The ABC Style Guide



Throughout the year, members of the ABC’s language committee meet to discuss matters of grammar, style and usage. Their guidance is provided to all ABC content makers, and is made publicly available here.

The ABC also maintains a database of proper names and placenames to assist content makers with correct pronunciation. This database, too, is available online.

For the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of ordinary words, we refer to the Macquarie Dictionary. For broader editorial concerns, please refer to the ABC’s editorial policies site.

This style guide is a living document, and is regularly updated. If you believe an entry to be in error (or worse: missing) please contact language@abc.net.au.

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A

4chan, 8chan

Note the lower case for these imageboards.

a, an

Generally in English, a is used before consonant sounds and an is used before vowel sounds: a ham, an olive, a eulogy. Some words begin with the eighth letter but have an unstressed initial syllable, which in connected speech often means speakers freely shift between the two articles: an historic, a historic, etc. For these words, neither form is incorrect (though an historic can come across as a slight affectation).

A-list

Cap the initial letter: A-list, D-grade.

a lot

Two words.

a or an before H

Use a before words whose spoken forms begin with an /h/ sound: a hotel, a historian, a hero. Use an with words whose initial sound is a vowel, even if their written forms start with H: an heir, an honest man.

ABC branding, “the ABC”

Regional and local stations take title case: ABC Radio Great Southern, ABC Radio Brisbane. If crediting, use don’t forget the definite article: Joe Bloggs told the ABC’s AM program, not ABC’s AM program. The national youth music service has no capitals unless starting a sentence: I grew up listening to triple j. Some sub-brands take a capital on their modifier: triple j Unearthed. Never lower case: Double J. The main television channel is ABC, not ABC1. The streaming video service is iview, not iView. Be mindful of over-branding. A sentence such as watch the ABC Women’s Work series every Sunday on Weekend Breakfast can probably lose the acronym. More information on corporation branding can be found in our internal brand portal.

Aboriginal, aboriginal

Upper case in all references to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, or to First Nations people of the US or Canada. See Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander references.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander references

Aboriginal and Indigenous should always be capitalised. Avoid using Aboriginal as a noun. Avoid Aborigine outside of quotes. Where possible, aim to use a person’s preference. This could be a specific community or language group: a Yuin woman, a Bundjalung elder. It could be also more general: the Torres Strait Islander woman, an Aboriginal man.

In collective reference: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, First Nations communities, Indigenous people, etc. See entry First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Avoid regional descriptors (e.g. Murri, Koori) unless it’s a stated preference. Torres Strait Islanders are a distinct group and should not be described as Aboriginal or TSIs. For more information, consult the Indigenous Content guidance note.

abortion

When referring to pro- or anti-abortion campaigners or protests, avoid the terms pro-life and pro-choice. These labels are emotive. Instead of phrases like pro-life supporter, use anti-abortion campaigner. Instead of pro-choice, use abortion rights.

abortion clinics

Abortion is generally not the only service provided by these clinics. In stories where the focus is not on abortion itself, consider a less emotive descriptor: women’s health centres or reproductive health centres.

academic departments

Our style: department of history, department of economics (no capitals).

accent marks, diacritical marks, non-English characters

Use accent or other diacritical marks in names where requested, or where such marks are in wide use: Barça, Charlotte Brontë, La Niña. Do not use accents for long-established loanwords in English: cafe, facade. If unsure, check a dictionary.

acres

Use hectares. One hectare is 10,000 square metres or 2.47 acres.

acronym, initialisms

Limit the use of unfamiliar acronyms. If you need to use them, though, spell out in first reference and, from second reference, use the abbreviated form: A report was sent to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on 5 June 2014. The ACMA responded in late July. Some acronyms are acceptable without explanation, in headlines and elsewhere. Use your judgement. Occasionally, a descriptive sentence is preferable to spelling out: football’s governing body FIFA, UN children’s agency UNICEF. Purists maintain abbreviations pronounced as a word (radar, NATO) are acronyms, and abbreviations pronounced by letter (DPRK, CIA) are initialisms. Usage has long been indifferent to this distinction, and some abbreviations (RAAF) are both.

actor

Default term for male and female members of the acting professions. Retain the gendered term for awards: best actress, best supporting actress.

acts, bills, white papers

None of these need capitals, unless you’re using the official name of an act. Native Title Act 1993, but the act was passed in 1993.

active voice, passive voice

In grammar, voice refers to the relationship between the verb, the subject, and the object of a sentence. In active constructions, the subject of the sentence carries out the action of the verb: Australia beat England at Lords. In passive constructions, the subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb: England was beaten by Australia. The passive voice is sometimes condemned on the grounds its use can mask the agent of an action or come across as bureaucratic or impersonal: the sign was later removed, it is felt the school should take action. This criticism misses the point — the passive voice has its uses, especially in news copy. Recounting events is a common one, as is emphasising the effect of an action on the subject: the hospital was bombed by Islamic State militants.

AD, BC

Our style: AD 1100, 45 BC, the first century AD, second century BC. Note the space. AD and BC remain the more familiar terms and are generally preferred over CE and BCE.

admit, admits, admitted

Use sparingly, as it implies a hint of guilt or acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

adopted, adoption, surrogacy, surrogate

Mention these (or donor status) only when relevant. Say biological mother and father or surrogate mother or birth mother. Don’t say real mother or father.

AEDT, AEST

AEDT stands for Australian Eastern Daylight Time, and is used when daylight saving is in force. AEST stands for Australian Eastern Standard Time, and is used when daylight saving is over. It is easy to get confused and think the S stands for summer. It doesn’t. It stands for standard. Avoid using Australian Eastern Time. For nearly six months of the year, east coast states do not share a uniform time zone.

affect, effect

Affect, as a verb, means to influence something or someone: the man was clearly affected by alcohol. Effect, as a verb, means to bring about: alcohol effected a change in his behaviour. Effect, as a noun, means something produced by a cause or agent: alcohol can have a surprising effect.

affidavit

A written statement on oath, sworn to before an authorised official, often used as evidence in court proceedings. Avoid sworn affidavit.

afforestation, reforestation

Not reafforestation.

Afghan, Afghani

The people: Afghan. The currency: Afghani.

African American

Do not hyphenate. Refers to Americans of African descent. Not always interchangeable with black: the latter term encompasses a range of backgrounds (e.g. African-born American citizens, Americans of mixed heritage, Caribbean diasporas). Be specific where possible, and follow a person’s preference. If specific reference to a person’s background in an American context is required but you cannot determine a preference, prefer black to African American. See more at the entry for black.

African Australian

Do not hyphenate. This is an umbrella term. Be specific where possible when describing individuals: Ghanaian Australian, Sudanese Australian, etc.

Afrikaans, Afrikaners

For the language: Afrikaans. For the people: Afrikaners.

after

Be careful using after. It has both temporal and causative senses, which can present problems for the errant broadcaster or headline writer. Take the following sentence: At least 10 people were killed after a bus hit a wall. Were the people killed on the bus? Or did the wall collapse on them? With At least 10 people were killed when a bus hit a wall, the link becomes more direct.

age, ages

In Australia, anyone 18 or older is regarded as an adult by law. A person 18 or older should be called a man or woman. When describing people younger than 18: boy, girl, teenager, children. In generic reference to older Australians: older people, older Australians. Be aware that generic descriptors relating to age can cause offence or be perceived as impartial: the geriatric man, the young senator.

aged care facility

Though this term is in standard usage, there’s nothing wrong with using aged care home. These compounds are generally not hyphenated.

agender

People who choose not to be defined by their gender. Many who identify this way prefer to use gender-neutral pronouns.

agreement of person

Subjects and verbs should agree in person and number. It’s not unusual to see some copy start in the third person only to switch to the first person: Many Australians plant native trees in our gardens. This is incorrect, and should be: Many Australians plant native trees in their gardens.

aid, aide

Study aid, aid and abet, a hearing aid, but an assistant is an aide. The latter survives in terms borrowed from French: aide-de-camp, aide-memoire, etc.

AIDS

No need to spell out as it has become common usage. People who carry the virus which can cause AIDS are HIV-positive but do not necessarily have AIDS. They can be described as having the AIDS virus. People do not die of AIDS, but from AIDS-related illnesses. Avoid: HIV virus, AIDS victims.

aircraft, aircraft carrier, airline, airport

But aerodrome, aeroplane, aeronautics, air strikes. Aircraft can normally be referred to as planes, and certainly not in the official jargon of fixed-wing aircraft. Plane is short for aeroplane. Don’t say airplane. When an aircraft is forced to land we say that it (or the pilot) made an emergency landing. When an aircraft crashes do not try to soften the impact by saying it crash-landed.

Air Force One

Note the capitals.

aka, a.k.a., AKA

All are in use, though our preference is aka.

Al Qaeda

alibi

Often used colloquially to refer to any kind of general excuse or explanation. Avoid this colloquialism in formal news contexts.

all right, alright

Both are acceptable.

all together, altogether

Not interchangeable. The latter, an adverb, means wholly or entirely: the laws should be scrapped altogether. The former refers to parts achieving unison: to it was a relief to see him put it all together on race day.

allude to

Means to refer to indirectly. Not to be confused with elude, which means to escape or avoid.

alternate, alternative

An alternative is a choice between two or more possibilities: cycling is a fine alternative to a walk. When things alternate, they switch between options: in cyclocross, athletes alternate between riding and running on foot.

Alzheimer’s disease

Note the apostrophe and initial capital (named after Alois Alzheimer).

ambition

You realise or fulfil a dream or an ambition; you reach or achieve a goal — you can’t achieve an ambition, even if you climb every mountain.

American

Inhabitants of both North and South America can theoretically be referred to as Americans, although the term is most often used in reference to citizens of the United States. Canadians should be referred to as Canadians. If you are referring just to the United States of America make sure, specify that in first reference.

American Indians, Native Americans

Both terms are in use to describe Americans of Indigenous background. Prefer Native Americans for generic or collective reference; where possible, be specific for individuals.

