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QuestionCan I use et al in a will when gifting a house that I want to stay in the family?DonaganTop AnswererYou should be as specific as possible when naming people in a will, and "et al." is not very specific.
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QuestionHow do I use et al. in a signature?DonaganTop AnswererWhere a formal signature is required, "et al." would not be used, because it refers to a group of people.
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QuestionCan I use et al. in a resume?DonaganTop AnswererYes, in the unlikely event that you're trying to shorten a long list of names.
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QuestionCan I use et al when listing related entities on a singular insurance policy?DonaganTop AnswererIf the "entities" are people, yes. Otherwise, "etc." might be more appropriate.
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QuestionIs et al. followed by first person singular or plural?DonaganTop Answerer"Et al." would not be followed by a first-person pronoun, because it refers to several people at once.
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QuestionDo I use a comma before et al. or after?DonaganTop AnswererA comma before "et al." is sometimes used but is not necessary. Always put a period after "al" whether it ends a sentence or not.
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QuestionIs it okay to use this phrase after my title, if it is the same for numerous businesses with the same ownership?DonaganTop AnswererRemember that "et al" means "and others." It sounds as though you're referring to just one title, so you wouldn't use "et al." If in fact you're making reference to several businesses, "et al" might be appropriate.
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QuestionDo I use "et al" in my reference list, or do I list all the authors in references?DonaganTop AnswererIt would be helpful to list all authors, but "et al" is acceptable in most cases.
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QuestionCan I use et al when thanking a group of people?Community AnswerAbsolutely not. Take the little bit of time it takes to thank everyone properly.
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QuestionWhen do I write et al. in italics?DonaganTop AnswererItalics are never required, but you can use them if you want to emphasize the fact that they are non-English words.
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QuestionCan I use "et al" in a formal email setting?Community AnswerYes, as long as you are referring to multiple people, not multiple things. And make sure the email is formal.
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QuestionIs it appropriate to use et al. when addressing a family on an envelope?Zzzsleepy0987Community AnswerNo. Et al. is very formal, so it would appear kind of odd. You usually will use et al. in reports, work emails, etc.
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QuestionIs it appropriate to use 'et al' on a greetings card to more than one person?DonaganTop AnswererNot really, "et al" is too impersonal to use on a greeting card.
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QuestionCan 'et al' be used when referring to several versions of someone's name?DonaganTop AnswererNo, "et al" ("and others") refers to more than one person at a time, so it doesn't really work for more than one name of a single person (unless, perhaps, you're trying to be funny....?).
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QuestionDo I capitalize Et Al or keep it lower case?DonaganTop AnswererDon't capitalize it unless you would capitalize "and others" in the same context.
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QuestionIs it acceptable to title a book like this? Save the Street Dogs: Animal Rights Groups, Dog Lovers et al. Lead the Charge?Lila hCommunity AnswerIn this case, it might be better to just say "and others." et al isn't the best to use in book titles, but it certainly can be done if you have a good reason for this.
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