PBC- Department of Scientific English Language
CEO (Chief Executive Officer):
Pedro Benny C.

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