American spellings

Use American spellings for organisation or place names that contain them: World Health Organization, World Trade Center, Pearl Harbor.

among, between

Usage depends on the number of people or things you are referring to. For example, an argument is “between” two people, but “among” three or more; a competition is “between” two teams, but “among” three or more. But it is appropriate to “choose between six kinds of jam”.

amount, number

The rule often stated is that amount refers to volume, and number to quantities: a number of cows produced an amount of gas. Like many such rules, it has no basis in usage or English grammar; its origin is likely personal preference. There is substantial evidence over time, from spontaneous speech to edited prose, that amount can be used with plural count nouns when the count noun is being conceived of as an aggregate: the amount of resources, a large amount of drugs.

ampersand, &

Avoid unless part of company name, trademark, or financial market.

analyst

As a job description, it can be ambiguous. The audience is usually better off knowing who is saying something, and where they’re saying it from. If you’re reporting what a generally held view: some financial market economists, some political analysts.

ancestors, descendants

Ancestors are the people who came before you. Descendants will come after you.

animals

Generally, animals take the pronoun it over she or he. Exceptions include named animals such as race horses, or stories where an animal’s sex is relevant. Generic animal names only take a capital when they contain proper nouns: Tasmanian devils, yellow-footed rock wallaby.

anniversary

Anniversaries relate to yearly occurrences (a clue, annus, is in the word’s etymology). Two tendencies infuriate pedants and are best avoided. The first is the use of anniversary to mark spans of weeks or months: six month anniversary, twelve month anniversary. The second is using the word with year, as in one year anniversary. This is tautological. Use first anniversary instead.

Antarctica, the Antarctic

Antarctica is the name of the continent within the Antarctic region.

antenatal

Means before birth. Take care not to confuse with anti-natal, a different thing entirely.

anticipate, expect

Many language critics hold that anticipate should not be used where expect is intended: COAG leaders anticipate long day. This is assuredly the etymological fallacy at work. Words can have more than one meaning at a time, and can shed (or grow) meanings with the passage of time. Probably the most that can be said here is that anticipate should not be used for expect in the rare case where the difference would be material. Take the following headline: Police anticipate bikie violence. Does that mean police think violence is likely, or that they’ve allocated resources to prepare for an imminent gang war? If, in such an instance, it’s the expect sense you mean, just say expect.

antiviral

Do not hyphenate.

Anzac, Anzac Day

For general use: Anzac Day celebrations, Anzac biscuits, the Anzac spirit.

Apostles Creed

No apostrophe.

Arab, Arabic

When Arab modifies nouns, it generally refers to social or political constructs: Arab governments, Arab women, Arab leaders. Arabic, as a modifier, refers to specifically to the language: Arabic speakers, Arabic script, Arabic schools. A final point: Arab poetry would most likely be read as referring to poetic works written by Arab people (that is, not necessarily in Arabic).

Arab-Israeli

While a common descriptor for Israeli citizens of Arab ethnicity, it is not universally adopted. Many object to this term, preferring alternatives: Palestinian citizen of Israel, Palestinian-Israeli, Israeli, etc. Where possible, confirm with your talent.

ARIAs

No need to spell out the acronym, but say ARIA Awards in the first reference in the story (note: you need to cap Awards).

arson, arsonist

Take care applying these terms to bushfires. In Australian law, arson often has a specific legal meaning implying intention, recklessness, or property damage. Most jurisdictions have a separate crime for bushfire offences, which include unintentional lighting of fires. Avoid the salacious firebug, pyro.

artistic works

No italics or quotes for book titles, film titles, play titles, poem titles, etc. But they do take capitals: A Clockwork Orange, A Doll’s House. Articles (the, a) and shorter conjunctions or prepositions (on, and) are usually not capped: Lord of the Rings. An exception is if they begin the title: And Then There Were None.

Asian Australian

Do not hyphenate. This is an umbrella term. Be specific where possible when describing individuals: Tawainese Australian, Filipino Australian, Vietnamese Australian, etc.

Asia-Pacific

Takes the hyphen in use such as ‘Asia-Pacific region’.

Asian names

Chinese: In Chinese names, the family name (surname) comes first. For example, “Chiang Chi-kwang”, in a second reference, becomes “Mr Chiang”. (For guidance, hyphens never appear in surnames.) Some Chinese adopt the Western style of family name last, though to avoid confusion they often use initials, for example, “C.K. Chiang”.

Indonesian: Some Indonesians have only one name, some two or more by which they wish to be known, for example, “Suharto”, “Deddy Iskandar Muda”.

Japanese: Among themselves, Japanese use the family name first, then the given name (only ever one), for example, “Sato Ichiro”. In English you would refer to him as “Mr Sato”. When speaking with foreigners Japanese may adopt the Western order, “Ichiro Sato”.

Korean: Similar to Chinese, for example, “Yi Yoon-kyung”; then “Ms Yi”.

Vietnamese: Vietnamese have two-part or three-part names. Though the family name is placed first, the last name is the key to identification. Therefore, in a first reference say, “Vo Van Kiet”, then “Mr Kiet” (not “Mr Vo”).

aspirin

Generic term, so no capital.

asteroid, meteor, meteorite

Not interchangeable. An asteroid is any rocky body, usually orbiting the Sun. Meteors are matter from outer space that become incandescent after entering the earth’s atmosphere. Meteorites are rocks or other matter that have survived the bumpy trip to the earth’s surface.

assassin

Political and religious leaders, or the similarly conspicuous, are assassinated. The rest of us, sadly, are murdered.

asylum seekers

Use asylum seeker to describe people who arrive in Australia (including Australian waters) without travel documents, claiming (or apparently claiming) refugee status. If authorities recognise a valid claim for protection, such people could be referred to as refugees. Avoid inaccurate modifiers with the term asylum seeker, e.g. unlawful asylum seeker, illegal asylum seeker. Under international law, anyone can apply for asylum.

at about

Avoid.

attain

Not just a fancy synonym for obtain, this word implies the reach or achievement of something by continued effort. (The object is normally something immaterial, such as goals, ambitions or a position.) Obtain means to get or acquire something — usually something tangible, often as a result of effort or a request. Usually it’s something tangible.

Attorney-General

Hyphenated. We use capitals since it is effectively a ministerial title.

auditor-general

lower case

augur, auger

An auger is a hole-boring tool. Augurs are portents, omens, etc.

autism

A variety of terms exist to describe people on the autism spectrum. These include, but are not limited to: being autistic, being a person with autism, having an autism spectrum disorder, or being on the autism spectrum. Considerable disagreement exists as to which term is preferred. Your safest bet is to check with the person or people you’re describing.

average

Not interchangeable with normal, as in: the average of a four-year-old is 106 centimetres.

averse to

Not to be confused with adverse.

ayatollah

An Iranian term for a Muslim teacher and lawyer who has great spiritual authority in a Shiite Muslim community. The Supreme Leader of Iran has the title Ayatollah. The term is not used in Sunni Islam.

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B

bachelor

A bit old-school. Better to use unmarried man, or single.

backburning, burn-off, burning-off

Not interchangeable in emergency situations. Burning off (sometimes referred to as controlled burning) is the clearing of land before fire season by the use of fire. Backburning is a method of fire control, where an area in the path of an approaching fire is burned into or against the wind.

backflip

Some commentators rail against the use of backflip to mean a political reversal. Despite their chagrin, this sense is established in Australian English dictionaries and attested in edited newspaper sources as far back as the 1940s.

backup

Police call for backup (noun) but you back up (verb) to a door, or back up (verb) your files.

bacteria

Bacteria is plural of bacterium. Never write the bacteria is. While we’re here: bacillus is singular. Bacilli is plural.

bad rap

Give someone a bad rap, but wrap up the day’s news.

BAFTAs

No need to spell out the acronym, but say BAFTA Awards in the first reference in the story. Cap Awards.

bailout, bail out

The former is the noun form: a $700 million bailout. The latter is the verb: somehow we are always ready to bail out farmers when they strike drought.

band names

Cap the definite article if part of the name: The Beatles, The Who. Lower case if not: the Rolling Stones. Not all bands take the definite article: Arctic Monkeys, Talking Heads. Always check. Generally, bands are plural entities. So, Talking Heads were rubbish last night, not Talking Heads was rubbish.

bandaid

No capitals and no hyphen in generic reference. In reference to the specific product: Band-Aid. In reference to the 1984 musical fundraising event, two separate words, capitalised: Band Aid.

Bank of Queensland, BOQ

The shortened form is BOQ, not BoQ.

barbecue

Not BBQ or barbeque.

barometer

Figurative use is fine: search histories can be used as a barometer of social awareness. But avoid using in place of a word like indicator, as in: historical dramas are a barometer of how an audience perceives the past.

base jump

A parachute jump from a structure such as a tall building, bridge, etc, as opposed to a jump from an aeroplane.

basically

Often a superfluous word in news writing.

bated breath

Not baited.

bazaar

A market, but bizarre is odd. The OMC smash hit is How Bizarre.

bee’s knees

Just the one bee.

beg the question, begs the question

This phrase comes to English from a (reportedly quite bad) translation of the Latin term petitio principii, referring to a specific type of circular reasoning, where the premise of an argument assumes its conclusion. Nowadays, beg the question is commonly used in a more literal sense: The closure of [the Hazelwood power plant] begs the question: what will replace it? Both meanings are now considered acceptable, so take care not to confuse when using the term.

beggars description, beggars belief

Indescribable.

behead

In some contexts, behead can be more appropriate than a word than decapitate. It refers to a deliberate action; decapitation can be accidental or have a non-human agent.

bellwether

Not bellweather. Means a leader of opinion (literally a castrated ram with a bell around its neck, used to lead a flock of sheep). You asked!

bench

One word, whether used as a noun or an adjective: the backbench, backbench colleagues. Also frontbench, frontbencher.

Berlin Wall

Cap the W.

bete noire

Doesn’t need a circumflex.

better, best

Better is the comparative of good, and best is the superlative. So it’s the better of two choices, but the best of three or more. Never double the comparative — e.g. more better — unless aiming for laughs.

betting odds

100-1, 10-1, etc. En rule, don’t hyphen, for spans of numbers.

between you and me

Not between you and I.

biannual

Twice a year (biennial is every two years).

Bible

Capitalised when referring to one with the Old and New Testaments. Lower case for adjective or generic forms: biblical proportions, the cricketer’s bible.

Bible references

Written like this: Mark 6:3, John 3:2–4, Psalms 12:1–2. Note the use of the en rule (not a hyphen).

bicentenary, bicentennial

200th anniversary.

biennial

Every two years (biannual is twice a year).

Big Apple

Needs caps when used as a nickname referring exclusively to New York.

billion

Means one thousand million, not one million million. When reading for broadcast, make sure to emphasise the b to distinguish billion from million.

bite

A sound bite (a byte is a number of binary digits, or bits, usually 8).

