45S Weather Services straight off Andy Fraser's business card
A
A & P Association not A and P Association.
a or an Use an before a vowel or silent "h'' subject to a few exceptions. If the initial vowel is "u,'' pronounced "you,'' the article a should be used while an should be placed before a word starting with an aspirate. For example, a European, a hospital, a uniform, a union, an heir, an heirloom, a herb, an honest, an honour, a hotel, an hour, a historic.
A and E department
abattoir
Abbas, Dr Mahmoud
abbreviations See also acronyms, contractions and titles.
1) Abbreviating words is acceptable in some circumstances such as 8am or 8pm (but only when numerals are used, not as a general reference to morning or afternoon), titles such as the Rev Smith, jnr or snr, and so on. In general, however, abbreviations are best left in the telephone directory. Use them sparingly.
2) Abbreviating names such as George to Geo is unacceptable, unless the individual is more commonly known by the abbreviation, or the longer version of the name is not commonly used, such as Fred for Frederick.
3) Abbreviating organisations to their initials should occur only if they are better known than their proper names, such as the BBC or the YMCA (caps and no points). If in doubt, use the name and abbreviate to the initials in the subsequent references. But be wary of writing a piece that could look like alphabet soup. It is better to refer to the organisation as an association, board, society, federation or collective instead of spattering a page with initials. To a slightly lesser degree, this also applies to headings.
We take: ACC for Accident Compensation Corporation; Act for the political party; Aids for the disease; BBC for the British Broadcasting Corporation; CT scanner for computerised axial tomo-graphy scanner; CCS for the former Crippled Children Society; CD-rom; CFCs for chlorofluorocarbons; CIB for criminal investigation branch of the police; EU for European Union; FM for frequency modulation; Gatt for general agreement on tariffs and trade; HIV for human immunodeficiency virus; IHC for the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Society; LPG for liquefied petroleum gas; LSD for lysergic acid diethyllamide; MCC for Marylebone Cricket Club; MP for Member of Parliament; Tb for tuberculosis; TV for television; UN for the United Nations; US for the United States of America, not USA. NB: Names of countries should not be abbreviated in the first instance.
abhorrence
able-bodied with hyphen.
Ablett-Kerr, Judith (Mrs), lawyer
A-bomb atomic bomb.
Aborigine (the noun) or aboriginal (the adjective) takes a cap "A'' only when referring to the native of Australia. In other uses, the words take a lower case "a''.
about should be used instead of approximately or around but about is better and only with round figures. It sounds silly to write "about 87''. Never write "at about 3pm''. The "at'' is superfluous. Do not use "in regard to'' "in connection with'' or "in respect to.''
abscess
a cappella
accede
accessible
Accident Compensation Corporation is well enough known as ACC.
accommodate
accordion
accrue
accumulate
acknowledgment No "e'' between "g'' and "m.''
acreage
acronyms have to be easily recognisable and should only be used for well-known organisations, such as Corso or Qantas, which are acceptable with the first letter only being capped where the acronym is pronounced in one smoothly-flowing word, such as Anzac, Nasa, Nato, Opec. However, WHO (World Health Organisation) should be all caps to avoid confusion. See also abbreviations, contractions and titles.
Act political party, cap A.
ACT (Australian Capital Territory) capped; also ACT Brumbies (rugby team).
Acting The word is capped when referring to an Acting Prime Minister, or when used before a title which would normally take a capital. In all other instances, it would be lower case. Similarly for deputy and associate.
actively Usually superfluous.
actor male; actress female
Acts of Parliament are capped when the full title of the act is referred to, eg, the Criminal Justice Amendment Act. Subsequent references to just the act are not capped.
AD and BC AD (anno domini) is traditionally placed before the year and BC (before Christ) after the year; both take a space — AD 1642; 48 BC.
address-in-reply (as in Parliament) is lower case but hyphenated.
addresses (also see street names). The number of, for example, a street address should always be written as a numeral, such as 123 Dee St. Streets, roads, terraces and so on should be abbreviated when part of a named street, such as Dee St. We take St for street, Ct for court, Ave for avenue, Tce for terrace, Rd for road, Pl for place, Dr for drive, Cres for crescent; Mews, View and Rise are not abbreviated.
ad hoc convened as a separate entity, such as a subcommittee; be wary, it is clumsy.
adidas
administering not administrating.
admissible
admit is a word to be wary of, particularly in court reports. In itself it contains a comment and could be legally dangerous. The word "concedes'' also has hazards. A better word is "agrees.'' "Said'' is usually sufficient.
ad nauseam (not -eum), meaning to a disgusting extent.
adverbs Don't be afraid to split compound verbs with adverbs because to avoid splitting them can give an incorrect impression. Compare "Mr Smith is also flying to Europe'' with "Mr Smith also is flying to Europe.''
adverse unfavourable; averse, reluctant or opposed.
ad valorem according to value; to be avoided.
advertise
advise verb; advice noun; eg, He advised the patient to take the doctor's advice.
adviser not -or but advisory.
aerial
affect Almost always, affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Never write "an affect'' or "the affect.'' It's "an effect'' or "the effect.'' So if you affect something you have an effect on it, or the effect on it. To check if you have the right word, try replacing effect with outcome and affect with destroy and the sentence should still make grammatical sense. There are two exceptions to the above guide, but by following this you'll be right most of the time. Both affect and effect are vague words, bland and often meaningless. To affect in a good way is to help or improve, to affect in a bad way is to harm or damage. These words are better.
aficionado
African-Americans use blacks.
