On review, I notice that I use the word ‘etcetera’ a lot, of course in abbreviated form ‘etc…’ but certainly more than average. This brings me to a conclusion that I like the word, which in fact is true. For instance, if I am discussing birds, I can say something like “Whereas the pigeon is useful, carrying notes, etc…” In this sentence I am using the word ‘etc…’ in an assumption that you know what else pigeons are useful for. In general English, it is thought better to list a few things before claiming the etcetera, such as “Whereas the pigeon is useful, carrying notes, tasty eggs and meat, etc…” In this example I have listed three possible examples of what a pigeon is useful for, ending with the clause ‘etc…’ since I am sure pigeons must have more uses, but I can’t be bothered to figure them out. I just assume that there are other commonly known things to which you can add ‘etcetera’.

Another bold use of the etcetera is as a sentence completion, such as “All that glitters, etc…” It should be obvious that this usage should be restricted to common and well known phrases, using the etcetera as a sentence completion on unknown sentences can only lead to confusion. As in, “When did, etc…” This usage clearly lacks enough content to assume an ending to the sentence, also a sentence such as “All that, etc…” does not conclusively lead to the common statement “All that glitters is not gold.” Certainly there are instances where such drastic use of ‘etc…’ would be acceptable, such as a paragraph that clearly stated a known phrase earlier could cite it again with “All that, etc…” and in context it could be understandable.

Perhaps you wish to expand your use of this word, even to database entry or some such thing. Given a sufficient data entry, an ending of ‘etc…’ could be used. Although this is generally frowned upon, if a sufficient sample of data is sufficient to assert a general data type, the etcetera could be used. In mathematics we learn that to plot a line, we need at least two points, in data sets we need a set large enough to display the average. Examine the following set of data, where we shall use the ‘etc…’: 001, 005, 003, etc… In this example it would be hard to understand what assumption is implied through the etcetera, sometimes context will make this more understandable, such as: “A set of three digits, average values are 001, 005, 003, etc…” Even this use of ‘etc…’ is a little brash, but is technically acceptable since several sets are given. To make the preceding set more understandable, a larger set would be helpful, such as “001, 003, 002, 001, 004, etc…” In this case the data is noticeably within a certain range and so is quite less confusing. Since the use of the etcetera in this case is to shorten a list of data, the sentence could be formed as “A set of three digits, values are 001-005, etc…” In this case, the understanding of the ‘etc…’ is resting completely on the preceding sentences.

Let’s go one step further and use etcetera in the form y=mx+b, which is obviously a linear equation. Consider the equation where we use x={x>0, x<4}. If we let m to equal 1, we could say “Where x cannot equal 4, etc… ” to imply that all the preceding gibberish about a linear equation is pretty standard and everyone should already understand it and be able to plot several points easily. This last usage of etcetera is very rare to find, and is usually found in mathematics in the form of “it follows that”, usually found between two equations where the connection is well known. Although the etcetera is the same concept, other terms have replaced it and made it’s use looked down upon.

In closing, please treat the word with respect. However, make sure you use this word frequently, it is a great way to make communication less cumbersome. This last sentence I put here as a last example: The use of the ‘etc…’ is a great way to speed up conversation, etc…