BitTorrent

One word, capital B and T. It is a trademark.

black, Black

Do not use as a noun. In the Australian context, black is primarily an in-group term; be wary of its use outside quotes. The term can refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or to diaspora groups. In international use it often, though not exclusively, refers to African Americans. See further at African American.

Capitalised and respelled variants are in increasing in-group use: Black, blak. These variants are tied to specific ideas of empowerment and reclamation, and should be respected where appropriate (e.g. direct quotes, feature writing). Umbrella acronyms (e.g. BAME, BIPOC, POC) are often not preferred in individual reference and may be unfamiliar to audiences.

BlackBerry

Note the mid-word capital letter. Plural is BlackBerrys.

Black Hawk helicopter

Not Blackhawk.

blaze the trail

Means showing the way for others who come after you. So blazing a new trail is a tautology.

bloc

political group

blonde, blond

If used as a noun form — a blonde, say — then blonde is generally used in English to describe women, and blond to describe men. But blond (adjective) for generic or inanimate use.

blue-ribbon, blue riband, blue ribbon

Hyphenated form is standard as an attributive for a safe political seat, or a mark of excellence: the blue-ribbon Liberal electorate of Warringah, Dangerfield and Selwood are blue-ribbon midfielders. An alternative spelling, blue riband, is something of an archaism.

boat, ship

The words are not easily defined, but generally ships are large and ocean-going, and anything that is not ocean-going and has an outboard motor or oars is a boat. It’s commonly explained that you can put a boat on a ship but not a ship on a boat. Never use vessel in broadcast language.

boat people

Avoid outside of quotes. See entries at asylum seeker, illegal immigrant

Booker prize

Known as the Man Booker prize from 2003 on — it’s sponsored by the Man Group — but still colloquially referred to as the Booker. Capitalise and use the full name in the first reference. In subsequent reference, the Booker Prize or the prize

born, borne

Both are forms of the verb to bear. Use the former for passive past tense descriptions of birth: I was born in Queensland. Otherwise, use the latter form: she had borne a child to him, the plan was was borne out of desperation.

both

Use to refer to two things, not three or more: Last year the leaders of both Germany and Britain declared their multicultural policies had been a failure.

botox

Originally a trademark, this has now moved into common usage and doesn’t need a capital letter. Adjectival form: botoxed.

brahman, Brahman, Brahmin

No capital required if referring to the cattle breed. But capitalised in reference to the concept in Hinduism. Capital and different spelling for the Hindu priest caste: Brahmin.

breach, breech

A breach of protocol, the flood levee has been breached, but the baby is in breech position, and the doctor was wearing breeches.

breakdown (noun) break down (verb)

A family breakdown might give us a nervous breakdown, but we might say a relationship is likely to break down, or ‘Let’s break those figures down.’

breakthrough

Use sparingly — and never pair with its cliched-partner dramatic.

bring, buy

Take care to distinguish between the past tense of bring (brought), and the past tense of buy (bought): the astronauts were brought back from space, I bought some apples at the shop.

Britain, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, the UK

Not interchangeable, strictly speaking. The constituent countries of Great Britain are England, Wales, and Scotland. The United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland. It is commonplace, even in UK sources, to see Britain used as shorthand for the United Kingdom as a whole, but there may be times where distinctions should be made clear.

broadband

Download speed is generally measured in bits per second, not bytes. Abbreviate megabits per second or gigabits per second as follows: Mbps, Gbps. Avoid megabytes and gigabytes in discussion of download speeds: the difference can be material, as there are eight bits in a byte.

brotherboy, sistergirl

Used in a range of contexts by Indigenous people. In general, the terms refer to transgender Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

Brownies

Upper case when referring to girls’ organisation (step before Girl Guides). Lower case in generic culinary or other reference: choc-chip brownies, brownie points.

brunette, brunet

In a noun sense, generally refers to a woman with brown hair: the brunette in the corner. A related noun form for men, brunet, is rarely used. Both are fairly reductive and best avoided outside facetious prose. Why not an adjectival form? Brown-haired woman, brown-haired man.

budget, Budget

When used in specific reference, it takes a capital: the Budget, Budget 2021. Generic, plural, or adjective use is lower case: federal budgets, state budget, budgetary measures.

bug

When reporting on medical ailments, be wary of referring to viruses and the like as bugs. The term is imprecise and implies a low-level risk, which may be inappropriate.

buoy, buoyed, buoyant, buoyancy

Spelling these correctly will buoy the spirits of our audience.

bureau, bureaus

Not bureaux, unless you’re going for a hypercorrect affectation.

burka

Often inaccurately used to describe other types of head coverings, such as the niqab. See this ABC explainer for more.

burned, burnt

A rule of thumb: burned is the more regular past tense verb form, and burnt more regularly appears in phrases burnt out or burnt up. No hyphen for predicative use of the latter: the bush was burnt out. But hyphenate for adjectival use: a third victim died in a burnt-out home.

bus, buses, bussed, bussing

bushfire

The Australian usage is bushfire (Americans call them brushfires). Vegetation is burnt out — rarely destroyed. Don’t refer to things as partially or completely destroyed; they’re either destroyed or damaged.

bushfire refugee

Use this term with caution: even in its modified forms (e.g climate refugee, student refugee) the word refugee is most often associated with its sense in international law — people fleeing conflict or disaster, usually across borders.

businesslike, businessman, businesswoman, business people

Not, for instance, business man.

BOM, Bureau of Meteorology

Spell out in first reference, abbreviate thereafter: the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is the first port of call. BOM is fine in headlines. Note it’s BOM, not BoM. On air: Bureau of Meteorology in first reference, BOM or the Bureau acceptable thereafter.

buy back, buyback

Two words when used as compound verb: the government plans to buy back irrigation licences. One word for adjective and noun senses: the buyback plan is part of the National Water Plan

byte

A number of binary digits, or bits — usually eight (but it’s a sound bite).

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C

cabinet, Cabinet

Upper case in reference to the current Cabinet. Do not cap if referring to overseas cabinet or former cabinet.

cache, cachet

Is a type of hidden store: a cache of weapons. Don’t confuse it with a similar word that refers to prestige: being married to a Newsweek photographer, he he had a certain cachet. In computer terminology, cache is used as a verb and a modifier in noun phrases: Let’s talk about cache memory. Caching is the process of storing data.

caddie

Golf caddie. But a tea caddy.

cafe

No need for diacritics.

callous

An adjective meaning “unfeeling”. By some coincidence, a callus is bit of hardened skin.

camaraderie

This word is a direct borrowing from the French and refers to the familiarity felt among camarades. Not to be confused with or pronounced like comrade. Most dictionaries list a pronunciation similar to /kæməˈrɐːdəriː/.

canon

Cleric, decree, principle, body of writings, type of music. A cannon is something you fire.

canvas

Tent, painting. A distantly related verb, meaning “to solicit votes”, is canvass.



capital letters

Political titles.

Cap incumbent elected positions and Cabinet ministers in Australia and overseas: the Prime Minister, the Health Minister. Don’t cap former titles or plurals: Kristina Keneally was then planning minister, the health ministers say they are working on a solution. Opposition titles, here and abroad, take capitals: Opposition Leader, Deputy Opposition Leader, Shadow Treasurer. Cap Attorney-General since it is effectively a ministerial title. Do not cap: secretary-general, auditor-general, solicitor-general.

For local government, the same principles apply: Mayor, Lord Mayor. Lower case for councillor unless part of a formal title. Leader isn’t a title and, as such, doesn’t take a cap: Greens leader di Natale, Labor leader Bill Shorten. Do not cap personal (non-elected) titles: manager, director, chief executive, chairman, secretary etc. Capitalise foreign heads of state and ministers. Always cap: the Pope, the Queen.

Organisations or government.

The full names of organisations take upper case on first reference and lower case in subsequent reference: the University of New South Wales, but later the university. Department of Immigration and Border Protection, but later the department. Incumbent administrations take upper case: the Federal Government, the Queensland Government. In subsequent reference: the Government. Lower case for previous administrations, or adjectival use: the previous federal government, government policy. Cap government departments on first reference: Treasury officials, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In subsequent reference: the department.

State and territory

Use upper case for proper names, but not in generic or plural references: the State of Victoria; state government policies, state land, an independent state.

Geographical and political designations

Names that designate a group of nations geographically or politically always take a capital: South-East Asia, Central America, the Balkans. Sometimes, when descriptive names of this type become semi-official, they then take a capital: Central Australia, Far North Queensland, the Gulf (of Carpentaria), the Red Centre.

Commonwealth

Upper case: the Commonwealth of Australia, the Commonwealth of Nations.

captions

Our style for crediting images is agency, colon, photographer name: Reuters: Adnan Abibi. ABC images are credited: ABC News: Margaret Burin or ABC Radio Sydney: Luke Wong.

career

When used as a verb means to rush headlong (careen is to keel over).

career girl, career woman

Don’t use.

cast off

The boat cast off from the quay.

cast-off

We accept cast-off clothing.

casualties

Includes dead and injured, so not a synonym for deaths.

caucus

Capitalise when referring to the current caucus, e.g. the Labor Caucus.

CD, CDs, CD-Rom

A CD is a disc, not a disk.

cell phone

Avoid, use mobile phone.

celsius

Capped, e.g. “34 degrees Celsius” in first instance, after that “34C”. Celsius is the official name for the temperature scale used in Australia, and preferred over “Centigrade”. To convert to Celsius, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit figure, multiply by five and divide by nine.

cement, concrete

Technically these are not interchangeable terms: cement is an ingredient of concrete, which is a mix of aggregates and paste.

census

Lower case in generic use. Its full name is the Census of Population and Housing.

censor, censure

Documents may be “censored”, but people who are criticised severely are “censured”.

Central America

Comprises Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Central Asia

Capped. Five countries usually make up Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The region is sandwiched between China, Russia and Europe.

Central Australia

Capitalised, but northern is Australia not, as northern is descriptive, not an official name.

century, centuries

Our style is no capital: the fifth century. Spell out centuries under 10: fifth century, but 15th century. Hyphenate for adjectival use: 19th-century passenger ships.

CFMEU, CFMMEU

These are not exactly interchangeable terms. The CFMEU is a collection of affiliated (and to an extent autonomous) trade unions: CFMEU Victoria & Tasmania, CFMEU Western Australia. These chapters are further divided by industry: CFMEU Construction, CFMEU Mining.

