etc and et al 区别

方舟子大虾，打假这么牛，写的论文这么多，居然不会用这两个英文小词，居然和本人4年前写论文时的困惑出奇的一致 （"et al"是个什么意思？看人家怎么写，照猫画虎也整一个 "et al"）。真是英雄所见略同！特摘Dictionary of English中比较，以自勉！

etc, this is an abbreviation of the Latin et cetera, meaning 'and other things'. Some people say that it should not be used with lists of people, or to mean 'and so forth' when referring to events or actions: The children laughed, shouted, ran about, etc. However, its use in these contexts is well established, although et al is more polite when referring to people (this is an abbreviation of the Latin et alii, meaning 'and others').

The more important question is whether you should use these abbreviations at all. They are useful for notes and on forms, but look out of place in ordinary writing; better to begin a list of examples with such as or for example, or to follow it with and so on, and so forth, or (with people) and others. Whatever form you use, make sure that you give some idea of what the other items might be.

In a sentence such as there are worms etc in the garden, etc could refer to almost anything: worms, beetles, woodlice, and so on suggests other creepy-crawlies, while: creatures such as worms, spiders, and frogs suggests a much wider range of wildlife. This means that you have to know what you mean: etc and its equivalents are often used when people are not sure, or cannot be bothered to think about, what they wish to include. Remember the c in et cetera is pronounced s. The et is sometimes incorrectly pronounced ek. Note also that etc and et al can be written with or without a full stop.