Afrikaans the language, is spoken by Afrikaners, people of Dutch descent living in South Africa.
agenda singular.
Agent Orange capped.
ages written in figures, not full out, except at the start of a sentence. We do not take 3 ½, 2 ½, just the year. NOTE: We take ages within commas, not with the word aged, or in parenthesis, eg, John Smith, 35. Occasionally in obituaries, where the number of years is significant, it is permissible to write, for example, "in his 100th year.'' He is 4 months old; He was 7; a 7-year-old girl; The 7-year-old.
aggravate to worsen; it does not mean to annoy.
aggressive
aging not ageing.
agist, agistment farming, but should be avoided.
AgResearch
aid nurse; aide, military, political.
Aids the disease is cap "A.''
airbag
Airbus Industrie
aircraft We do not take hyphens between the letter and figures, eg, DC10, F111. Note, however, Mig21. The same applies to spacecraft, such as Gemini 9 or Mercury 10. With the plural there is no apostrophe — DC9s, Boeing 747s. We do not take aeroplane or airplane, although with smaller aircraft, plane would be acceptable. Examples of aircraft: ATR72, Vough Corsair, Curtiss Kittyhawk, Grumman, Avenger, De Havilland, BAe 146 (whisper jet), Britten Norman Islander, Concorde.
Aircrew Industrial Tribunal otherwise air crew.
air fare
air force not capped.
Air Marshal one "l''
Air New Zealand should be spelt out in the first instance and Air NZ can then be used sparingly subsequently although "the airline'' is better. It should never be abbreviated to ANZ.
airports should be capital "A'' when directly connected to a name, eg, Invercargill Airport. Otherwise, just the airport.
air show
AK47
akita Japanese dog
akubra Australian hat
Al-Anon
Albert Town near Wanaka, two words.
Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand
Ali, Muhammad the boxer
allies, allied forces
all the employees were... (not all of the employees were...) BUT all of Peter's things
all-in hyphen.
all right two words, never "alright.''
allot, allotted, allotment
all-time as in "all-time record,'' is superfluous.
a lot two words when referring to many, but a figure is much better.
almanac but Whitaker's Almanack
almost with numbers, not nearly
al Qaeda the lower case "a" remains even at the start of a sentence or heading.
alsatian breed of dog but use german shepherd. (See Capitals, cats and dogs).
alter to change; altar a structure on which offerings are made to God.
altercation is a noisy argument or disagreement. If the altercation becomes physical it is a fight.
alternately means by turns; alternatively means offering a choice. NOTE: Alternative cannot be used for a choice between more than two things.
although not though
altogether one word; it should be used when the sense is "completely.'' All together can be used when "all'' refers to a number or quantity, eg, "The sheep were all together but the wild dog soon changed that.''
Alzheimer's disease
Ambassador see embassy.
America is a continent (North, South and Central) not a country. Refer United States. Only use the term American for the inhabitants of the US if you have specified which country you are referring to.
America's Cup apostrophe.
American spellings such as labor and color should be anglicised, except when they appear in the names of organisations such as the Australian Labor Party or company or trade names such as Technicolor. Watch particularly how some aluminium companies spell their names as the American way is to drop the "i'' out of the "-ium,'' eg, Kaiser Aluminum.
amid not amidst.
amok not amuck.
among not amongst.
Ampersands (&) can be used is if part of a company name.
anaesthetist
analyse
ancillary
Anderson Park
Andersons Bay Dunedin.
and/or (use the oblique not a hyphen)
angora as in goats is lower case.
annex is both noun and verb and is not spelt annexe.
annihilate
another is used when figures or amounts are identical. If they are not identical, but part of some continuing process, use "further.''
Antarctic or Arctic are capped when referred to as places but are lower case when referred to as adjectives. NOTE: sub-Antarctic.
ante before; anti, against. Both need a hyphen, but anticlimax.
Anonymous statements attributed to an unnamed person that are provocative or reflect on a person or organisation must be treated with care and cannot be published unless approved by the editor.
antennae
anticipate does not mean expect. It means to take action in expectation.
a number of banned
any more
anyone is NOT are.
any time two words.
Anzac has a cap "A'' and is then lower case (Australia New Zealand Army Corps). Also Anzus.
apartheid
Apostrophes (see info sheet) should be left out of place names but not institutions or churches. Thus Coopers Corner or Queens Drive but St Mary's Basilica and St Theresa's School. NOTE: The St James Theatre (no apostrophe.)
Apostrophes are normally used for the possessive case. The girl's frock; the boy's case (singular); the girls' school or the boys' club (plural).
When proper names end in an "s'' no extra "s'' is needed after the apostrophe, eg, Mr Jones' walking stick.
