80/20 rule (Pareto principle) 211
A
a (indefinite article) 58
abbreviations 6–10
common business abbreviations 176–81
of Latin binomial names 89
technology 254–7
absent 10
abuse 151
acceleration 214
accounting, British and American words and idioms 165–6
see also abbreviations
actionable 10–11
acts, use of capitals for 23, 25
AD 39–40
hyphenation 73
possessive 60–61
administrative divisions, North America 224–6
in American English 12
hyphenation 73–4
advertisements, cliches in 32
aetiology 11
affect, effect 11
affirmative action 11
affordable 11
Afghan names 97
African-Americans 44
Africans 44
aggravate 11
aggression 11
agony column 11
agree 12
alcohol content of wines and spirits 217–18
algebraic formulae 83
alibi 12
alphabets
Arabic 17
Greek 204
alternate, alternative 12
ambiguities, hyphenation to avoid 73
differences from British English 12–15, 55, 59, 65–6, 108, 132, 153, 156–73
grammar and syntax 156–7
punctuation 157–8
usage 162–4
vocabulary 164–73
American Indians see Native Americans
American units of measurement 51, 163
among and between 15
ampersands 7
an (indefinite article) 15
anarchy 16
anglicised placenames 113, 132
anglicised words and phrases 84
Anglo-Saxon 44
animals, names see Latin names
annus horribilis, mirabilis 16
anon 16
anticipate 16
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) 229
apostasy 16
appeal 16
appraise, apprise 16
area
units 216
article
definite 7, 64, 99, 102, 113, 142
indefinite 58
articles, writing 1–4
as to 17
beginnings of articles 1–2
artistic movements 24
as of 17
as to 17
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) 230
Asians 44
assassinate 17
assets per employee 184
assets, ratios 184
Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) 230
atomic numbers 197–9
autarchy, autarky 17
avert, avoid, evade 17
avocation 17
B
baby items, British and American words and idioms 166
bail, bale 18
Bangladeshi names 99
Bank for International Settlements (BIS) 230
banking
British and American words and idioms 165–6
central bankers since 1900 186–8
-based 18
Basque country/region 21
BC, BCE 39–40
Beaufort Scale 182–3
beer, measures 217
beg the question 18
Belarusian names 99
bellwether 18
Benford’s law 209
between and among 15
biannual, biennial 18–19
bibliographical references 200–202
bicentennial 19
binomial names (animals, plants etc) 89
bisexual 56
black, in the 19
blond, blonde 19
blooded, bloodied 19
blue and red (politics) 126
bon vivant 19
book titles 53–4
born, borne 19
both … and 19
bowdlerism 117
Boyle’s law 209
Brazil, currency 37
British English
differences from American English 12–15, 55, 59, 65–6, 108, 132, 153, 156–73
grammar and syntax 156–7
punctuation 157–8
usage 162–4
vocabulary 164–73
British titles 145–6
brokerage 19
Brooks’s law 209
buildings, British and American words and idioms 167–8
bureaucrats, use of language 3, 32
business ratios 183–5
C
cadre 20
calibres 73
Cambodian names 99
Canada
administrative divisions 225–6
health-care system 67
Canute 20
CAP (common agricultural policy) 10, 47
capacity
conversion of units 214–15, 220, 221
units 216
capitals (upper case) 20–30, 145
writing out abbreviations 9
CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) 230–31
cartel 30
case 30
Cassandra 30
castes 28
catalyst 30
CE 39–40
Celsius, conversion to Fahrenheit 223
Centigrade 9
Central Asian names 100
centred on 30
challenge 31
champagne, bottle sizes 217
changes of name (placenames) 111–12
charge, intransitive use 31
charts 200
cherry-pick 31
China, currency 37
Chinese names 100
circumstances 31
CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) 232
citations 200–202
cities
names see placenames
use of capitals for 21
civil society 31
clarity of writing 1–4
clerical titles 146
see also euphemisms; horrible words; journalese; slang
clothes, British and American words and idioms 166
clothing sizes 219
co- 33–4
coiffed 34
coining words, avoiding 13–14
collective nouns 59
Coloured (South Africa) 44, 116
come up with 34
commit 34
common agricultural policy (CAP) 9, 47
Commonwealth 231–2
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 232
community 34
comparatives 34–5
compare 35
comparisons, like with like 60
compass, points, references and quarters of 7, 21, 75
compound (verb) 35
