MSGID: 1:153/716.0 0d2ab875   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 60a7640c   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:   
      
   AH>  Homework, BTW, is not countable but homework assignments   
   AH>  are.   
      
   AK>  A good piece of information. ;-)   
      
      
              Glad you found it useful....  :-)   
      
      
      
   AH>  "Etc." is an abbreviation which calls for a period, but   
   AH>  you're also asking a question here.  AFAIC it's okay to   
   AH>  use a period followed by a question mark in such cases.   
      
   AK>  But when I asked my question with "etc" I didn't use   
   AK>  quotes, did I?   
      
      
              No, you didn't.  Perhaps my response was confusing... but I see you   
   know how to employ them in making reference to a word or an abbreviation.  :-)   
      
      
      
   AK>  So my quostion was correct?   
               |question   
      
      
              Looking at the punctuation, I'd have written:   
      
                  Do you have school tests on grammar rules etc.?   
      
      
      
   AK>  Another sentence can be:   
   AK>  Do you have a special rule on "etc."?   
      
      
              Yes, that works.  And no, I don't.  I understand native speakers of   
   English find it easier to get the letters in the right order, however, if they   
   know "etc." is short for "et" (and) + "cetera" (the rest)....  :-)   
      
      
      
   AK>  Also: AFAIK   
      
      
              Uh-huh.  AFAIC & AFAIK are similar but not identical.   
      
              AFAIC = As Far As I'm Concerned, meaning I am stating an opinion or   
   personal preference.  (While I've seen no evidence of it myself I imagine some   
   folks might argue that because the periods are often left out of various other   
   abbreviations nowadays they can leave out the period with "etc." too.  And not   
   evverybody agrees about how to handle end punctuation in various cases).  :-))   
      
              AFAIK = As Far As I Know, meaning I'm stating a fact as I see it.   
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
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