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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Use of etc. and 'and so on'
What is the difference between the 'etc.' and 'and so on'?
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Top answer
Thea meaning of etc ( et cetera ) and so on ( so on and so forth ) is quite the same They are both used after a list in order to show that there are still many other similar things you could have added But I think that ( etc ) is more commonly used in writing.
- Thea meaning of etc ( et cetera ) and so on ( so on and so forth ) is quite the same They are both used after a list in order to show that there are still many other similar things you could have added But I think that ( etc ) is more commonly used in writing.
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5 Answers
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Thea meaning of etc ( et cetera ) and so on ( so on and so forth ) is quite the same
They are both used after a list in order to show that there are still many other similar things you could have added
But I think that ( etc ) is more commonly used in writing.
They are both used after a list in order to show that there are still many other similar things you could have added
But I think that ( etc ) is more commonly used in writing.
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Hi,
But, in formal writing such as a university essay, don't use abbreviations. So, say and so on but not etc. in such writing.
Best wishes, Clive
But, in formal writing such as a university essay, don't use abbreviations. So, say and so on but not etc. in such writing.
Best wishes, Clive
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I think you'll find 'etc.' in quite formal writing, where 'and so on' would sound too casual:
The Arthropod phylum -- all those bilaterally symmetrical animals who possess external skeletons (composed of chitin -- a cellulose that forms a strong yet somewhat flexible shell), with segmented bodies and paired, jointed legs (insects, spiders, scorpions, crustaceans, centipedes, e
The Arthropod phylum -- all those bilaterally symmetrical animals who possess external skeletons (composed of chitin -- a cellulose that forms a strong yet somewhat flexible shell), with segmented bodies and paired, jointed legs (insects, spiders, scorpions, crustaceans, centipedes, e
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Hi MrM,
True, although I'd think of those examples more as technical writing or scientific writing. I was thinking of formal writing in the sense of an essay where the emphasis is on prose that flows.
True, although I'd think of those examples more as technical writing or scientific writing. I was thinking of formal writing in the sense of an essay where the emphasis is on prose that flows.
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Yes, I agree that it flows better-- and so does 'and so forth'.
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