comprise 35
computer programming, Utz’s laws 212
computer terms 82
conditional sentences 92
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE, now OSCE) 239–40
Congress 24
contemporary 38
continual, continuous 35
contrast, by/in 35
conversion of units 213, 220–23
conversion to decimals 50, 202
convince 35–6
cooking, British and American words and idioms 166–7
corporate governance 58
coruscate 36
cost-effective 42
could 36
council, counsel 36
countries 63
see also placenames
couple 60
crescendo 36
crisis 36
critique 36
cross-references 247
crude oil, barrel units 218
curate’s egg 57
current 38
cusp 38
cyber-expressions 82
D
DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) 10
dashes 122
data 39
dates 39–40
American form 162
apostrophes and 119–20
deal (verb) 40
decimal point 49
decimals and fractions 50, 202
decimate 40
definite article
with abbreviations 7
before placenames 113
demographics 40
deprecate, depreciate 40
different from 40
dilemma 40
diminish 126
discreet, discrete 40
disinterested, uninterested 40
document titles 53–4
dollar currencies 37
douse, dowse 40
down to 40–41
drinks
measures 217–18
use of capitals for 22
due process 41
due to 41
Dutch names 100
E
e-expressions 82
earnings 42
earnings per share (EPS) 185
earthquakes, magnitude 127, 196–7
East Germany 21
eating, British and American words and idioms 166–7
economic and monetary union
see EMU
ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) 233
ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community) 233
-ee 42
EEC (European Economic Community) 233
effect, affect 42
-effective 42
effectively 42
-efficient 42
EFTA (European Free Trade Association) 8, 233
either … or 106
elections 63
elite, elitist 42–3
EMU (economic and monetary union) 9, 47, 234
see also euro area/euro zone
enclave 43
endemic 43
endnotes 201–2
energy, units 218
Engel’s law 209
English forms of placenames 113, 132
enormity 43
environment 43
epicentre 43
epidemic 43
epochs, geological 203–4
eponymous 43
EPS (earnings per share) 185
-er/-ing words, hyphenation 75–6
eras, geological 203–4
ERM (exchange-rate mechanism) 47
Eskimo 163
see also political correctness
etiolate 11
EU (European Union) 46–7, 110, 233–4
institutions 234–6
members 236
see also Europe
EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community) 233
Euro-/euro- (prefix) 46–7
euro (single currency) 37, 233, 234
currencies 37
see also EU
European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) 233
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) 233
European Commission, presidents of the 246
European Economic Community (EEC) 233
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 233
European Union see EU
evade, avert, avoid 17
ex- 47
exchange-rate mechanism (ERM) 47
exclusivity, in British and American English 162
execute 47
existential 47
expect 16
export ratio 184
F
fact, factoid 48
facts 106
Fahrenheit 9
Fahrenheit, conversion to Celsius 222
false possessive 60
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) 8, 242
Farsi 101
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) 8
Fed (Federal Reserve) 22
fed up 48
federalist 48
fellow 48
feminine and masculine 62
feral 48
ferment 48
fewer than 48–9
fief 49
figures of speech 164
see also vocabulary
film titles 53–4
final expenditure 224
finally 52
finance
British and American words and idioms 165–6
use of capitals 21–2
flaunt, flout 52
flounder 54
focus 52
-fold 52
foment 48
food
British and American words and idioms 166–7
use of capitals for 22
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 8, 242
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 8
forego, forgo 54
foreign languages and translation 52–4
foreign words and phrases 1, 31, 52, 54, 84
forensic 54
former 47
former, the 54
founder 54
Frankenstein 55
free 55
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) 236
fresh 55
FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) 236
fuel consumption, conversion factors 222, 223
full stops (periods) 7, 122, 157
fulsome 55
G
G7, G8 etc 237
Gaelic 129
garner 56
GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) 242
gay 56
GCC (Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf/Gulf Co-operation Council) 236–7
