Abbreviations guide – ‘Is alright all right’

There are many different forms of abbreviation and contraction in the English language, some more clearly and universally defined and accepted than others. The use of the apostrophe to form contractions, for instance, (can’t, shouldn’t, I’d, he’ll, we’d) is widely acknowledged as standard usage, though it may be frowned upon or considered out of place in more formal or academic writing.

British and American English

Winston Churchill in his memoirs discusses a rather animated debate with his American counterparts in the heart of World War Two. A disagreement arose in the discussion of a particularly sensible wartime matter, which when the British side argued it should be tabled, the American delegation insisted most strongly it should not. Mutual antagonism continued [...]