Apostrophes should be used to show the omission of letters and numerals (don't, summer of '69) although don't forget that contractions like "don't'' and "won't'' should be used in direct speech only or specialised feature writing.
Apostrophes are not needed for commonly used abbreviated words such as phone, bus, flu, varsity or plane.
Nor are they needed in its (possessive), his, hers, theirs, yours, ours.
An apostrophe is required where "it's'' is a contraction of "it is'' That is the only time.
No apostrophe is required for plurals of abbreviations, such as NCOs, but one is needed for a possessive, such as MP's, or in a plural sense, MPs'.
Do not use an apostrophe when referring to particular decades, eg, the 1890s.
When more than one noun is used in a possessive phrase, only the last noun takes the apostrophe, eg, the Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association.
appaloosa
appal but appalling.
appendix and (plural) appendixes when referring to the body's organ and appendices when referring to books.
appliances that help put out fires can better be called fire engines.
April Fool's Day
arabic figures are lower case.
arbitrator not arbiter.
Arbor Day has an Americanised spelling.
arboretum a tree garden.
archipelago
Argentine (adjective), not Argentinian.
Navy: Royal New Zealand Navy.
Army: Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps, Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers, Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps, Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps, Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal New Zealand Dental Corps, New Zealand Army Pay Corps, Royal New Zealand Provost Corps, Royal New Zealand Army Education Corps, 2NZEF.
Air Force: Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Do not cap the navy, the army, the air force or armed forces unless specifically referring to them by their full name, eg: Royal New Zealand Air Force.
armed offenders squad, lower case, no apostrophe.
artefact
Arthurs Pass pass and town.
articles of association lower case.
artist, pianist and typist do not attract an "e'' at the end when referring to the female of the species.
as is not to be used as a substitute for "because.'' The expressions "as to'' and "as from'' should be similarly avoided.
ASB Bank
Ashes (cricket) capped.
Asian names Some Asians put their surnames first, but when in western countries they can westernise their names. If interviewing an Asian person, ask which is the surname. If you get the name secondhand, for example, from the police in an accident report, ask which is the surname. If it cannot be verified and the person's name is used a second time, use the full name to avoid a mistake. Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean second names are often hypenated, the second part of the compound being lower case. For Chinese names we follow the Pinyin system of romanising Mandarin (Beijing) in preference to the Wade-Giles style (Peking). So we would take Mao Zedong, not Mao Tsetung. However, we will take Hong Kong, not Xiang Kang.
assist use "help'' or "aid.''
Associate is capped where the word it qualifies is capped, eg, Associate Minister of Finance.
at about at a specific time, eg, at 5.54pm; or about a general time, eg, about 6pm, but never both if relating to time. However, we can say "at about $5 an hour".
Attorney-General takes a hyphen and caps.
Asprin and Aspro are trade names and must be capped; but better avoided. The drug is aspirin.
Athenaeum
ATM means automated teller machine. ATM is acceptable.
ATSIC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
Auditor-General takes a hyphen and caps.
augur forbode, but avoid
auger boring tool.
Auschwitz
Australian Labor Party not Labour.
Australia can be abbreviated to Aussie only NOT Aust or Oz
Australasia Generally accepted as being Australia and New Zealand, but is vague and best avoided. Often trans-Tasman is better.
Authority as in the Transport Licensing Authority, should have a capital "A'' but lower case when simply referred to as "the authority.''
autopsy preferred to postmortem.
autumn where it does not begin a sentence, is lower case, as are all seasons.
auxiliary
AWOL is acceptable for absent without leave after it has first been explained; caps throughout without points.
Ayatollah is an Islamic title on a par with a bishop, thus Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
babysit one word
Bach composer.
backbench parliamentary
backbencher one word.
backpacker
backpay one word.
backward adjective; backwards adverb.
backyard, frontyard
BAe 146 British Aerospace whisper jet.
Baghdad not Bagdad.
Baha'i faith
Bahrain
bail out (a boat), bail (from court)
bailey bridge, unless it begins a sentence, should be lower case, in spite of being named after its designer, Sir Donald Bailey, of the Wartime Ministry of Supply.
Bainimarama, Frank
baited the trap with cheese, but with bated breath.
bale out of (an aircraft); bale (of hay),
baleage
baleful (look).
balk verb; baulk noun, timber; also area on a billiard table.
balloted
Balmacewen golf course in Dunedin.
Band-Aid is a trade name; use sticking plaster.
bandwagon one word.
Bangladesh was previously known as East Pakistan. Its citizens are Bangalees but ethnic groups in Bangladesh and West Bengal are are Bengalis.
Ban Ki-moon is the Secretary-General of the United Nations. His family name is Ban, so after the first mention as Ban Ki-moon he becomes Mr Ban.
bar (legal) is not capped.
barbecue not barbeque, bar-b-que or BBQ.
barbiturate
Baring Head near Wellington.
bark as in sailing boat: In the 18th century it was custom to describe a ship by its hull. A ship with a bluff bow, no figurehead, square stem with a wing transom was described as a bark. Thus Captain Cook's Endeavour (and its replica) is a bark. A barque is a sailing ship of 3 or more masts, having the foremasts rigged square.
