The Latin expression et cetera, which is normally abbreviated to etc., is usually used at the end of a sentence to mean ‘and other things’ and ‘so on’. As writers or speakers, we use it when we do not wish to include everything on a list. For the drawing competition on Sunday, students are expected to bring their own pencil, paper, pad, etc. In such a sentence, we expect the reader/listener to understand that the list is incomplete and that he should supply the missing information. It is very common nowadays to hear people include etc. after the names of people as well: I ran into Ram, Geetha, Thiru, etc. at the club yesterday. Books on English usage suggest that such a sentence is unacceptable. According to scholars, since et cetera ends with an ‘a’, the word is neuter in gender; therefore, it can only be used with things and not with people. The Latin expression et al., meaning ‘and others’, should be used after the names of people. We are expecting Sharukh, Aamir, et al. to be present at the meeting.
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Know Your English 