Ect

[Anoisagusaris]

Why do so many MN posters use ect for etc?? It doesn’t even make sense sound wise. This is the only place I’ve ever seen it .

It's a really common abbreviation, I'm surprised so many people get it wrong.

@DragonOverTheMoon

Really interesting OP. *@Dancer47* was awful to me on a thread for saying ect. I didn't know it was etc and didn't know it was a proper word. What does et el stand for in referencing?

et al means "and others already mentioned". So if I reference a work by "John Smith, Mary Jones, Annie Sykes, Fred Bloggs and Bert Black", a later citation of the same work would be "Smith et al"

I guess it's because people who pick up on spelling and grammatical errors are just more better than the rest of us.

It's the same as people who say "draws" aaaaarrrrrrrgh. Fools.

@PutinIsAWarCriminal

I don't think it matters. As long as you know the poster means etc. its fine. Its mumsnet, not The Guardian. I'm not saying that's what you are necessarily trying to do here, but too many posters try to patronise or shame other posters on typos or poor grammar. Everyone is entitled to a voice and fear of being criticised on their literacy skills shouldn't block them.

Exactly this. Things that would annoy me in a professional context don't here.

Plus, when I was little I knew it was et cetera but I thought the abbreviation was ect because the t was the t in cetera, not in et.

My phone has a real problem with their and there. I don't know why, I don't, but it loves to make a fool of me.

So long as meaning is clear on here, who cares.

@Anoisagusaris

But it’s not correct phonetically?? The word is etcetera.

Isn't it actually two words? You've embarrassed yourself

But it’s not correct phonetically?? The word is etcetera

It's not a word, it's two words. Et cetera.

@Jumprope309

Because that’s how Nigel Molesworth, goriller of 3b and curse of st custards, spells it.

Precisely!

@DragonOverTheMoon

Really interesting OP. *@Dancer47* was awful to me on a thread for saying ect. I didn't know it was etc and didn't know it was a proper word. What does et el stand for in referencing?

That poster doesn't know how to punctuate sentences, so I wouldn't give them headspace.

@SushiShopSearch

It's the same as people who say "draws" aaaaarrrrrrrgh. Fools.

As opposed to? Drawers? In most of the UK people say "draws" and "drawers" (furniture) exactly the same. I'll tell my PhD applied linguistics students they're fools when I next see them. We could do with a laugh. (that's /læf/ for me, btw, not /la:f/)