Barnardo's
barracouta (fish), not -couda or -cooda.
barrel
Bastion Point
bated breath, but baited the trap with cheese.
battalion
bazaar
BBC is so commonly used that it is preferable to British Broadcasting Corporation.
beat not defeat, except in military terms.
beat off or beating off is banned. It should be "beat". The same goes for selling off. You sell something or you beat someone.
Beatle one of the musical group the Beatles.
become less not grow less.
bedpan
beetle bug
before not prior to, or previous to.
begin (or start), not commence.
Beijing not Peking.
Belgium country; Belgian people who live in Belgium.
BellSouth
bench (legal) is not capped.
benefited
berryfruit one word; similarly, stonefruit.
beside means by the side of; besides means in addition to.
besieged
bettor one who bets; punter is preferable.
between relates to two (objects, people). For more than two, use among. Say "between $6 and $9,'' not "between $6-$9'' or "between $6 to $9.''
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
biannual twice a year; biennial every two years.
biased has one s.
Bible capped but not italicised.
bicentenary no hyphen.
bidibidi one word.
billeted
billiards, the game, noun; billiard, the adjective, eg, billiard table.
billion now accepted as 1 thousand million, although the British still take it as 1 million million.
Bills of proposed legislation before Parliament are capped when the full title of the bill is referred to. In subsequent references, the word "bill'' is lower case. Note that bills are passed and once enacted (through due procedure) become law and are thus acts.
Biro is a trade name. Use ballpoint pen.
Birth notices As a general rule, if "to'' in the notice is used as a preposition, then place a rule (— ) before the words "a son'' or "a daughter'', eg, "Smith. — To Linda and Bevan, on April 20, 2000, at Southland Hospital — a son (John); both well. Thanks to doctors and staff.'' However, if the word "to'' in the notice is the "to'' of an infinitive, then do not have a rule in the notice, eg, "Smith. — Jane (nee Norman) and Peter are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter ...''
Do not cap "doctors and staff'' and note the semi-colon before "both well.'' NOTE: Editorial staff should not take birth notices, either over the phone or in person, unless approved by the editor.
Bishops The Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Len Boyle, thereafter Bishop Boyle; the Anglican Bishop of Dunedin, the Rt Rev Dr Penny Jamieson, thereafter Bishop Penny.
bizarre
Bjelke-Petersen, Johannes Sir, former Premier of Queensland, but Sir Joh.
black (as in dark-skinned people) is lower case.
blackcurrant not -ent.
blackout, noun; to black out, verb.
black power lower case unless it is the name of a particular group, when it would be capped.
blitz, blitzes
blond is the adjective; blonde is the noun.
Bluecliffs Western Southland beach.
Bluff is Southland's port. Never write The Bluff.
boats are it, not she.
boarding house two words.
bodybuilder, bodybuilding
boardsailing, boardsailor
bogy a spectre; bogey or bogeyed, golf; bogie, a railway wagon.
Bombay is now known as Mumbai.
bombshell is overworked, avoid if possible.
bon chretien (pears), lower case. Similarly bartlett.
bona fides singular; bona fide, adjective or adverb. Genuine is preferable.
book titles are in italic face, except where they appear in a list, such as the bestsellers' list. Similarly television programmes, films, records and videos. Use common sense or seek advice when using such titles in headings. All words of the title, including prepositions, are capped.
borrow from someone, not off someone.
borstal, eg, the Invercargill Borstal, is no longer a form of punishment. It should not be used. The institution in Liffey Street is the Invercargill Prison.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
botanical names: The genus should be capped, the species lower case. The variety (if any) should be capped and in parenthesis, eg, Lolium perenne (var Ariki). Be guided by garden columnists in their copy.
bought not purchased. NOTE: past tense of buy. He bought an apple at the shop. He brought the apple to me.
bovine spongiform encephalopathy shorten to BSE after first mention, but better called mad cow disease.
boycott, boycotted
Boys Brigade no apostrophe.
brackets (see parenthesis).
bracketed
brainchild
brand names if used, have to be capped.
brand new should not be used, simply write "new".
brasserie a restaurant, a place where food and beverages are served; brassiere, women's underwear.
brazil nut
breach, gap; breech, birth or gun.
break-in
breath alcohol in mcg (micro-grams); blood alcohol in mg (milligrams). The legal limit for breath is 400mcg (150mcg for under 20s) and 80mg (30mg for under 20s).
breaststroke one word.
Breathalyser is a trade name and should be avoided. Use breath tester or analyser.
breeds of domestic animals are not capped.
briar pipe; brier, wild rose.
bridegroom but bridesmaid.
Brierley
Britain is properly England, Scotland and Wales; the United Kingdom is these three plus Northern Ireland. Some latitude is acceptable but try to be specific. UK is acceptable after first mention.
briquette not brickette.
British rather than English unless distinguishing from Scottish, Welsh or Irish. Hence Britons, never Britishers or Brits.
broach, to raise a subject, tap a key or round up in a boat; brooch, jewellery.
broadcast not broadcasted; similarly forecast.