GDP (gross domestic product) 9, 107, 211, 224, 237
gearing 56
see also leverage
gender 56–7
and political correctness 61
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 242
generation 59
genitive 60
gentlemen’s agreement 57
geographical 57
geological eras, periods and epochs 203–4
Germany 21
gerunds 60–61
get 57
gibe, gybe 86
global 57
GNI (gross national income) 224
GNP (gross national product) 224
gold, purity (carats) 215
good in parts 57
Goodhart’s law 210
gourmand, gourmet 57
governance 58
government 58
grammar and syntax 58–66
American English 156–7
gravity, standard 214
Great Britain 110
Greek alphabet 204
Gresham’s law 210
gross domestic product see GDP
gross national income (GNI) 224
gross national product (GNP) 224
ground rules 66
Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) 237
H
halve 67
haver 67
he, she and they 61
headings 122
names in 144
health care 67
healthy 67
Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle 210
heresy 16
heteronyms 68
Hispanic 44–5
see also Latino/Latina
historic, historical 67
historical terms, use of capitals for 22–3
HIV 9–10
hoard 67
Hobson’s choice 67
holistic 67–8
homeland 68
homes, British and American words and idioms 167–8
homogeneous, homogenous 68
homographs 68
homonyms 68
homophones 68
homosexual 56
Hooke’s law 210
hopefully 68
horde 67
horns of a dilemma 40
horrible words 69–70
see also cliches
hybrid ethnic groups 75
hyperthermia 80
in American English 157
in e-expressions 82
word breaks 247
hypocentre 43
hypothermia 80
I
IATA (International Air Transport Association) 237
Icelandic names 101
-ics words (abstract nouns) 62, 64
identical 81
idioms, American and British 165–71
IGC (inter-governmental conference) 47
ilk 81
immolate 81
American 163
important 81
impracticable, impractical 81
in effect 42
inchoate 81
including 81
India, currency 37
Indian castes 28
Indians, American see Native Americans
indirect speech 61–2
individual (noun) 81–2
Indonesian names 101
infinitives, split 64–5
-ing/-er words, hyphenation 75–6
initially 82
institutions
names 53
inter-governmental conference (IGC) 47
interesting 82
International Air Transport Association (IATA) 237
international organisations 228–42
International Seabed Authority 237
Internet, terms 82
Inuit 163
inverted commas (quotation marks) 76, 123–4
investigations of 83
Iranian names 101–2
Islamic, Islamist 83
isotopes 7
issues 83
IT terms 82
Italian names 102
italics 10, 31–2, 54, 83–5, 89
J
Japan, currency 37
Japanese names 102
jib, jibe 86
journalism, Wolfe’s law 212
K
key 88
Keynes’s law 211
Korean names 102
L
lag 89
last 89
Latin 205–9
usage with figures 50
Latin Americans 44–5
Latin names 89
latter, the 54
law and order 64
law of independent assortment (Mendel) 210
law of segregation (Mendel) 210
laws of thermodynamics 210
laws (scientific, economic, facetious and fatalistic) 209–12
lawsuits, italics for 85
Leave and Remain (British referendum) 20
length
units 215
lesbians 56
less than 48–9
lessen 126
leverage 89
see also gearing
LGBT 57
liberal 90
lifestyle 90
like, likely 90
liquidity ratio 183
located 90–91
see also capitals
luxuriant, luxurious 91
-lyse/-lyze spellings 160
M
Maastricht treaty (1993) 234
magnitude of earthquakes 127, 196–7
majority 59–60
makers and making 75
manifesto 143
markets, Say’s law and Keynes’s law 211
masculine and feminine 62
mass see weight
mathematical symbols 213
measures 213–23
American units 51
non-American contexts 50–51
media 93
meet 94
meet (with) 157
Mendel’s principles 210
Mercosur (Mercado Comun del Sur) 237–8
meta- 93
see also cliches
mete 94
metric system, prefixes 216–17
metrics 94
middle initials 145
migrate 94
militate 95
millionaire 94
mitigate 95
momentarily 95
monopoly 95
monopsony 95
Moore’s law 210
moot 95
mortar 95
move 95
MPs, abbreviations for 8
Muhammad 17
mujahid, mujahideen 86
Murphy’s law (sod’s law) 210
musical notes 95
see also jihad
mutual 95
N
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) 8, 238
named 96
names
adjectives from 27–8
commonly misspelt 96–7
Latin names 89
of newspapers and periodicals 85
trade names 28
national accounts 224
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) 238
neither … nor 106
net assets (“net worth”) 184
newspapers, names of 85
