


Uppercase when using the full name, eg Criminal Justice Act 1998, Official Secrets Act but lowercase on second reference, eg “the act”, and when speaking in more general terms, eg “we need a radical freedom of information act” bills remain lowercase until passed into lawįormerly known as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) You multiply hectares by 2.47 to convert to acres, or acres by 0.4 to convert to hectares Use hectares, with acres in brackets, rounded up or down, eg the field measured 25 hectares (62 acres). Take care in using this term in relation to traffic incidents crash or collision may be better if the full circumstances are not known Has been known as contact since the 1989 Children ActĪt which a new King or Queen is formally proclaimed Thus: “Arsène Wenger was on holiday in Bogotá with Rafa Benítez”įormerly Andersen Consulting the new name was devised by an employee from “accent on the future” People’s names, in whatever language, should also be given appropriate accents where known. Use on French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Irish Gaelic words (but not anglicised French words such as cafe, apart from exposé, lamé, résumé, roué). The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, at first mention thereafter just Acas Italian for “in the style of the church”, ie unaccompanied singing Individual awards are lowercase, eg best actor award, Oscar for best pictureĪfter first mention, abbreviate the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the Academy See individual entries on child sexual abuse, domestic abuse/family abuse and sexual abuse In reference to US legislation, six-week abortion ban is preferable to foetal heartbeat bill, unless quoting someone talking about the “heartbeat bill”Ī journalist for Al Jazeera who was shot and killed in the West Bank Anti-choice can be used when talking about opposition to all reproductive rights, including abortion, birth control, family planning etc. Use pro-choice, not pro-abortion and use anti-abortion, not pro-life. Indigenous Australians is an umbrella term that covers both Aboriginal people from the Australian mainland and Torres Strait Islanders The term “Aborigine” is outdated and offensive Aboriginal should only be used as an adjective. Should be identified by their country or language groups at first mention if known, eg a Wiradjuri-Yorta Yorta man, a Noongar-Badimaya woman – or take your cue from how they identify themselves. Take or claim (something) for oneself without justification If an organisation is mentioned only once, it is not necessary to give its abbreviation or acronym.Ĭap up single letters in such expressions as C-list, F-word, “the word assassin contains four Ss”, etcīritish-Egyptian democracy activist jailed in Egypt Remember that our international online readership will not necessarily be aware of even well-known UK abbreviations. If an abbreviation or acronym is to be used more than once in a piece, put it in brackets at first mention: so Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), seasonal affective disorder (Sad) alternatively, use the abbreviation with a brief description, eg the conservation charity the RSPB. Use all capitals if an abbreviation is pronounced as the individual letters (an initialism): BBC, CEO, US, VAT, etc if it is an acronym (pronounced as a word) spell out with initial capital, eg Nasa, Nato, Unicef, unless it can be considered to have entered the language as an everyday word, such as awol, laser and, more recently, asbo, pin number and sim card. With abbreviations, be guided by pronunciation: eg an LSE studentĪccident and emergency in the US, it’s ER (emergency room)Ĭity in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden lived and diedĭo not use full points in abbreviations, or spaces between initials, including those in proper names: IMF, mph, eg, 4am, M&S, No 10, AN Wilson, WH Smith, etc. Use an before a silent H: an heir, an hour, an honest politician, an honorary consul use a before an aspirated H: a hero, a hotel, a historian (but don’t change a direct quote if the speaker says, for example, “an historic”).