Bronze Age caps.
brooch, jewellery; broach, to raise a subject, tap a key or round up in a boat.
Brother as in religious order can be abbreviated to Br after first mention.
Brothers should be abbreviated as Bros in formal company names.
Browns Barkly
brussels sprouts
BSE Use for bovine spongiform encephalopathy after first mention. However, mad cow disease is better.
buddha sticks use cannabis sticks.
Budget is upper case for the Minister of Finance's utterances
budgeted.
buffaloes
buffeted
building should not be abbreviated. Cap the names of buildings if the word is part of the name, eg, the Empire State Building.
buildup one word.
bullet is a lump of lead; the whole thing complete with explosive is a cartridge or a round of ammunition.
bulls-eye
bunsen burner lower case.
buoy, buoyancy
bureau bureaux (not "s'').
bureaucracy, bureaucratic
burka
burglary (as distinct from robbery and theft): Legal definitions can vary but, in general, a burglary involves breaking and entering a building or ship with intent to commit a crime. Robbery in the legal sense is a theft accompanied by violence. In a wider sense, it means to plunder or rifle and may be used even if the victim was not present. Thus, his house was robbed. Theft, also known as stealing, is the act of deliberately taking an item from another.
bungy as in jumping, not bungi.
burned is preferred to burnt.
Burns In medicine, there are three degrees of burns. First-degree describes a reddening of the skin. Most sunburns fall in this category. Second-degree describes blistering. Third-degree describes destruction of the skin and the tissues under it. An important consideration in stories about burns is the size of the burn. Second-degree burns covering 90 percent of the body are likely to be more dangerous than third-degree burns covering 5 percent.
burro, an ass; burrow, a hole in the ground.
Business Roundtable but Invercargill Round Table Club
bus, buses, bussing
busload
buyout one word
by and large cliche, banned.
By order WM (as in lodge notices).
byelection
bygone
bylaw
byline
bypass
byproduct
Cabinet in the Parliamentary sense is upper case. We use the definite article — the Cabinet, similarly the caucus and the Treasury. (Treasury is capped because it is a Government department.)
cable stories if it's not in the style book follow Reuters style.
caddie golf; caddy tea.
Caernarvon St Arrowtown.
caesarian as in birth, is lower case.
calibre as in firearms is expressed as .22, .303 and so on, but 12 gauge.
call-out
Cambodia not Kampuchea.
came is not to be used in the sense, "He came first.'' Say "He was first.''
campervan
campground but camping ground
Can/may each should be used carefully to convey the proper meaning. Can (past tense is could) means you have the skills/ability to carry out a certain task — "I can do it'' — but perhaps without consent from some higher being. May (past tense is might) means that consent is given — "You may go ahead.'' So: "Once you can use these words properly you may put them in a sentence.''
cannot always one word, except where not does not relate to can, eg, it can not only blend vegetables but also grind coffee beans; here the not relates to only. The contraction can't only to be used in features.
CanTeen teenage cancer group.
canvas cloth; canvass political.
Cape Town two words.
Capitals (See alsatian, cats and dogs).
The modern tendency is to use capitals as sparingly as possible. Our general rules are:
(1) When derivatives from proper nouns are in sufficiently common use, they are lower case, eg, diesel, french beans, a panama hat.
(2) Common nouns take caps when part of a proper noun but revert to lower case when used in a general sense, eg, Blackpool Tower, but the tower. Exceptions are when the common noun is the familiar short form of the name, eg, the Cape (of Good Hope), the (English) Channel, the Tower (of London), or the Bee-hive.
(3) Titles of rank preceding a name: Otago Medical School dean Len Smith, Invercargill Licensing Trust president Ray Harper.
(4) Titles including the names of places: the Bishop of Dunedin; the Duke of Edinburgh. But thereafter the bishop, the duke.
(5) Heads of State and royalty are capped when the name and the full title is given, eg, United States President George Bush, thereafter the president. Prime Minister Helen Clark and thereafter the prime minister (but preferably Miss Clark.) The Queen is capped in all contexts, including references to her as the Monarch, the Sovereign or the Head of the Commonwealth.
Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright is capped, thereafter the Governor-General but preferably Dame Silvia.
Honorifics such as His Excellency, or the Right Honourable, are banned.
(6) Eminent one-only offices, such as the Speaker, have an initial capital.
(7) Office-holders are difficult because of the vast range and status. Nevertheless, it should be Prime Minister Helen Clark, Health Minister Annette King, Southland District Council Mayor Frana Cardno, but prime minister, minister or mayor without the names. Chairmen, presidents, city managers, city engineers and so on should not be capped. Neither should government department heads such as solicitor-general, secretary for transport.
(8) Local bodies, organisations, societies, institutions and so on are capped when their full name is used, such as the Invercargill City Council, the Southland District Council. Otherwise, they are the council, the society and so on. If you have to use the term Invercargill city or Gore district, the city or district is not capped, eg, Invercargill city councillor Ian Capitaneas.
(9) Names of countries, states and definite regions are capped, including Central Otago and the Far East, the South Pole, the Orient and the Western Hemisphere. However, arctic conditions, polar weather, southern New Zealand and so on are not capped.