NGOs (non-governmental organisations) 31
Nigeria, currency 37
no, yes 20
none 106
nor 106
North America, administrative divisions 224–6
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) 8, 238
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 238
nouns
adjectives of proper nouns 27–8, 58–9
collective 59–60
masculine and feminine 62
plural 59–60, 62–3, 119, 138–40
from prepositional verbs 74
number 60
numbers 106–7
hyphenation 79–80
see also figures
O
OAS (Organisation of American States) 238–9
OAU (Organisation of African Unity, now African Union) 228–9
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) 239
offensive 108
office-holders 25–6
Ohm’s law 210
OK 9
Okun’s law 211
oligopoly 108
Olympic games 227–8
on-screen proofreading 248
one (personal pronoun) 108
only 108
onto 108
op. cit. (opere citato) 202, 208
OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) 239
ordinals 129
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 239
organisations
OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) 239–40
overwhelm 108
Oxford comma 157
oxymoron 108
P
pair 60
Pakistani names 102
palate 109
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) 8
pallet, palette 109
paper sizes 219
paragraphs 4
parenthesis, dashes for 122
Pareto principle (80/20 rule) 211
Parkinson’s law 211
Parkinson’s law of data 211
Parliament 24
participles 62
partner (with) 157
past 89
past tenses 61–2, 66, 92, 161, 163–4
pedestrians, British and American words and idioms 168–70
peer (noun) 109
people
British and American words and idioms 168
see also personal names; ranks; titles
per annum 50
per cent, percentage points 51, 109–10
percentage change, percentagepoint change 106
percolate 110
perfect tense, in American English 15
periodicals, italics for names 85
periods see full stops
periods, geological 203–4
Persian 101
personal column 11
persuade 36
Peter principle 211
placenames 110–16
changes of name 111–12
translation of 53
use of capitals for 21, 26–7, 28
Planck’s constant 210
planets 253
plants, names see Latin names
platform 143
PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) 8
and apostrophes 119
spellings 138–40
plural verbs 63
political correctness 45, 116–17
see also ethnic groups
politicians
use of cliches 33
use of euphemisms 45–6
politics, British and American words and idioms 168
populace 117
possessive
false 60
see also apostrophes
practicable, practical 117
pre- 117
precious metals, units 214, 218
prefixes for metric units 216–17
premier 117
prepositional verbs, nouns formed from 74
prescribe 117
present tense 66
presidents
of the European Commission 246
of the United States 243–4
press (verb) 118
pressure, pressurise 118
prevaricate 118
prime ministers of the United Kingdom 244–6
pristine 118
proactive 118
procedural due process 41
procrastinate 118
prodigal 118
professions, British and American words and idioms 168
profit margin 185
profit per employee 185
profitability 185
profits, ratios 185
pronounceable abbreviations 8–9
pronouns, and political correctness 61
proofreading 246–51
proofreading marks 247, 249–51
propaganda 118
proper names, forming nouns, adjectives and verbs from 27–8
proper nouns, adjectives of 27–8, 58–9
protagonist 118
protest (verb) 118
provinces and territories of Canada 225–6
pry 118
PSBR (public-sector borrowing requirement) 9
public schools 119
punctuation 119–24
American and British English 157–8
Q
quadrillion 51
quite 125
quotation marks (inverted commas) 76, 83, 123–4, 158
R
see also ethnic groups; political correctness
rack, wrack 154
radiation doses, measures 218
radioactivity, measures 218
ranges 51–2
real 126
rebut 126
red and blue (politics) 126
redact 126
redolent 126
reduce 126
redundant words 150
redux 127
references, citing 200–202
author-title system 201
The Economist 200
Harvard system 201
mixed system 201–2
short-title system 201
Vancouver system 201
refute 126
regrettably 127
Reilly’s law 211
relationship 127
Remain and Leave (British referendum) 20
repetition, avoiding 2
report on 127
Republican 127
reshuffle 127
resourceful, resources 127
resupply 127
return on capital 185
revert 127
Richter scale 127
ring (verb) 127
rock 127
roman numerals 252
run (for office) 128
Russian names 103–4
S