The above are further grouped under a separate national organisation: the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union. Where material to a story, be sure to note the difference.

chafing at the bit

Not chaffing. Also champing at the bit, not chomping.

chair (title), chairwoman, chairperson

Where there is no stated preference by a company or individual, our default is chair.

chairman of the ABC board

No need to capitalise. Same for general manager, chief executive, etc.

chancellor, vice-chancellor

No need to capitalise.

Channel Seven, Channel Nine, Channel Ten

Spell these out in article text, but can be Channel 9 etc in headlines.

Chechen, Chechnya

Chechen Republic, Chechen people, Chechen Prime Minister, Chechen war, Republic of Chechnya.

Checkout

Noun, adjective; check out verb.

Chequebook

One word.

Chickenpox

One word.

Children’s Court

e.g. Parramatta Children’s Court.

Choice

Consumer group, not CHOICE.

Choppered

Taken by helicopter is better.

chord

Musical chord, but spinal or vocal cord.

chronic

In medical contexts, not exactly interchangeable with acute or bad. A chronic health condition is one that has continued or lingered.

Christian, Christianity

Note capitals. Also: Christian name, but unchristian and christening.

church, Church

Lower case for established organisations: the church is no longer relevant today.

cinemagoers

One word.

cisgender

People whose gender identity is in line with their sex assigned at birth. See entry under LGBT.

claims

“Claims” carries a hint of incredulity (as do “reputedly” and “so-called”). If there is no reason to doubt the veracity of a statement, “says” is better. For example, “the party says it will field candidates in all electorates”, rather than “the party claims it will”.

The authority of the person or organisation making a claim (that is, something not previously accepted, known or understood), and the nature of the claim, will decide whether we would report it without corroboration. A claim, therefore, must be attributed. “Claims” implies the ABC is seeking further confirmation or reaction.

See also a further discussion of so-called, which is in danger of being overused.

clean up, clean-up

We vowed to clean up the process … soon the clean-up was underway.

cleaning lady

Don’t use. Cleaner instead.

Clem7

You don’t need to use all caps, just an initial cap. Can also be called the Clem Jones Tunnel.

co-op, co-opt,

But cooperation, cooperative.

Coca-Cola, Coke

Trademark, so capitalise.

coexist, coexistence

No hyphen.

coliseum, Colosseum

Large stadium or theatre (but The Colosseum is the amphitheatre in Rome).

collateral damage

Avoid this term as a euphemism for civilian casualties.

collective nouns

There are no iron-clad rules about whether collective nouns should be matched with singular or plural verbs. Both constructions are acceptable, if they are part of common usage and conversational. But they must never be mixed in the same sentence or story: The team is playing this afternoon. They say the game will be their best test yet. Better to use singular verbs with collective nouns when expressing the sense of a single entity: the Government is planning to increase defence spending, Brisbane is unbeaten this season.

colleague

This term can elide power dynamics in e.g. stories involving allegations of workplace misconduct or sexual assault. Consider modifying (e.g. junior colleague) or replacing (e.g. employee).

collide

Only moving objects can “collide”, so a moving object cannot collide with a stationary one. Therefore, two moving cars can collide, but it’s not possible for a car to collide with a parked car or a tree.

Colombia

Is the South American country. Columbia is a city in the US state of South Carolina.

Colosseum

The Roman amphitheatre. Coliseum for buildings in other countries.

come, cum

When used to indicate combined objects (studio-cum-apartment, chef-cum-scientist) make sure to hyphenate.

comedian

Male and female; do not use comedienne.

commercial references, trade names, brand names, logos

Contrary to popular belief, commercial references are not verboten at the public broadcaster. Such references are often appropriate, though they must be editorially relevant and not undermine the ABC’s independence or integrity. For more information, consult the relevant editorial policy.

Commissions

We cap Human Rights Commission, but not human rights commissioner.

Committees

Formal titles are capped, eg. Senate Estimates Committee.

communism, communist

Lower case except in name of party: Communist Party.

community

A favourite among politicians and bureaucrats who speak of the wider community, when people would do. Some journalists are inclined to use it to refer to any group of people who share an interest or occupation — as in medical community, aviation community, business community, and chess community. In most references, doctors, pilots, business people and chess players are better.

compare

Compare like with like: yesterday’s weather with today’s. But compare two different things with the aim of finding similarities: compare her outfit to an unmade bed. Therefore, say “compared with” if you want to draw attention to the difference: “He compared radio with television.” Say “compared to” when drawing attention to the similarity: “Life has been compared to a pilgrimage.”

compass points, cardinal directions

Lower case for regions: southern Australia, the south-west, north-east New South Wales, south-east Queensland. When part of the place name, capitalise: East Java, North Sulawesi. Some geopolitical regions take a capital: the Middle East, South-East Asia, Latin America, the Balkans, North America, South America.

When names become semi-official, they then take a capital: Central Australia, Far North Queensland.

compound adjectives, compound modifiers

Compound adjectives need to be hyphenated, whether in general copy, headlines or captions. Examples: eight-hour search, loud-mouthed punter, rose-tinted glasses, middle-aged woman.

Here’s a tip on how to figure out if the compound adjective rule applies: Big red car is not a compound adjective because you can have a big car and you can have a red car. Old-growth forests is a compound adjective because while you can have old forests, growth forests doesn’t make sense. Saying old growth forest (sans hyphen) could be interpreted as meaning a growth forest that happens to be old. Consult a dictionary if unsure.

comprise

Means to consist of. Comprise of is therefore incorrect and while increasingly heard, will likely attract criticism if used.

concedes

“Concedes” can be seen as an admission or even a confession. Make sure you use it correctly. It means to admit as true. “Says” is usually sufficient.

congenial, congenital

Can heart disease be a pleasing thing? It can, according to one report, which said a sportsman who died had “congenial heart disease”. What was meant was “congenital” (meaning existing from birth), not congenial (agreeable).

Congo

Acceptable to say Congo on second mention for the Democratic Republic of the Congo; never write “the Congo” unless referring to the river.

conjoined twins

Not Siamese twins. Once separated, you can no longer call them conjoined twins.

consensus

Means general agreement or concord, or majority of opinion, so ‘opinion’ is redundant in ‘consensus of opinion’.

consequences for

We usually say something may have serious consequences for an existing situation. So the following doesn’t sound right: ‘…the increasing numbers of jellyfish around the world are having serious consequences on the marine life status quo…’ The writer may have been thinking of ‘effect on’.

Constitution

Do not cap.

contemptible/contemptuous

A “contemptible” person is “a despicable being who is worthy of contempt”. A “contemptuous” person shows by attitude or action that he or she holds someone else in contempt.

continual, continuous

Continual means continuing on with stops and starts; continuous means going on without stopping. Parliament sits “continually” (regularly, with breaks) while some politicians drone on “continuously” (without stopping) for hours.

contractions

For broadcast

If abbreviating will not to won’t (or does not to doesn’t), think how it will sound when read. Often the fuller form is clearer. A commonly abused contraction is there’s, as in there’s new claims. That should be there are new claims.

Some reporters tend to start sentences with it is (or it’s) and then get to the subject. For example: It’s the wind and the rain that are causing the damage. Choose more direct speech, for example, Wind and rain are causing the damage.

For online

In formal news copy, spell out contractions, except in quotes. For example: Police said he did not appear to be injured, but “I wasn’t injured,” he said. In feature copy, where you’re aiming for a more conversational tone, contractions are acceptable.

controversial

Usually an unnecessary word in our stories. It means “disputation on a matter of opinion”. Current affairs and news stories are full of opposing opinions on all sorts of things, so consider how meaningful it is to attach the word “controversial” to your subject. If you do use it, make clear what the point of controversy is.

cooperation, coordinate, coordination

Do not hyphenate.

coordinator

No hyphen.

cord

Thin rope, vocal or spinal cord, but musical chord.

coronavirus, COVID-19

Both terms are in widespread use to refer to a disease that first appeared in China in 2019. The disease COVID-19 is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, which is a member of the coronavirus family. Where relevant (e.g. if discussing the scientific structure of the virus), make this distinction clear. Do not call COVID-19 a virus. Avoid tautology, as in: a new strain of novel coronavirus.

coroner

Do not cap.

corrections

Part of the ABC’s commitment to accuracy involves taking corrective action when factual errors occur. Corrections can take many forms: from a clarification, to removing content, to issuing an apology. Consult the relevant Editorial Policies standard and guidance note for more information.

correspondent

Writer or reporter, but co-respondent in a divorce case. Do not cap.

council

Take the article outside of quotes: The council has decided. Do not cap local council names unless it is the official title: Brisbane council but Brisbane City Council. Always use the full title on the first reference. So Livingstone Shire Council on first reference, the council thereafter.

court martial, courts martial

The verb is to court-martial.

courts

Cap if full name, e.g. Court of Appeal, High Court, Supreme Court, International Criminal Court. Always check the wording and punctuation of the court’s proper name — this varies from place to place. Brisbane Magistrates Court and Childrens Court Brisbane don’t have apostrophes, but Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and Children’s Court of Victoria do. It’s acceptable to use a generic name for a court, e.g. the Victorian magistrates court rather than the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria. The same goes for courts in the plural, e.g. Australia’s magistrates courts.

cowed

Intimidated (but to kowtow, from the Mandarin, means to prostrate yourself before someone).

crackdown, crack down

In a nationwide crackdown, the government will crack down on welfare fraud.

credibility

The quality of being believable. A “credulous” person will believe anything. “Credence” means belief or trust.

crescendo/climax

A crescendo is a gradual increase, usually in the volume of music, and is not a climax. Often it’s incorrectly stated that something has “reached a crescendo”. Things reach a peak or climax.

crisis

Heavily overused. Let other people (for example, in actuality) say if the moment truly warrants it.

criteria (plural), criterion (singular)

and it’s phenomena (plural) but phenomenon (singular)

crossbench

One word.

crossbenchers

Not cross benchers.

crown-of-thorns

Hyphenated, not capped. Also crown-of-thorns starfish.

cult

Be careful in using the word ‘cult’. It is a loaded term and almost always regarded as pejorative. Do not presume to label any group a cult, unless it is widely held by experts to be one (such as Heaven’s Gate or Aum Shinrikyo). If a reputable person or group uses that label to describe such a group, you could use the term, provided it is attributed.

curb

To restrain (kerb is the edge of the footpath).

currency

Our style for writing currency in online copy: $2, $7.50, $3 million, $4.2 billion. In headlines or other confined spaces, shorten like this: $16b, $500m. Do not use a hyphen after an amount in body text: the $3 billion house. (But hyphenate if using a multi-part constructrions: multi-million-dollar property.)

