In a text message, etc. means “and other things,” just like it does in any other piece of writing. “Etc.” is the abbreviation for “et cetera.” It’s used at the end of a list where everything is part of the same category, like these examples:
- Vegans don’t consume any dairy products (cheese, milk, yogurt, etc.).
- Megan asked for makeup (lip gloss, eyeshadow, etc.) for her birthday.
- We’re growing all of the ingredients for salsa in our garden: tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
The QuillBot app can help you use “etc.” correctly in text messages.
Continue reading: What does etc mean in a text message?
The difference between AM and PM is that “a.m.” refers to the hours from noon to midnight, and “p.m.” refers to the hours from midnight to noon.
For example, 12:01 a.m. is the minute after midnight, and 11:59 a.m. is the minute before noon. Use the abbreviation “a.m.” after the first 12 hours of each calendar day. Use the abbreviation “p.m.” after the hours in the second half of each day.
The abbreviations “a.m.” and “p.m.” are usually written in lowercase with periods. QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you format expressions of time correctly in your writing.
Continue reading: What is the difference between AM and PM?
AM and PM should usually not be capitalized, but different style guides have different requirements. Unless your style guide says otherwise, “a.m.” and “p.m.” should be lowercase with a period after each letter (e.g., “I’m serving dinner at 7:30 p.m.”).
When writing “a.m.” and “p.m.” in lowercase, the QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you remember where to use a period.
Continue reading: Should AM and PM be capitalized?
SMDM means “shaking my damn head.” “SMDH” is a text abbreviation that someone writes when they are very frustrated or strongly disapprove of something (e.g., “My connecting flight just got delayed for 5 hours, so I’m stuck at the airport. SMDH”).
Because “SMDH” technically has an expletive (curse word), it’s probably not a good slang abbreviation for the workplace.
When you’re writing about things that frustrate you, why not try the QuillBot Paraphraser. It can show you different ways to say the same thing so that you don’t offend anyone.
Continue reading: What does SMDH mean?
The correct text abbreviation for “shaking my head” is SMH, not SHM. Use “SMH” in text messages or online chats when you want to show disappointment, frustration, or disapproval about a situation (e.g., “The squirrels ate all our tomatoes again. SMH”).
If you’re ever looking for alternatives to “shaking my head,” the QuillBot Paraphraser can show you different ways to say the same thing.
Continue reading: Is it shm or smh?
SMH can be disrespectful in some situations and contexts. “SMH” is a text abbreviation for “shaking my head,” which is a sign of frustration or disapproval (similar to how you would shake your head “no”).
If you say “SMH” about another person’s actions, it’s disrespectful because it’s a form of gossiping. If you say “SMH” about a situation that’s beyond a person’s control, it’s not disrespectful.
You should generally reserve “SMH” for topics that you and the other person agree upon and that aren’t disparaging of other people (e.g., mutual friends or coworkers).
Whether you’re writing with text abbreviations or not, spelling and punctuation are important. The QuillBot Grammar Checker extension can be installed on a variety of email and messaging apps.
Continue reading: Is SMH disrespectful?
Yes, conventionally, 12 a.m. is midnight, and 12 p.m. is noon/midday.
You can say, “12 a.m. midnight” (or just “12 midnight”) and “12 p.m. noon” (or just “12 noon”) for clarity when making arrangements.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find alternative words and phrases for time expressions like “midnight” and “noon.”
Continue reading: Is 12 am midnight?
It is Good morning, not Goodmorning (i.e., the greeting “Good morning” is written as two words).
Bear in mind that what time is morning is often determined by the context (e.g., 2 a.m. is usually considered nighttime, but coworkers starting an early shift at this hour might greet each with “Good morning”).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find alternatives to greetings such as “Good morning” in your writing.
Continue reading: Is it goodmorning or good morning?
12 a.m. is midnight. It is the point at which one day finishes and the next day starts, so 12:01 a.m. is technically morning time in contexts where morning is defined as the first 12 hours of the day.
You can say “12 a.m. midnight” or just “12 midnight” for clarity when making arrangements.
What time is morning can depend on context (e.g., 2:30 a.m. may be considered morning for a shift worker beginning an early shift but nighttime for someone who went to bed at midnight and has been woken up by a thunderstorm).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you find synonyms for time expressions such as “midnight” and “nighttime.”
Continue reading: Is 12 am morning?
Yes, conventionally 12 p.m. is noon, and 12 a.m. is midnight.
You can say “12 p.m. noon” (or just “12 noon”) and “12 a.m. midnight” (or just “12 midnight”) for clarity when making arrangements.
12 noon is the point at which morning ends and afternoon starts.
Bear in mind that the context sometimes determines what time is morning (e.g., 3 a.m may be considered morning for someone starting an early work shift but nighttime for someone who went to bed at 11:30 p.m. and has been woken up by a noisy neighbor).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find alternative words and phrases for times and parts of the day such as “noon” and “nighttime.”
Continue reading: Is 12 pm noon?
