Imagine you are telling someone about all the things you bought at the store: apples, bananas, oranges… And instead of listing everything to the end, you say: “and others”. This “and others” is what “etc” is. It is an abbreviation of the Latin “et cetera”, which means “and so on”. When we use “etc”, we mean that there are more similar things that do not necessarily need to be listed. In Ukrainian, we use the abbreviation “і т.д.” (and so on), which is essentially the same as “etc”, just in English.
What is etc for our language? It is a kind of magic word that helps us not to clutter our minds with unnecessary details. It makes our stories more compact and easier to understand. Imagine if you are talking about your favorite playlist and listing a few songs, adding “etc” at the end. This hints that there are many more cool tracks on the list that also deserve attention.
So, etc is not just a word, but a tool for simplifying our thoughts. Thanks to this little abbreviation, our expressions have become lighter and clearer, as there is no need to delve into unnecessary details.