If a story uses a foreign currency, convert the amount to Australian currency in brackets following the original amount: the man was fined 3,500 rupees ($70) and allowed to walk free. Don’t convert items that are globally measured in US dollars e.g. West Texas Crude oil, Tapis, and spot gold. Our audience will assume you’re talking about Australian currency unless you specify otherwise: $US7.50, 98 US cents, 4 euros, 69 eurocents, 5 British pounds, 52 British pence, 78 Japanese yen, $NZ2, 50 NZ cents.

customs, Customs

Upper case initial if referring to the government department; lower case for traditions.

cutbacks

Cuts is better.

cyclone

They have names, and take capitals: Cyclone Tracy; also Tropical Cyclone Tracy. Continue to cap even if cyclone has passed. Whatever the name, cyclones are neither male nor female: Cyclone Brenda is causing havoc. It is centred 20 kilometres off Townsville. Spell out the numeral in the cyclone’s category: Tropical Cyclone Ului is a category four system.

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D

D-Day

In reference to the Normandy landing.

Dad, dad

Lower case unless using as a proper noun, e.g. ‘Mum and Dad came over’ but ‘My dad came over’.

Dark Mofo

Not Dark MOFO.

dashes, hyphens, ens and ems

Hyphens

The hyphen is the most common device for linking words and word fragments. Appropriate use often depends on context.

Use a hyphen:

when using terms adjectivally, but not when using them as nouns: the decision-making process was protracted; this procedure expedites decision making

when the last letter of a single syllable prefix and the first letter of the word are the same vowel: re-educate not reeducate; de-emphasise not deemphasise (however, cooperate, coordinate and their derivatives are no longer hyphenated)

to avoid confusing one word with another: compare he re-signed the document with the executive resigned

with co-(joint) and ex-(former), whether or not the attached word begins with a vowel: co-accused; co-worker; ex-admiral; ex-wife.

En rule (–)

Use an en rule, not a hyphen:

to link spans of figures, time and distance, and Bible verses: pp. 466–53; 1979–91; May–July; City–Pymble buses, Mark 6:3-5

to show a link between words that retain their separate identities: the body–mind split; a north–south alliance; a copper–zinc alloy.

Use a spaced en rule if more than one word is to be linked on either side: the Victoria – New South Wales border; 16 BC – 70 AD. The en rule is achieved on modern keyboard by holding down ALT and typing 0150 on the numpad.

Do not use an en rule to substitute for and with the word between, or to substitute for to with the word from: ‘the years between 1990 and 2005’, not ‘the years between 1990–2005’; ‘from 20 to 25 applicants’, not ‘from 20–25 applicants’.

Em rule (—)

Use em rules sparingly to:

link words that signify an abrupt change: We decided to go by air — a momentous decision under the circumstances.

introduce an amplification: Budget cuts will have dramatic effects — for example, Australian television content will ultimately decrease.

indicate parenthesis within a sentence: Her abrupt change of direction — this time in favour of the savings — left them mystified.

To produce the em rule: alt key and enter 0151 on the numpad. If you haven’t got a numpad on your keyboard copy and paste from this subheading.

dates and times

Online

Our style for dates: February 9, 1985. Our style for times: 3:00am, 4:33pm. Not: 3.00am, 3am, 3:00 am, 3:00AM or any other configuration. Specific Australian time zones can be abbreviated in stories where they are relevant: the launch was scheduled for 6:25pm AEST. Avoid tautologies such as 3:00am this morning, though 3:00am today can be useful to dispel ambiguities.

See more under AD, BC, centuries, decades, seasons.

Broadcast

By convention, the spoken style for dates: January the 30th, the 30th of January. Avoid: January 30.

If the precise date is not critical to the meaning, be approximate: at the end of January, in mid-March, early last month.

daylight saving

Not daylight savings.

daytime

But night-time.

deathbed

But death row.

de rigueur

Compulsory or required.

deaf, Deaf, hard of hearing

Use deaf and hard of hearing to refer to people with hearing loss. Note they are not interchangeable: hard of hearing describes people with acquired deafness. Do not use deaf mute, deaf and dumb or hearing impaired. Avoid descriptions of deafness as something to be cured or fixed.

deadly virus

What corpus linguists call a high-frequency collocate, others might call a cliché. What’s wrong with virus?

death

Don’t resort to euphemisms such as “demise”, “deceased” or “passed away”.

death toll

There is something morbidly hopeful about the way this term is sometimes used: the death toll so far or the death toll is expected to rise. Better to say the number of people killed [or dead].

debacle

No accents; like farce and fiasco, use sparingly in news reporting.

decades

Our style: the 80s, not the 80’s. The swinging 60s, the roaring 20s, swinging 60s, a woman in her 70s, the first reader’s email of the 00s

debate

Best not to write that a debate will be ‘waged’, unless you’re being ironic, because a public debate is usually more civilised than a war. A topic will be debated, or a debate will be conducted.

declare victory, claim victory

Electoral candidates generally claim victory and do not declare it. The AEC generally declares results, not victories. Thus, usage like the following should be avoided: Kristy McBain declares victory in Eden-Monaro.

decimals

For broadcast

Generally, we round to the nearest full number. When precise decimal figures must be given, use this form:

For .05, say “point-oh-five”.

For 2.32, say “two-point-three-two” (not “two-point-thirty-two”).

When writing for on-air graphics using decimal points, “0.4” is the correct form, not “.4”.

decorations

Use only if relevant to the story. For example, “the 90-year-old Victoria Cross winner returned to the battlefield”; “John Smith refused an Order of Australia medal three years ago, and is now in jail for treason”.

Democrat, Democratic

When referring to the US political party, use Democratic as an adjective and Democrat only as a noun.

Democratic party, Democratic candidate, Democratic National Convention, but Barack Obama is a Democrat.

A warning: Democrat Party can be considered pejorative by some in the US.

demise

Means death, not decline.

Department of Defense (US)

With an ‘s’, but Australian Department of Defence with a ‘c’.

departments

It’s the Department “of” Defence, the Department “of” Foreign Affairs and Trade, but it’s the Minister “for” Defence.

dependant

This is the noun sense, meaning someone who is dependent (adjective).

deprecate

Express disapproval.

depreciate

Reduce in value.

descendant

Not to be confused with ancestors. This happens more often than you’d think!

desperate

Often found in cliched use: desperate appeal, a desperate escape bid.

determine

This is a word we often use clumsily. Instead of writing “facing a committal hearing to determine whether he’ll stand trial” or “the cause of his death/the fire/the accident is yet to be determined”, it’s better to write “a committal hearing will decide if he stands trial” and “the cause of the death/fire/accident is not yet known”.

devastate

One to watch out for when it comes to overuse. Floods and bushfires need not always be described as devastating, even though we all know they are.

developing countries

Use this term in preference to Third World or similar.

devil, the

No need for cap.

diabetes

Type 1 and type 2, not type one and type two, or type I and type II.

diagnose

Diagnose a condition, not a person. Her schizophrenia was diagnosed not she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

diagnosis, prognosis

Don’t confuse the two: a diagnosis is what a doctor determines to be the problem. A prognosis is a forecast about the likely outcome of an illness or injury.

diehard

General adjective. But the film series is Die Hard.

dietician

In Australia, dieticians must be trained and qualified in dietetics. They are not the same as a nutritionist, a less precise term (although some nutritionists are also registered dieticians).

different

From, not to or than.

digger

Lower case, even reference to Australian soldiers.

dilemma

A choice between two or more courses of action, all of which are likely to be unpleasant. Not a synonym for “trouble”, “predicament” or “quandary”.

dinghy, dinghies

Small boat.

dingy

dirty

diplomats and consuls

Ambassadors are accredited “to” a country. Say “the Australian ambassador to the United States”. Countries of the Commonwealth have “High Commissioners”. “Consuls” look after the interests of their own nationals in foreign countries and deal with immigration matters.

disability

Words relating to disability have the potential to cause great offence to many people. Some general rules:

Put the person first, e.g. say person with disability rather than disabled person.

Take care not to make gratuitous references to disabilities.

A disability is not necessarily a handicap.

People who use wheelchairs are not necessarily confined to them.

If a disability is relevant to a story, be specific: a man in a wheelchair has been swept off a bridge by floodwater.

Generally, avoid: victim of, suffering from, afflicted by, crippled by, wheelchair-bound, in a wheelchair, invalid, mentally handicapped, backward, retarded, slow to mean a person with learning difficulties, the disabled, the handicapped, the blind, the deaf; deaf and dumb.

For more context, consult the editorial policies guidance note on Harm and Offence.

discomfit, discomfort

Discomfit is stronger, in the sense of disconcerting, thwarting or foiling than discomfort, which when used as a verb means to make uneasy or less comfortable.

discrete

Separate, distinct (discreet is circumspect, unobtrusive).

disinterested

Means objective, or unbiased. It does not mean uninterested — which is the last thing a reporter should be.

dissatisfied, unsatisfied

Dissatisfied is usually applied to people and it expresses a specific discontent with emotion attached to it. Unsatisfied is used in more detached and analytical ways, to suggest that a certain requirement has not been met.

dissociate (from)

Disassociate has now been accepted as an alternative spelling and pronunciation – same meaning.

divorcee

Male and female.

Doctor Who

Not Dr Who.

domestic transmission, community transmission, direct transmission

In general use, interchangeable when referring to the spread of infectious diseases within a country’s borders (cf. international or cross-border transmission). In medicine, direct transmission (i.e. person-to-person) is contrasted with indirect transmission (i.e. from surfaces).

domestic violence

There are important differences between domestic violence, family violence and intimate partner violence. Do not trivialise or sensationalise. Avoid the euphemisms domestic dispute, volatile relationship, domestic incident, etc. Where appropriate, use the active voice rather than the passive voice. The latter can often mask the agent of the action: compare the man repeatedly hit his wife to the woman was repeatedly hit in the stomach. This is especially important in headlines. For more information on terminology and approach, read the guidance note on domestic violence.

dotcom

Dotcom companies.

doughnut

Not donut.

