Where’s the point? (1)
There is no “right” or “wrong” rule in English grammar about using full stops after abbreviations (letters, June 14, June 18), but they are usually avoided by editors of newspapers and books where unnecessary because they can look like fly droppings on...
There is no “right” or “wrong” rule in English grammar about using full stops after abbreviations (letters, June 14, June 18), but they are usually avoided by editors of newspapers and books where unnecessary because they can look like fly droppings on a printed page.
Generally it is accepted that full stops (full points, in the language of printing) are not required in abbreviations where the last letter of the abbreviation is the same as the last letter of the original word.
Examples include Mr, Dr, Mrs, Mt (mount), St (saint or street), Ltd (as in limited company), Col, Lt or Lieut, Sgt, Sqn Ldr, Cpl... this newspaper’s more literate readers can doubtless extend the list considerably.
After that, the question is whether dropping the full point is likely to cause confusion.
Co, as in the proper name of a county (Co Durham and most Irish counties) or a company, Maj-Gen, Brig, Maj, Capt, plc, MP, MEP, Hon (honorary or honourable), Det Ch Supt, Mepa, Bro, Fr, BBC, Nato and Nasa and Opec (all lower case, these days), UN, CIA, RAF, HMS, CD, EU, No (for number), UNESCO or Unesco, Aids... are unlikely to create any problem for a reader.
People’s names don’t need them: T S Eliot, W H Smith.
And, at the end of the day, that’s the only question to ask: if the word or abbreviation doesn’t need a full stop, don’t give it one.