The Times Style Guide: A guide to English usage - Ian Brunskill

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The sport headline “Martis makes crucial mistake as Mowbray’s men go down” wrongly suggests that the blunder by Shelton Martis, the West Bromwich Albion defender, was unconnected to his team’s relegation from the Premier League in May 2009. In fact, it was his error that led to a first Liverpool goal. After that, his team lost and went down to the Championship. Avoid having lots of headlines using “as”; ensure here as well as in copy that its precise meaning of “when” is retained. It is not a synonym for “before” or “after”

      Ascendancy for clarity cap when referring to the landowning Protestant minority in Irish historical context

      ascendant, ascendancy prefer to ascendent, ascendency

      Asian while this is obviously an adjective pertaining to Asia, or a person from that continent, note that in Britain it can have a narrower officially sanctioned, although in some quarters controversial, meaning of a person who comes from, or whose parents came from, India, Pakistan or elsewhere in south Asia; be aware that using it in this way (especially in eg crime stories) may annoy British Asians of other backgrounds. In North America Asian is more likely to refer to people from China, Japan or elsewhere in east Asia

      aside from do not use this Americanism. Write apart from

      as of (with dates) prefer on, after or from to make clear what is meant

      assassin, assassinate, assassination to be used only in the murder of a statesman or politician from a political motive; not to be used for the killing of general celebrities or others

      assizes like quarter sessions, no longer function, having been replaced by the Crown Court

      assure you assure your life; ensure means to make certain; you insure against risk

      as to avoid in the sense of the much preferred about

      asylum seeker no hyphen

      at the present time, at this time use now; but avoid the phrase “as of now”

      Atlantic (Ocean) North Atlantic, South Atlantic, but transatlantic

      attendee ghastly word that there was no need to coin; avoid

      attorney-general, solicitor-general both are hyphenated; they are law officers, not legal officers

      aubrieta prefer to aubrietia and aubretia (named after Claude Aubriet). The genus, as per standard botanical style, is Aubrieta

      auditor general lower case, no hyphen

      Auntie not aunty as antique colloquialism for the BBC

      autumn statement delivered by the chancellor, lower case

      awards such as Baftas, Oscars etc should be lower case, eg best actor, best director. Also, note Academy award. See prize

      awayday one word

      Awol absent without leave, not AWOL

      axing no middle e; but try to avoid in sense of cutting jobs, dismissal etc

      ay (yes), aye (ever), Ayes (debate)

      b (abbreviation for born), no full point, eg b 1906. Likewise d for died: d 1997

      baby boomer (no hyphen) a person born in the postwar demographic baby boom (roughly 1946–64)

       baby-walker

      baccalaureate use anglicised spelling with lower case for general use, but cap in specific context of the International Baccalaureate, taken in some British schools; and note the specifically French examination or degree from which this derives, the Baccalauréat (italic, cap, accent, no final e)

      backache, backbreaking but back pain

      back benches (parliamentary) two words; but backbenchers, backbench (adjectival, as in backbench revolt)

      back burner no hyphen, but be sparing of the cliché “on the back burner”, especially when context renders it idiotic (“Never put an explosive issue on the back burner”)

      backlash overworked word; try to avoid

      backstreet(s) noun or adjective, no hyphen; similarly, backyard

      back-up noun, hyphenate

      bacteria is the plural of bacterium. Bacteria and viruses are different and the terms are not interchangeable. Make sure the terminology is correct. Note that antibiotics are used to treat bacterial but not viral infections

      bail out as in to bail someone out of trouble; also bail water from a boat; but bale out of an aircraft by parachute, to escape. NB bailout (one word, as noun)

      bait see bated

      balk not baulk

      Balkans prefer to Balkan states. This region includes the former Yugoslav republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece and the European part of Turkey

      ball plural in Court Page headlines is dances

      ballgown one word

      balloted like benefited, budgeted etc, has only one t

      Baltic states (lower case states) from north to south, and coincidentally in alphabetical order, they are Estonia (capital Tallinn), Latvia (capital Riga) and Lithuania (Vilnius). Do not use the abbreviated Baltics

      bandana prefer to bandanna

      B&B with caps and closed up around ampersand as abbreviation for bed and breakfast

      banister not bannister

      bank holiday bank holiday Monday etc, lower case

      Bank of England retain cap for clarity in subsequent refs to the Bank

       Bank of Mum and Dad

      bankruptcy in Britain people file a petition for bankruptcy; they do not file for bankruptcy

      baptistry prefer to baptistery

      Bar, the (legal); also cap for the Bar (but not the bars) of the House of Commons and cap in military honours sense, eg DFC and Bar

      barbecue, barbecuing barbeques should be confined to pub menus

      barcode one word

      bar mitzvah lower case, roman; also bat mitzvah for girls

      barony pertains to barons (who are Lord X, never Baron X, except in the formal announcement that a title has been gazetted). Baronetcy to baronets (hereditary titles carrying the prefix Sir, eg Sir Fred Y. The Times does not usually use the Bt suffix except with obituaries). Knighthoods, which also use the title Sir, are not hereditary

      baroque lower case like similar terms

      barter to exchange one thing (or service) for another; not a synonym for bargain or haggle

      basically greatly overworked word that rarely adds anything to a sentence.

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