Down syndrome

Say (if relevant) a baby with Down syndrome, not “a Down’s syndrome baby” – we wouldn’t say “a cerebral palsy baby”. The diagnosis is not the person.

dreamed

Preferred over dreamt but both are correct.

draughtsman

But draft a document.

drivers licence

I’m going for my drivers licence (no apostrophe) but that driver’s licence has expired. Other places where apostrophes have disappeared: girls school, travellers cheques, widows pension.

drug companies, drug dealer, drug raid, drug squad

Not drugs raid, not drugs squad etc.

drug charges

This is the correct term to use, not “drugs charges”.

drug use

A more accurate and less judgemental term than “drug abuse” or “misuse”.

dryer, drier

A clothes dryer will make clothes drier.

dual, duel

Dual is double, duel is the fight between two people.

dual names, dual naming

The official titles of many Australian placenames contain both Indigenous and introduced elements: kunanyi / Mt Wellington, Grampians National Park / Gariwerd. Occasionally, a place that is officially dual-named will be referred to solely by its traditional name: Uluru. Some general principles for stories dealing with dual-named locations:

Reference both the Indigenous and introduced names

Where space constraints permit only one name, use the more widely known name

If there is the potential for audience confusion, reference the dual-naming process

Australia’s official naming process does not always move in tandem with community sentiment. In many stories, it may be appropriate to use — or, potentially, offensive to exclude — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander placenames that are not widely known by the public.

If unsure whether a feature is dual-named, check with your talent, a relevant Indigenous community organisation, the Gazetteer of Australia, or your state-based geographical names board. These principles also apply to countries with similar dual-named locations, such as New Zealand.

duffel

coat, bag

dumb

Do not use when you mean speech-impaired.

DVD

Stands for digital versatile disc.

dwarves

Plural of dwarf (not dwarfs). The verb is to dwarf: Q1 dwarfs the surrounding buildings.

dye, dyeing, dyed

For hair or fabric dye.

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E

E. coli

Note the capital letter, full stop and space.

each other

Of two only; otherwise one another.

earlier

Often redundant: “they met this week” is preferable to “they met earlier this week” and will save space.

earn, earned

Both earned and earnt are acceptable, although earned is the more commonly used. However, it is ‘hard-earned cash’, not hard-earnt.

earshot

One word.

Earth

Cap in reference to the planet: the Earth is in the path of an asteroid. Lower case in reference to the ground, or extended figurative senses: a pile of earth, earth-shattering.

earthquakes

In writing, our style is a magnitude-7.7 earthquake.

East

We drove east. I plan to go to Eastern Europe on my holidays.

East Jerusalem

East Jerusalem is a specific place defined as the part of Jerusalem under Arab (Jordanian) control prior to the 1967 war. We also cap West Jerusalem.

East Timor, Timor-Leste

In first reference: Timor-Leste. An also known as East Timor can be used if required.

eBay

Note the medial capital.

Ebola virus

Initial capital.

effect, affect

His nagging had no effect whatsoever. Wait for the drug to take effect. But that change will affect a lot of people.

eftpos

Acronym; stands for Electronic Funds Transfer Point Of Sale; lower case letters – see acronym rule.

eg, e.g.

From the Latin exempli gratia meaning “for example”. Use punctuation: e.g.

Eiffel Tower, the Eiffel Tower

Note where the capital letters are (and where they aren’t).

either … or, neither … nor

We have to choose either the pink or the blue. We ended up with neither the pink nor the blue. But be careful of stray ‘nor’s, as in ‘We don’t like the pink nor the blue.’ It should be ‘We don’t like the pink or the blue,’ or ‘we like neither the pink nor the blue.’

eke, eked

eke out a living … not eek!

El Nino, La Nina

Use capitals. No tilde needed.

elder

Lower case in Indigenous Australian contexts: a Wiradjuri elder.

election

Don’t capitalise, e.g. federal election, Queensland election.

Electoral Commissioner

Cap.

electrocute

This means “kill by electricity”, so you would not say “electrocuted to death”. Nor would you say someone is in hospital recovering after being electrocuted. They’d be dead.

elicit

Means to draw out. On the other hand, illicit means unlawful.

elude

Escape, avoid. To allude to something means to refer to indirectly.

elusive, illusive

The former describes something that is hard to catch hold of. The latter describes something that might cause an illusion or a deception.

email

No hyphen. But e-book, e-business, e-commerce, e-shares, e-shopping, e-zine.

embargo

Plural embargos or embargoes.

embassy

Do not cap, e.g. Australian embassy.

emend

Take out errors, edit (amend is to improve).

emigrate

To leave one country and travel to another where you will live permanently. To immigrate is to arrive in one country from another.

empathic, empathetic

Are both used to describe someone who can empathise.

empires

Lower case for plural or generic (he’s building a private empire) but capitalise specific empires (Roman Empire, British Empire).

en masse

Not ‘the teachers will stop work on mass’. We still use the French term to mean together, in a large body…

en route

Not on route.

enamoured of

Not with or by.

encyclopedia

Not encyclopaedia

England

Does not include Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Use UK or United Kingdom to refer to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a whole. Great Britain includes only England, Scotland and Wales.

enquiry

Seeking information (inquiry is a more formal investigation into something).

ensure

Make certain; insure against risk, assure your life.

envelop (verb), envelope (noun)

epicentre

The precise meaning of epicentre is the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the central disturbance of an earthquake. However, it can be used more generally to describe the central point of other activities.

epidemic, pandemic

Significant difference between the two in medical contexts, even if they are often used interchangeably. An epidemic is a disease with a temporary prevalence; a pandemic is usually prevalent throughout the entire country, continent, or planet.

epileptic

Should be used only to name the seizure; a person ‘has epilepsy’.

EPO (erythropoietin)

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a performance enhancing drug. It has the same name as the naturally occurring human hormone it replicates.

ersatz

Serving as a substitute. Not erzats.

esky

Lower case unless specifically referring to the brand.

ETA

Basque separatists

etc

No punctuation. If spelled out: et cetera.

eulogy

A tribute. Not to be confused with elegy, which is a sad poem.

euphemisms

Plain words are best every time. Do not talk of disadvantaged people when you mean the poor. Or a woman who is expecting when you mean pregnant. Do not have people pass away or speak of their demise in bulletins — say that they die. Also avoid collateral damage when referring to civilian casualties.

euro

The currency used by many states in the European Union. Plural euros.

eurozone

Lower case because it refers to the countries using the currency, not the European Union.

euthanase

Not euthanise.

evacuate

You cannot evacuate people, you can only evacuate places.

every day, everyday

The former is a noun (day) modified by an adjective (every). The latter is an adjective commonly meaning mundane or ordinary: an everyday occurrence.

evocative

If you’re going to say something is evocative, it helps to say what it’s evocative of.

evoke, invoke

Not interchangeable. Evoke involves giving out or producing something (evoke a memory, a scene, a smile). Invoke involves trying to get help or support from an outside source: Gillard urged federal MPs to invoke the spirit of Ben Chifley.

exact, extract

To exact (revenge, money, respect) means to demand or require, or to force to give or pay. Extract, on the other hand, generally refers to the action of getting or taking one object or substance out of another (for example, extracting a tooth or extracting juice from a vegetable). Avoid confusing the two, as in: extract revenge.

excessive

Does not mean great or increased, as in: the rain is expected to result in an excessive wheat crop.

execute

Judges order executions. Gangsters, gunmen, and terrorists kill or murder people. For example, hostages in Iraq should be described as having been killed or murdered, or beheaded if that has been the method of killing the hostage.

expatriate, expat

An expatriate is someone who lives outside their native country. An ex-patriot is someone who used to be patriotic but isn’t any more.

explicit, implicit

Explicit is often mistaken for implicit, which means something assumed or implied. In fact, it’s an antonym: explicit means something that has been expressed clearly: Mr Brown said tax changes were implicit in the agreement, but he declined to be explicit.

exponential

In statistics, exponential growth doesn’t just refer to an upward trend in value. For exponential growth to occur, the rate of increase must be increasing over time . This can be a critical distinction in news coverage.

eyewitness

One word.Top of Page



F

F/A-18F Super Hornets

Note the complicated punctuation of the name. On subsequent reference: Super Hornets, Hornets.

facility

Recognise jargon for what it is. Instead of medical facility, consider: hospital, doctor’s surgery. Instead of manufacturing facility, consider: factories.

fall out, fallout, falling out

Compound verb: don’t fall out of the boat. Noun: we can expect fallout from last night’s interview. Noun, but different: the brothers had a falling out over their father’s will.

families

In plural reference, no apostrophe: the Rhineharts, the Obamas, the Smiths. In possessive reference, apostrophe: the Rhineharts’ family feud, the Obamas’ dog.

Far North Queensland

All capitalised.

Farsi

Language spoken by the majority of Iranians (not Persian).

fatal

Fatal means “causing death”. It is clumsy to say “a Rural Lands Protection Board ranger is in intensive care in Dubbo hospital after surviving a fatal helicopter crash yesterday afternoon.” Better to say “the ranger survived a helicopter crash which killed another man”.

fatally injured

Just say killed.

fatwa

A religious ruling issued by a recognised Islamic institution or scholar in accordance with Islamic law. Widely misunderstood to mean a death sentence, fatwas may be issued for any number of questions of daily life. Because Islam does not have a central authority, fatwas do not necessarily bind those Muslims who do not accept the authority of the issuing agent.

Federal Court

Is capitalised, as in full bench of the Federal Court.

fell swoop

One fell swoop.

feral, wild

An important distinction: feral animals were once domesticated, and have since become wild: feral pigs, feral cats, feral horses. Confusingly, some non-domesticated fauna — such as foxes and cane toads — are listed by the Australian Government as feral.

fewer, less

In general, use fewer with numbers of things: we need fewer bottles. Use less in reference to quantities: this year, cattle are drinking less water. Less is uncontroversially used in a few places where we might expect to see fewer, including measurements of times and certain idiomatic constructs: the offenders served less than six months in jail, 25 words or less.

fiance, fiancee

The former is masculine, the latter feminine. But divorcee for both male and female. In all cases, the acute symbol is no longer required.

fibre-to-the-curb, fibre-to-the-node

As above in first reference. In online news, abbreviated FTTC thereafter (this same applies to fibre-to-the-node, etc).

fibro

Short for fibrous cement sheet.

filmmaker

No hyphen.

financial markets

Dow Jones Industrial Average or Dow Jones, Financial Times Stock Exchange or FTSE 100, Standard & Poor’s or S&P 500.

firefighter

Not fireman.

fisher, fishers, fishermen

The gender-neutral term fisher is preferred by some in the industry. In the absence of a talent’s stated preference, use fisherman or fishermen for plural reference.

first ever

Can usually just say first.

first home buyer, first home buyers

These don’t need a hyphen. But a related term, first-time buyers, does.

first lady

France’s first lady, America’s first lady, not ‘French first lady’ or ‘American first lady’. And don’t cap.

first names

Generally, avoid referring to people solely by their first names in news reports. Obvious exceptions include: if a name is being suppressed to keep a source anonymous, mononymic entertainers, less formal types of reporting.