(10) Names of streets, roads, rivers, lakes and so on are capped, eg, Arthur St, Oreti River and Fox Glacier, but not when used in plurals, Arthur and Lowe streets. Island and isle take a capital when forming part of the proper title: Bay of Islands, Stewart Island. Islands and Islanders should be capped when referring to the Pacific Islands, however.
(11) Government departments, such as Health Ministry, are capped but divisions are lower case. On second mention department or ministry are lower case. Permanent heads of departments are lower case.
(12) Legal offices and terms: Labour Court, Attorney-General, Court of Appeal, Chief Justice, Judge Peter Butler, but the judge, Crown prosecutor, Crown solicitor. The Invercargill District Court is capped but court is lower case. High Court, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court are capped. A justice of the peace is lower case, except as JP.
(13) Parliamentary terms: Administration (meaning in Government), Black Rod, Cabinet, the Government, names of official political parties, parliamentary titles, full names of royal commissions, Parliament in direct references are capped. When used in a general sense, common nouns such as government, administration, parlia-ment, premier and speaker are lower case.
(14) Religious terms:
(a) All names and titles of God, eg, Almighty, Creator, Deity and Heavenly Father are capped. (Also Christ, Son of God and Messiah (but messianic); but not he, his or him.
(b) All names and descriptions of the anti-God; the Devil, Satan (but devilish, satanic) are capped.
(c) All ways of describing the Bible, which is capped but not italicised, are lower case (such as the scriptures) but not the New and Old Testament.
(d) Titles of church denominations, such as Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, Bethel Chapel, and so on are capped, as is the Church as an estate. However, "the church sewing bee ...''
(15) Days: Anniversary Day, Anzac Day, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, April Fool's Day (but election day, the general election).
(16) Eras and historical events: Middle Ages, the Roaring Twenties, World War 1, World War 2.
(17) Cats and dogs and breeds of domestic animals are not capped.
(18) Flowers and plants are lower case except if a person's name is exactly reproduced. (See botanic).
(19) Compass points when spelt out depend on whether they refer to a direction or a specific geographical area. A hiker would head north to reach the North.
(20) Single letters forming part of a compound word are generally capped — A-bomb, A-frame, T-shirt; but x-ray, e-mail.
(21) All sports are lower case.
(22) Surnames that are lower case DO NOT take a capital at the beginning of a sentence or in a heading, for example: Irene van Dyk.
cappucino
Captions All photos must have captions — stand-alone, story caption, mugshot or a photo to illustrate a story. Stand-alone and extended captions must include all the relevant details as succinctly as possible. Captions for a picture with a story will be much briefer. The caption will say only who the people are and what they are doing in the picture. All other relevant detail will be included in the story.
People should usually be identified from left to right (the direction the eye is trained to flow). Some examples:
"Teacher trainees, (from left) Brian Smith, Bill Bailey, Jillian Jiggs and Ronald McDonald, sorting through some material they will use on a school posting next week. The adult students, who are doing the one-year teacher refresher course at the Dunedin College of Education campus in Invercargill this year, will have two weeks in schools each term.''
"Kathy Smith, (left) and Jillian Jiggs sorting through some of the material they will use ...''
"Brian Bailey and Jillian Jiggs sort through some of the material ...'' (No need to say which one is which. One is male and the other female).
Avoid using a present participle (-ing word) at the start, and you will avoid most of the common caption problems. It also avoids the caption becoming passive rather than active:
"Sorting through some of the material they will use on a school posting next week are teacher trainees, from left, Brian Smith, Bill Bailey, Jillian Jiggs and Ronald McDonald.'' (A little convoluted and passive).
The first part of the caption should be in the present tense, because the picture will show something happening, even though it might be a follow-up to earlier action:
"Constable Dick Macdonald checking (present tense) a window for fingerprints following a ram raid on the ASB money machine in Invercargill early yesterday. Three men were seen (past tense) running off with bags of cash after the raid in Esk Street about 2.30am.''
All these rules apply to extended captions. Get these same "who'' details in first and then expand on the explanations of what, why, when, where and how.
Stand-alone and extended captions must include all the relevant details as succinctly as possible.
Captions for a picture with a story will be much briefer.
Mugshots take the person's name, initial capitals, set left
carat weight; caret omission mark; carrot vegetable.
caravaners
carcass (es)
Cardrona
caregiver one word.
cargo (oes)
Caribbean
carpark one word
Cartwright Dame Silvia
case often has no real meaning; similarly factors, instances, a number of.
casket is not to be used for coffin.
catch 22 lower case.
Catholic not Roman Catholic, except in the rare contexts that demand it.
cats and dogs breed names are not capped (See alsatian, Capitals).
Caucasian means white-skinned but is rarely justified. Say Pakeha.
caucus is lower case and takes the definite article.
CCS formerly the Crippled Children Society.
CD-rom hyphen and lower case.
ceasefire
Cecile Brunner rose.
ceilidh
cellophane is lower case.
cellphone one word.
celsius (scale, thermometer) is lower case but the abbreviation, C, is capped. Write 12degC.
cemetery is not capped unless it is a specific cemetery, eg, Wallace-town Cemetery.
census when referring to a specific one, is not capped, eg, the 1996 census. Its plural form is also census.
centering but centred.
central Africa is not a specific area and the "central'' is lower case.