SADC (Southern African Development Community) 240
sales per employee 184
sales, ratios 184
Say’s law of markets 211
scientific units named after individuals 9
scot-free 129
scotch 129
Scotch, Scots or Scottish (people) 129
second-biggest (and similar) 129
secretaries-general of the UN 240
sector 129
sensual, sensuous 129
sentences
simple 4
structure 156
sequestered, sequestrated 130
serial comma 157
sex and gender 56–7
she, he and they 61
ships, names 85
shrink 126
shrug 130
conversion 220–23
simplistic 130
Singaporean names 104
single currency (euro) 37, 233, 234
Sinti 128
skills 130
skyrocketed 130
slang 87
American and British 164
see also vocabulary
slither, sliver 130
sloppy writing 130–31
see also unnecessary words
smart 131
social security 131
sod’s law (Murphy’s law) 210
soft 131
soi-disant 132
solar system 253
sources, referring to 200–202
South Africa, currency 37
Southern African Development Community (SADC) 240
spacecraft, names 85
specific (noun) 132
spelling 132–40
American and British 159–62
spirits, measures and alcohol content 217–18
split infinitives 64–5
stanch, staunch 140
standard gravity 214
starting an article 1–2
states of the United States 225
stationary, stationery 140
stentorian, stertorous 140
straight (sexuality) 56
straight, strait 140
strategic, strategy 140
-style 141
subcontract 141
subheadings 122
see also may, might
substantive due process 41
summer Olympics 227
swear words 141
Swiss names 104
symbols
mathematical 213
syntax see grammar and syntax
systematic, systemic 141
T
table (verb) 147
tables 200
take issue 83
Taliban 63
target (verb) 142
technology abbreviations 254–7
temperature 9
tenses
in American and British English 15
in indirect speech 61–2
present 66
territories and provinces of Canada 225–6
terrorist 142
testament, testimony 142
that and which 153
the (definite article) 7, 113, 142
the fact that 48
there is/are 142
thermodynamics, laws of 210
they, he and she 61
third world 26
throe, throw 142
ticket 143
time 143
time of day around the world 257–9
times (multiplication) 143
titles (people) 9, 25, 26, 73, 143–6
titles (works) 83
foreign 53–4
tortuous, torturous 146
total 146
total assets 184
trade names 28
transgender, trans 56–7
transitive and intransitive verbs 146–7
translation of foreign words and names 52–4
transpire 147
transport, British and American words and idioms 168–70
transportation 147
travel, British and American words and idioms 168–70
treasury bonds/bills 22
treaties 23
trendiness, avoiding 105
tribe 147
see also ethnic groups; political correctness
trooper, trouper 148
try and/to 146
Turk, Turkic, Turkmen, Turkoman 115–16
Turkey, currency 37
turnover
of inventory 184
of net assets 184
of payables 184
of receivables 184
of working capital 184
twinkle, twinkling 148
U
Ukrainian names 104–5
UN see United Nations
underprivileged 149
uninterested, disinterested 40
unique 149
United Kingdom (UK) 110
currency 36
prime ministers 244–6
programmes 241–2
secretaries-general 240
specialised agencies 242
administrative divisions 225
currency 37
health-care system 67
presidents 243–4
Spanish-speakers 44–5
units of measurement 51
giving equivalents 51
see also jargon; sloppy writing
upper case see capitals
usages
American and British English 162–4
new 105
use 151
Utz’s laws of computer programming 212
V
velocity, conversion factors 222, 223
venerable 152
venues 152
verbal 152
verbing nouns, avoiding 13, 62
verbs
plural 63
prepositional 74
transitive and intransitive 146–7
see also tenses
versus (in lawsuits) 85
viable 152
Vietnamese names 105
VLSI (very large-scale integration) 9
vocabulary, American versus British English 164–73
volume
conversion of units 214, 220, 221
units 216
W
wars, names of 153
water, measures 218
websites, addresses 82
weight (mass)
conversion of units 214–15, 221, 222, 223
units 216
West Germany 237
West, Western 153
which and that 153
while 153
who and whom 154
wind forces (Beaufort Scale) 182–3
wines, measures and alcohol content 217–18
winter Olympics 227–8
Wolfe’s law of journalism 212
word breaks, hyphenation 247–8
working capital ratio 183
working capital, ratios 183–4
-worth 72
worth, apostrophes and 120
wrack, rack 154
wring (verb) 127
WTO (World Trade Organisation) 242
Y
yes, no 20