Is there any rules about to abbreviate words?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
There are a lot of different abbreviations in English, but many of them do not have rules. Some abbreviations, like titles in front of people's names, are only abbreviated in writing because the abbreviated form sounds the same as the fully written forms of the words. In the case of the video here, the abbreviation "em" is shortened for "them", and is just used for conveniency to make speaking faster. Most abbreviations which shorten the word are not used in writing, and only heard in speaking since the abbreviated word sounds different. However, it is important to know that a lot of abbreviations and contractions like "em" where a word is shortened can be perceived as very informal when used in conversation and in writing, so these should be avoided when speaking or writing more formally.
