because, cos, cus

[zharko]

In spoken english I hear "cus" or "cos" a lot, instead of "because".
Firstly I don't know if it is ok if I write it that way and secondly I don't know what is better - "cus" or "cos", or maybe "cuz" or "coz"?
Thanks in advance for clearing this for me.

[Ralf]

Hi zharko,

You shouldn't use an abbreviation for 'because' in writing unless you use it in a text message or on a teenage forum. If you're asking me, I use 'cos' in text messages.
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[Jamie (K)]

I abbreviate it to "cuz", and I abbreviate "because of" to "cuzza".

However, as Ralf says, you should use these abbreviations only in text messages or teenage forums.

It's really better not to use these abbreviations at all, because they can enter your other English. I've seen ESL students score low on placement exams -- and even fail entire English courses -- because their teenage chat room writing style was so ingrained that they couldn't stop it when they tried to.

[zharko]

OK. Thanks. English speakers in my home country (Serbia) are under the total influence of spoken English in American or English movies and series. (We do not do dubbing sound in any circumstances – always and only subtitles). So people eventually, unconsciously start to write what they hear and what got in their heads and what just SOUNDS right. Plenty of mistakes there.