Telegraph style book: Aa
a/an: If the H is pronounced, use a: a hotel, a historian; if not, use an: an hour, an heir
Aborigine: Note the cap A. Aboriginal should also be capped when referring to native Australian people
abdicate, abnegate and abrogate: All have different meanings. Abdicate = renounce high responsibilities; abnegate = deny oneself or others something; abrogate = abolish by official proclamation
accents: Use on foreign proper names and words in regular English usage (café, pâté). Avoid in headlines and on capital letters
Achilles heel, Achilles tendon: No apostrophe
acronym: If pronounced as a word (e.g. Nasa), cap first letter only. If said as letters (e.g. NHS, CPS), use upper case
Act (law): Takes a capital letter at every mention
actress: The preferred term for a female actor
AD: Comes before the year (AD 1066) and after centuries (fourth century AD). Do not use CE
Addenbrooke's hospital
adrenalin: No 'e' on the end
advertisement: Should be shortened to advert, not ad
adviser but advisory
Afrikaner: The people and culture
Afrikaans: The language
ageing/ageist: Not aging/agist
AI: No full points; no need to spell it out as AI (artificial intelligence)
Aids: Initial cap only. Since it is a condition rather than a disease, write 'died of an Aids-related condition', not 'died of Aids'
air strike, air base: Not one word
A-level: Lower case 'l'
alibi: Is not an excuse; it means proof of being elsewhere
allelulia: Hallelujah is preferred
al-Qaeda
alright: Is not correct; use all right
alsatian/Alsatian: Lower case for dogs; capital for people
alternate: As an adjective means 'every other'; e.g. 'he had maths on alternate days'
alternatives: There can only ever be two
alternative reality: Not alternate reality
among: Used when there is more than person 'The money was shared among the team' see between
ancestor: An earlier generation of a family descendant: The opposite of ancestor
and/or: Avoid, rewrite instead 'You may bring your passport, your driving licence or both'
St Andrews University
annex: Verb annexe: Noun
anti-Semitism
any more/anymore: We do not want any more errors... we will not put up with this anymore
apostrophe: Used to indicate the omission of letters and in plural forms of lowercase letters (e.g. dotting the i's)
apparatchik
apps: No need to describe as 'mobile phone apps'. 'Applications' is too formal
archaeology
Argentina: Argentine for the citizen and adjective, not Argentinian
Argyle: Knitwear
Argyll: The county
Armed Forces: Use upper case if referring to British forces
artefact: Not artifact
Ascot: The town and racecourse Royal Ascot: The racing event attended by the Royal family
Asperger's syndrome
assume/presume: Assume = to take for granted; presume = to suppose based on probability
assure/insure: Assure for lives, insure for property
at a glance: No hyphens
Atacms: Acronym of Army Tactical Missile System (initial cap only)
ATM: Banned American term. Use cash machine
Attorney General: No hyphen
Auschwitz: Nazi death camp within modern-day Poland. Do not call it 'a Polish death camp'
Australian Labor Party: No 'u' in Labor
autarchy: Absolute sovereignty
autarky: Self-sufficiency
author: A noun. Avoid use as a verb
Ayatollah Khomenei (dead), Ayatollah Khamenei (living)
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Dame Stella Rimington, the first female director general of MI5, has died
Dame Stella Rimington, who was the first female director general of MI5, has died, her family has announced. She died "surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath". Dame Stella died at the age of 90. Please refresh the page for the latest version.
