etc

In Latin, ‘etc’ is short for ‘et cetera’, which means ‘and other things’ or ‘and so on’. As with other Latin abbreviations, it is best to use the English form because that will be more familiar and look more professional.

Formal body text

Generally rewrite body text with ‘such as’ or ‘including’

The most common use of ‘etc’ is at the end of a list of items, when you want to show that the list is not definitive. But this can look sloppy and suggest thoughtlessness, as though you haven’t fully considered your sentence.

Try rewriting the sentence, using ‘including’ or ‘such as’ to introduce your list instead.

We enclose the documents you will need to apply, including our PDS and forms.

The policy must cover leave types, staff entitlements, notice requirements etc.

Other contexts

Save ‘etc’ for more informal text or where space is limited

In the era of online communication, less formal channels such as email, social media and web chat have made ‘etc’ more viable than it is in formal documents.

This is partly because these are more conversational and partly because space is limited compared to a full document. But be very selective if you do use ‘etc’ in one of the channels, as it can seem inattentive even there.

Our brochure breaks down all the available options, such as colour, texture, size, etc.

Punctuation

Only add a full stop to ‘etc’ if it ends your sentence

Although ‘etc’ is a shortened form of ‘et cetera’, it has been many decades since we punctuated it with full stops (‘e.t.c.’). You should only use one if the short form falls at the end of a sentence.

Populate that part of the form with your name, address, date of birth, etc.