Americans often try to say things as quickly as possible. So for some expressions, we use the first letters of the words instead of saying each word. Many common expressions or long names are shortened this way.

　　BYOB is a short way of saying bring your own bottle.The letters BYOB are often found at the bottom of a written invitation to a simple social event or gathering. For example, I decide to have a party on a Sunday afternoon. I might write a note saying, Please come to the party, and BYOB.The bottle each person brings is what that person wants to drink at the party.

　　An invitation to a special event, such as a wedding, would never say BYOB. However, an invitation to an official or very special event often has other letters at the bottom of it. The letters are RSVP. The letters represent the French expression Repondez sil vous plait(法语，意为“请赐复”). In Enghish, the words mean Respond if it pleases you.Americans use the letters as a short way to say Please answer this invitation?

　　Another expression ASAP is often heard in business offices. My boss might say she wants something done ASAP. It means As soon as possible.She also might tell me she wants something done by COB. That means she wants it finished by close of business, or the end of the workday.

　　Beginning letters often are used to represent the name of a university. A famous one is MIT. It is short for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (麻省理工学院). Another major university is UCLA, almost no one ever says its real name, the University of California at Los Angeles(洛杉矶加利福尼亚大学). That takes too long.

　　Some American businesses are better known for the beginning letters of their names than for their complete names. For example, you may not have heard of the company called International Business Machines(国际商用机器公司), but you probably have heard of the company by its short name IBM. And the American Telephone and Telegraph Company(美国电话电报公司) is much better known as AT&T. Many American government agencies are known by the beginning letters of their names, too. For example, the FBI is the Federal Bureau of Investigation(联邦调查局). The FBI investigates criminal activities in the United States. Then there is the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service(国内收税局). It is not a very popular agency. It collects Federal taxes. Here is an example you already know. Can you guess what it is? How about VOA, the short name of the Voice of America (美国之音)?