Central Otago
centre around is an impossibility; possible are "centre on,'' "centre in'' or "circle around.'' All are clumsy.
century as in 20th century, is lower case.
cervena deer meat, formerly venison, lower case.
Cessna aircraft.
Cezanne artist.
chainsaw
chairlift
chairman, chairwoman lower case, even when directly relating to a name. We will take chairperson if there is no other option.
Champagne is the name of the sparkling wine produced by a certain method from the Champagne region of France. Nothing else is champagne. They are sparkling wines produced by the methode champenoise. Thus, do not refer to New Zealand or Australian champagnes. See wines.
changeable
chaperone
characterise
chauffeur
Chch as an abbreviation for Christchurch is banned.
chelsea bun lower case.
cheque book
chilblain
childcare
Child, Youth and Family (CYF)
chilly bin not Chilli Bin, which is a brand name for the cooler product made by Rubbermaid.
china clay lower case.
Chinese not Chinamen.
Chinese names Most Chinese put their surnames first but when they travel overseas they often westernise them. A reporter should ask which is the surname. Chinese (and Taiwanese and Korean) second names are often hyphenated, the second part of the compound being lower case, eg, Park Chung-hee. A notable exception is Mao Zedong. The people of Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Laos and Cambodia do not use the hyphen in their names, eg, Ho Chi Minh. See Asian names.
Chippindale (Ron), air accident inspector; Chippendale, 18th century furniture maker.
chlorofluorocarbons CFCs.
Chogm Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, cap initial letter only.
chou moellier
Christmas Day
Christmas Eve
cenotaph is not capped unless it is a specific name, eg, Invercargill Cenotaph.
Christian (religious) is capped. But as an adjective "a christian act'' it is lower case.
christian names today it is considered impolite to call a woman by her husband's christian name or initials unless that is her preference. Ask women what they wish to be called and which honorific they prefer. Sportspeople 15 years and under are called by christian names.
Christie's auction
Christ's College Christchurch.
Christmas must be spelt full out. Xmas is acceptable only in advertising.
chukor bird; chukka polo.
Chunnel is capped when referring to the tunnel under the English Channel.
Church is capped in proper names (All Saints Church) and as an estate but lower case otherwise.
church titles Rt Rev for Anglican bishop, Presbyterian moderator, Catholic monsignor; Most Rev for Catholic bishops and archbishops; the Anglican Archbishop of New Zealand; Very Rev for an Anglican dean (unless he is a bishop), a former Presbyterian moderator or a Catholic priest with delegated authority for special functions. Ven (for Venerable) for an Anglican archdeacon, subsequently Archdeacon or the archdeacon. Canon does not need Rev as well and Catholic priests are the Rev, Father or Brother. The Rev must take a Christian name, never the bare surname, and subsequent reference is to "Mr.'' Father, Brother and Sister can be shortened to Fr, Br or Sr after first mention.
CIB stands for criminal investigation branch and is so commonly used that it is acceptable in abbreviated form.
CinemaScope is a trade name.
cipher
cirrhosis
Citizens Advice Bureau no apostrophe.
ciull (pronounced keeohl), musical.
CivicCorp one word, cap C
civilise
coalminer, coalmining
coastguard is one word, but the NZ Coast Guard Federation.
Coc-Kroft (Lana) TV personality.
cocky colloquialism for farmer; use only in direct quotes.
Coke (Coca-Cola) is a trade name and should be capped.
collective nouns Use the singular, eg, "The club is in dire straits.'' Never have a collective noun as a singular in the first part of a sentence and plural in another. In some cases common sense and common use will apply, even though grammatically it will be wrong, eg, the couple were rather than was; the trio were rather than was.
colonise
Colombia (South America), District of Columbia (US) and spacecraft.
Colorsteel trade name
Colosseum Rome, Coliseum London; both are capped.
combated
comeback
commas should be used sparingly and only to make meanings clear. When more than one adjective qualifies a noun, use between each adjective but not after the last adjective. A comma should not be used in groups of four figures (but after groups of three in groups of more than five figures.) Do not use commas in telephone numbers, box numbers or years. NOTE: commas denote natural pauses in sentences. If you can remove the part within commas and the sentence still makes sense, the commas are correct.
commences say starts or begins.
commitment committed, committing
Common Market caps.
commonplace
common sense noun; common-sense, adjective.
Commonwealth capped.
Commonwealth of Independent States formerly Soviet Union.
communist, communism lower case, unless Communist Party.
company names Give the full name of the company at first mention, eg, H & J Smith Ltd (no comma between name and Ltd; Smith is singular). Limited is always contracted to Ltd in company names.
compare to used when things are likened to each other: "He compared her skin to ivory.'' compare with used when things are considered for both similarities and differences: "People find Wellington hotels expensive compared with South Island hotels.''
complement suggests the addition of something necessary to make it whole or complete
compliment an expression of praise, respect or admiration.
composed of made up of; comprise consist of. It is probably better to use consist of for both, but in any case, don't use "comprised of.''
comptroller of customs the head of the Customs Department. Local managers are controllers.
compounds tend to pass through three stages — two words, hyphenated, one word. Look at head master, which became head-master and is now headmaster. The transition is sometimes quite quick and the status of any particular word can be assessed only as it is at any given time.