First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

All are acceptable collective references to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and are interchangeable to an extent. Be aware of nuance: many prefer First Nations to Indigenous, on the basis that the former acknowledges the plurality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. While First Australians is also used, it is considered less appropriate by some.

first, second, third

Rather than firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc.

firsthand, first hand

A firsthand account but I heard about it first hand.

fit, fitted

The preferred past tense and past participle form of the verb is fitted, not fit. The key fitted the lock, she never fitted in.

flak

Not flack, when referring to heavy criticism or abuse (flak is the term for anti-aircraft fire). Flack when referring disparagingly to a PR person (not that we would, of course).

flammable, inflammable

Mean the same thing, not fireproof. Something that is fireproof is nonflammable.

flaunt

This means “to show off” or “display proudly”. Try not to confuse it with flout which, while orthographically similar, has the opposite meaning of “to degrade openly”.

foetus

Not fetus.

FOI, Freedom of Information

Spell out in first reference, abbreviate thereafter. Be aware: not all states and territories call it Freedom of Information.

Where relevant, use the accurate name when referring to requests made under specific local laws.

-fold

Exercise caution with this suffix: the population increased sixfold over 200 years means it was six times larger at the end of 200 years than it was at the beginning. It’s a tautology to say ‘increased by sixfold’.

forbear

To refrain. Your forebears are your ancestors.

forbid

Forbid someone to do something, not forbid ‘from’. You might prevent someone from doing something, but the prepositions are not interchangeable.

forever

One word.

foreword

Comes at the front of a book, but we move forward.

forgo

Do without. Forego means to go before, but given the potential for confusion, ‘precede’ may be a better choice.

former

Be careful about putting former in front of a title or description that still applies to a person. A former Olympic gold medallist implies that the person has been stripped of a medal.

formerly

Before, at a previous time. Formally means in a formal manner.

formula, formulas

Not formulae.

founder, capsize

Founder means “fill with water and sink to the bottom (of the sea)”. It’s also used with reference to projects that fail. Capsize means “overturn”.

fractions

Hyphenate: one-third, one-quarter, two-thirds. But: a quarter of Australians approve of the concept.

fraternity

Avoid generic use of this term (i.e. in place of profession, community etc) outside of direct quotes.

Freudian slip

Cap up.

frisbee

Originally a trademark, this has now moved into common usage and doesn’t need a capital letter, unless you’re talking about the specific Frisbee product produced by Wham-O. The popular university sport is ultimate (not ultimate frisbee). Most who play it refer to the thrown object as a disc.

frontbench, backbench

One word, whether used as a noun or an adjective: backbench, frontbench, backbench colleagues, frontbencher.

front line, frontline

He’s on the front line, but a frontline battle.

full time, full-time, part time, half time

Hyphenate the adjectival forms: I work full time, therefore I’m a full-time worker.

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G

gaffe

A blunder. But a gaff is an old nautical hook.

gale

Not interchangeable with other wind descriptors in emergency broadcasts. The Beaufort scale of wind speeds runs, in ascending order: breeze, gale, storm, hurricane. Consult the Bureau of Meteorology’s glossary for more information.

game show

Two words

Game of Thrones

If you get this wrong (e.g. Games of Thrones) you need to brush up on your pop culture.

gaol

Use jail unless going for severe affectation, or if the old spelling occurs in a placename: The Old Melbourne Gaol.

garret, Garrett

If you mean a room on the top of a building, then it’s garret. The one-time environment minister and current Midnight Oil is Peter Garrett.

gay and lesbian

Gay and lesbian people or couples — not gays and lesbians. Use gay in this sense as an adjective, not as a noun: a gay person, but never a gay.

gender transition

The process of transitioning gender is different for each individual. It may involve medical, social, or legal procedures (e.g. surgery, coming out to family, a name change), it may not. Not all medical treatment for gender transition involves surgery. Consultation and hormone therapy are part of gender transition treatment. Avoid placing undue emphasis on the role of surgery in the gender transition process.

geriatric

Avoid in reference to an older person to imply senility or irresponsibility. Fine in adjectival use in medical contexts: a geriatric ward.

German measles

Rubella is the preferred term. If you use the common name, cap up.

GHB

party drug

gigaton or gigatonne

Metric (tonne) and imperial (ton) differ slightly in mass but seem interchangeable when applied to gigatons/tonnes (a billion tons/tonnes) in climate change discussion. The main thing is to be consistent.

gilt, gilded

Gold leaf or gold paint. As in Lear’s gilded butterflies, or a gilded cage (luxurious but restricted environments). Not to be confused with guilt.

glamorous

Not glamourous.

globetrotter, globetrotting

One word.

global financial crisis

Not capitals. Avoid GFC.

GM crops, GM food

Write genetically modified in first reference, GM thereafter.

God

Capitalise in reference to a monotheistic entity: Almighty, Holy Spirit, Messiah, He, Him, my God, oh Lord, etc. In reference to a polytheistic religious tradition (e.g. Norse) use lower case: the Hindu god Ganesh.

goodness

For goodness sake (no apostrophe).

goodnight

One word.

good Samaritan

Note capitals.

Google

Cap up when referring to the company, but no cap if using it to refer generically to searching the internet: I googled myself.

Gordian knot

Complicated problem to be cut through.

gorilla

For the ape. If you’re talking about the subcategory of warfare, you (hopefully) mean guerilla.

government portfolios

If a Minister holds more than one portfolio, refer only to the one(s) relevant to the story. But use common sense. If referring to a Minister’s obscure additional portfolio, cite his or her more familiar title and then add the more obscure responsibility: the Health Minister, who also has responsibility for aged care, says 12 new retirement homes will be opening up next month.

Governor-General

Not our head of state. The Governor-General is the Queen’s representative in Australia. Since Australia is a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is considered the Head of State. The plural of governor-general is governors-general.

grand slam, Grand Slam

The lower-case form is in wide use to refer to single major tournament wins, especially in tennis or golf. An upper case form refers to winning all major tournaments, usually in a calendar year. In speech, disambiguate: career Grand Slam, calendar Grand Slam.

grandparent, grandfather, grandpa, grandma, grandmother

All one word. Also great-aunt, great-grandfather, great-great-grandmother

grill, grille

Grill is for cooking, grille is a grating.

grog runners

Northern Territory police define a grog runner as anyone taking alcohol into a restricted area, whether they intend to sell it or not.

Ground Zero

In reference to 9/11 or similar, capitalise.

guilt

Is a feeling; gilt involves gold paint or gold leaf.

Top of Page



H

h, haitch, aitch

In Australia (and elsewhere) the eighth letter of the alphabet has traditionally been pronounced AYCH. A variant pronunciation, HAYCH, is also standard. Use whichever comes naturally to you.

Hague, The

Note capitals.

hajj

The pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim should make at least once in their lives. One of the five pillars of Islam.

haka

Maori war dances. The plural is haka.

hale

As in hale and hearty, but hail a taxi.

half

No hyphen when used adverbially: you look half dead. Hyphen when used adjectivally: a half-eaten sandwich; half-time oranges.

hallowed ground

Not hollowed.

hanged, hung

Criminals are hanged. Pictures are hung. Don’t mix up the two.

hanging participles, dangling participles

A hanging participle (or dangling participle, or dangling modifier — the Beast has many names) is a subordinate clause which is not attached to the subject of the sentence: Born in Hobart in 1909, his daughter Rory has now donated her father’s memorabilia to the Tasmanian Museum

Was Rory really born last century? No — this is the second paragraph of a story about Errol Flynn and his daughter Rory. Much better to repeat the name: Errol Flynn was born in Hobart in 1909, and his daughter Rory has now donated her father’s.



hard line, hardline

Hardline is an adjective, while hard line refers to a line that happens to be hard.

hare lip

Don’t use this phrase; instead say cleft lip or cleft palate.

harebrained

Not hairbrained.

hashtags

Use medial capitals and a pound symbol, whether in headlines or body copy: Louis CK’s return raises questions of justice, sexism in comedy and #MeToo. Some hashtag movements have since lost the octothorpe: Black Lives Matter, Ice Bucket Challenge.

hat-trick

Hyphenate

haybaling

Not bailing.

hay fever, hayfever

Two words for the noun; as in, Katie had bad hay fever while writing the ABC Style Guide. Single word for the adjective, as in hayfever remedies.

head-to-head

Note hyphen placement.

headed, heading

The use of headed as a present participle form is an American affectation. Instead, use heading: Is Australia heading for a hung parliament?

headlines

There is scope for creativity, but headlines must always accurately reflect the substance of a story. Mistakes can occur when the headline writer did not read the whole story, but framed the headline based on just the first couple of paragraphs. With headlines, capitalise the first letter of the first word and proper nouns only: Lorde talks about headlining Splendour.

heart-rending

Not heart-rendering.

heaven

Lower case.

hectare

The unit of surface measurement we use, not acres. One hectare is 10,000 square metres or 2.47 acres. Its correct abbreviation is ha. Lower case.

hell

Lower case.

hello

Not hullo or hallo, unless going for a severe affectation.

Hendra virus

Upper case.

hero, heroic

Genuine heroism is devalued by overuse of these terms. Avoid outside direct quotations.

heyday

One word.

High Commissioner

A high commissioner is the senior ranking diplomat (generally equivalent to an ambassador) representing a Commonwealth country, in another Commonwealth country. No capitals when referring to the position, caps when referring to an identified individual and using it as a title. So, High Commissioner John Smith is the third high commissioner appointed to the position.

High Court

Capped when referring to a specific identified court, not capped when referring generically, for example, to the role of the high court.

high-flyer

Hyphenate

hippy

Plural hippies.

historic

Overused. The word means “important, memorable or famous in history”. Historical means “pertaining to history or based on fact, as distinct from legend”. So the fall of the Berlin Wall was a historic event, but most public libraries hold historical documents.

Higgs boson

An elementary particle of existence. Lower case b.

highly or widely

Highly or widely educated, but widely (not highly) read.

hijab

See entry under Burka.

hip hop

No capitals, no hyphen.

hip pocket

No hyphen when referring to your actual pocket, but hyphenated when used as an adjective, as in hip-pocket nerve

historical periods

Take a capital if used in specific reference: the Industrial Revolution, the Renaissance.

history repeating itself

‘More than one million people died in that famine and now there are fears that history could be repeating.’ Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey have made ‘history repeating’ stick in our brains, but in a serious discussion of world hunger we should write ‘…history could be repeating itself.’

hit-and-run

Not hit-run.

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus which may lead to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

HMAS

Never precede HMAS with “the”. HMAS stands for Her Majesty’s Australian Ship, so don’t say “the HMAS Manoora” as you would not say “the Her Majesty’s Australian Ship Manoora”. It is acceptable to say “the Manoora” in the second reference.

hoi polloi

This expression means “the masses” or “the common people”. But some people use it incorrectly to refer to the rich and famous. A news item referred to Princess Mary of Denmark dining with the “hoi polloi”. In fact, she did not dine with the humble masses but with the rich and fashionable.

hoity-toity

Snobbish, haughty.

hold fast, holdfast

Hold fast…to your sanity. Holdfast…a clamping device.

holey

Full of holes (holy, holiness is spiritual excellence).

holier-than-thou

self-righteous

Holmes a Court, Peter

Not Holmes-a-Court (do not hyphenate).

Holocaust, holocaust

Upper case for historical reference. Lower case in other reference.

home in on

Not hone in on.

homosexual rape

Do not use; say rape.

hone your skills

Not home.

horde, hordes

A horde of people, but a hoard of treasure.

hors d’oeuvre

Singular and plural.

horticulturist

Or horticulturalist – both are acceptable. The Australian Institute of Horticulture refers to its qualified and registered practitioners as horticulturists, so that is preferred.

hospitalised

Taken (never “rushed”) to hospital is better.

hostages and sieges

We must report accurately and quickly, but with great care. We do not deliberately endanger the lives of hostages or compound the distress of anyone involved. There may be rare circumstances where interviews with hostage-takers or hostages are appropriate. These cases should be referred up.

hotdog

One word.

houseboat, housebreaker, householder, housekeeper, housemate

No space in these. Looking at you, housebreakers!

humanity, humankind

Not man, mankind.

Hummus/humus

Chick-pea dip, not to be confused with ‘humus’, decomposed plant matter found in soil.

humour, humorous, humorist

In Australia, we still use humour. But just to be contrary, it’s humorist and humorous everywhere.

hurly-burly

Note the medial hyphen.

hurricane

Capital letter for the individual hurricane, lower case for the general: Hurricane Katrina, the hurricane devastated the town.

hyper-, hypo-

The prefix hypo- means “under” or “below”, and is commonly used in words as medical terms: a hypodermic syringe. The prefix hyper- means “over” or “too much”. It implies excess or exaggeration: hyperactive, hyperbole.

I

ID cards

illegal immigrant

Use the term illegal immigrant to describe those arriving in Australia without proper papers, who are not claiming refugee status or whose claim for protection has been rejected; or anyone whose visa has expired and who is therefore not legally entitled to stay in Australia.

illegitimate

Do not use to refer to children born outside marriage.

Illicit, elicit

Is unlawful … elicit is to draw out.

illusive, elusive

Illusive, or illusory, describes something that causes an illusion or a deception. Elusive describes something that is hard to catch hold of.

iMac, iPod, iTunes

imam

This has two meanings in Islam. In Sunni communities (the majority of Muslims in Australia), it refers to a local religious leader and teacher who leads prayers and preaches at a mosque. This is by far the most common reference. In Shiite communities, its use is restricted to an agent of divine illumination, one of whom will come in every age to make the truth of Islam contemporary. This will only rarely be used in Australia.

IMAX

Cinemas

imminent

‘…after Cate Blanchett’s imminent departure at the end of next year…’ Macquarie says ‘imminent’ means likely to occur at any moment, impending; so a highly publicised departure planned for a definite time, especially when it’s a year away, cannot really be described as imminent.

Not to be confused with ‘eminent’ either, which means distinguished or high in status.

immune to

not from … you build up an immunity to something.

impinge, impinging

implications

That has implications for the future health of the planet (not about).

important

If you report something is “important”, remember to say why and to whom.

Impostor

Not imposter.

Impractical, impracticable

‘Impractical’ means it could possibly be done, but not easily and/or not now.

‘Impracticable’ is stronger and means it can’t be done, impossible – cannot be put into practice.

impressionism, impressionist

No capital.

improvised explosive devices

But IED on second mention. Put IED in brackets after improvised explosive devices on first mention.

An alternative is roadside bomb, assuming the particular IED is actually on the roadside.

in-laws

Father-in-law, fathers-in-law, and so on.

in vitro fertilisation, IVF

Full name in first reference, abbreviate thereafter. IVF fine in headlines. No italics or hyphen for in vitro. Children are conceived through IVF, not born through IVF. Avoid test tube baby. Along with surrogacy and fertility medication, IVF can be considered an assisted reproductive technology.

inclusive language

Inclusive treatment of the sexes

Beware of generic masculine pronouns (i.e. using he or his for both sexes)

Look out for gender-specific occupational titles (e.g. use police officer in preference to policeman).

Don’t make gratuitous references to a woman’s physical appearance if you wouldn’t do the same for a man.

Don’t stereotype women as mothers and housewives.

References to people with a disability

Ensure any reference to a disability is editorially relevant. It may not be.

Generally, use person-first language: that’s disabled person rather than person with a disability. This foregrounds the person rather than the disability.

Focus on ability rather than disability: people who have a disability are multi-dimensional, and their disability is only one characteristic.

Don’t use collective terminology to describe disability and people with disabilities. People with disabilities are often referred to as a category of people and this can be depersonalising and offensive.

More information: People With Disability’s guide to reporting disability.

References to mental illness

Be careful not to imply that all mental illnesses are the same.

Avoid stereotypes and use inclusive language.

Additional resources about the reporting and portrayal of people with a mental illness can be found at Mindframe.

References to ethnic groups

Where it is relevant to the discussion, immigrant groups can be named by reference to their previous nationality or region of origin: Americans, Vietnamese, Kurds, etc.

Avoid equating linguistic or ethnic groups with particular religious beliefs. Not all Lebanese-Australians are necessarily Muslim. Not all Muslims are Arabs.

Be careful to check names of people from different cultures — don’t presume the standard European naming conventions and order of names.

Ensure that the values of Australia’s many different cultures are taken into account, and that background issues are adequately explored. Ethnic cultures within Australia interact with each other and cannot simply be equated with the cultures of their country of origin.

Use caution with generic geographical descriptors (eg South American cartels, African migrants). Where you can be sure of accuracy and it is editorially relevant, be specific (Argentinian cartels, Ugandan Asian migrants).

Do not use abbreviations or slang terms that are likely to offend ethnic groups.

independent

Do not cap when referring to senators, Members of Parliament or candidates in elections: he will run as an independent candidate for the seat of Mayo.

indescribable

Describing things is, generally speaking, our job. Avoid saying things are “indescribable”, if you can.

Indigenous, indigenous

Upper case in any reference to a country’s original inhabitants: The Black Lives Matter movement inspired Indigenous minorities to speak out about systemic racism, Canadian prosecutors have dropped charges against an Indigenous chief tackled by police. Lower case in reference to flora or fauna: How do you choose plants that are indigenous to your area?

industrial action

A catch-all term that can confuse. If you mean “strike”, “sit-in”, “lock-out”, “go-slow”, then say so. Be specific. Avoid the expression “strike action”.

infer, imply

You imply something, I infer it. While many dictionaries do list a verb sense of infer that is equivalent to imply, it is widely considered to be nonstandard English. So do avoid it, unless that’s the look you’re going for.

infinite

This word is commonly used in two related but separate senses: “very large”; and “without limit”. There are occasions, particualrly in scientific or mathematical contexts, where the sense of infinite meaning “very large” is best avoided.

infinitives

One of the English language’s oldest and most storied bugbears, splitting an infinitive means inserting a word (usually an adverb) between the word to and a verb, as in to boldly go instead of to go boldly. There is no general or formal grammatical rule against splitting an infinitive. There are times when it can sound awkward or confusing: He had advised his staff to not insist on their demands. It should read: He had advised his staff not to insist on their demands.

inflammable, flammable

Mean the same thing: not fireproof. Something that is fireproof is non-flammable.

informal groups

Sometimes a group of people will be given a name, which we capitalise e.g. Bali Nine, Balibo Five, Stolen Generations (note that this one is plural).

ingenious, ingenuous

Ingenious means “showing inventiveness”. Ingenuous means “being open and frank”, but is acquiring a pejorative sense of “artless” or “naive”. “Disingenuous” means “insincere”.

ingrained

‘Surfing is ingrained in our national consciousness…’ not ingrained on. The writer here may have been thinking of ‘imprinted on’…

injured, wounded

A soldier is wounded if they are hurt in battle. A soldier is injured if they’re hurt in an accident even if on the way to an operation.

inner city

Noun two words, adjective hyphenated: inner-city blues.

innocent civilians

The adjective is superfluous.

innovation

Avoid the tautology new innovation.

inpatient, outpatient

One word apiece.

inquiry, enquiry

The first is usually used to describe a formal investigation: an inquiry into operations at the City of Perth has identified a large number of “very serious” matters. The latter is normally used to describe the act of seeking information: ‘numerous lines of enquiry’ related to Moama double murder.

Insignia

A badge or distinguishing mark of office. The plural can be insignia or insignias.

insurgents, insurgency

An insurgent is one who takes up arms or forcefully opposes a government or other lawful authority.

integrate

Integrate with, introduce to.

International Date Line

Note capitals.

internet

Don’t cap.

the intervention

Don’t cap. The Northern Territory National Emergency Response is the full name of the legislation introduced by the Howard government to address neglect and abuse in NT Aboriginal communities.

interred, interned

The former means to be deposited in to a grave. People are usually interned as prisoners of war.

Inuit, Inuk

In Greenland and Canada.

iPad

Small i capital P, no space, no hyphen.

iPhone

Needs its capital P.

Ireland, Northern Ireland

Not interchangeable. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Ireland is not.

irony, ironic

Avoid using in news reports unless quoting.

irrespective of

Avoid irregardless.

Islamic State, IS, ISIL, Daesh

Our style: Islamic State militants, Islamic State group, etc. Avoid the Islamic State or other constructions that could be seen to legitimise its claim to statehood. For a more comprehensive overview of the differences between these terms, consult the Arabic and Islamic Primer on the ABC Intranet.

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