No Hyphens
1) Make one word when two words are pronounced as one, or when only one syllable is stressed, eg, armchair, banknote, bypass. "Room'' and "house'' compounds make one word when the prefix has only one syllable: bedroom, clubroom, courthouse, farmhouse, fowlhouse and so on. But, dining room, reading room, sitting room, boarding house, power house. Differentiate non-compounds, such as "a brick house,'' and two-word compounds used adjectivally, eg, boarding-house keeper.
2) Two nouns used together, the first adjectivally, are generally not compounded, eg, boy prodigy or world peace. But if the combination is preceded by an adjective, the nouns must be hyphenated, eg, "heart stimulant'' and a "powerful heart-stimulant.''
3) For colours and shades, dark green, navy blue. But compound colours are hyphenated — ash-blond hair, grey-green eyes.
4) For adverbs ending "-ly'' used with adjectives or participles, eg, newly married.
5) In today, tomorrow, tonight, midday, weekend.
6) With up, makers and keepers, eg, cleanup, homemaker, peacekeeper.
Use Hyphens
1) When two words combine to represent one idea, especially in a person — actor-manager, fly-fisherman, secretary-treasurer.
2) When two words combine to form an adjective — good-looking, world-famous, six-roomed. But when used predicatively, they remain two words. Thus: "The good-looking journalist'' but "the journalist is good looking.''
3) When two words are used in an unusual construction, eg, a great to-do. Such coinages often go into the language as one word. What was geo-thermal is now geothermal.
4) With nouns formed from prepositioned verbs. Many of these also in time become one word, such as takeover.
5) In double compounds, in a solid (unhyphenated) compound preceded by a qualifying word, eg, great-grandfather.
6) To avoid two of the same letters coming together — co-operate, tail-light. Exceptions: skiing, bookkeeper.
7) When re- means again and the word would have a different meaning without the hyphen — re-cover, re-form, re-sign.
8) To link numbers, quantities and fractions — ninety-nine, three-foot tape; one-third, three-sixteenths. But one twenty-fifth, a third, a half. Similarly half an apple, three and a half. But half-price.
9) To make compounds of more than one stress — devil-may-care, mother-in-law, no-man's-land, out-of-date.
10) Normally with these prefixes (although there can be exceptions): all, ex, far, fellow, ill (adj), pro, self (but selfless and selfish), vice, wide. With co, use a hyphen where otherwise the word would look awkward or be mispronounced — co-author, co-respondent.
Normally, these suffixes take hyphens: -all, -elect, -minded, -odd, -off, -wide. These suffixes do not: back, down, fold, goer, less, like (except after "l'', eg, bell-like), line, over, room, wise.
11) To link a prefix with a proper noun: All-American, anti-Christian, pro-government.
12) With compound titles: Attorney-General, commander-in-chief, Gover-nor-General, lieutenant-general, post-master-general, rear-admiral, sub-lieutenant, under-secretary, vice-admiral.
13) Where an abbreviation or single letter is linked with another word — A-bomb, U-boat.
14) To avoid ambiguity — a little used car or a little-used car?
15) Where the absence of the hyphen would make the word hard to read — go-slow, lean-to.
computer disk
Concorde aircraft.
conscientious
conservation the Southland authority that controls such things is the Southland Conservation Board. Its appointees advise DOC Southland conservancy. It replaced the Fiordland National Park Board. Each conservancy has a similar board. The national body is the New Zealand Conservation Authority.
consist having as essential feature or features; comprise including.
Consumer Council
Consumers' Institute of NZ
Contact Energy Is responsible for the Clyde and Roxburgh power stations, Wairakei and Ohaaki geothermal plants near Taupo, the New Plymouth thermal power station, Stratford and Otahuhu power stations, and the diesel power station at Whirinaki, near Napier. Meridian Energy controls the Manapouri power station.
contractions such as "it's,'' "they're,'' are to be avoided in news stories unless quoted. They are all right in columns or feature stories. Use common sense. See also abbreviations, acronyms and titles.
contractual not contractural.
convener
conveyor belt
convince and persuade you may be convinced "that'' something or "of'' something. You must be persuaded "to do'' something.
coolstore
cop among the several derogatory terms for police. Contain it to quoted matter.
co-operate
co-pilot
Corbet (not -tt) Christmas lights.
Cornwell Cup yachting.
coronation lower case.
corriedale
cosmonaut is the Russian equivalent of the US astronaut. Neither is capped.
cotula on bowling greens.
councillor written in full when used generally; contracted to Cr with a name. If mentioning more than one councillor it is Cr Bloggs and Cr Smith, NOT Crs Bloggs and Smith.
counsel (noun or verb), means advice, or barrister or adviser, distinguish from council (assembly).
countries are it, not she. Names should be spelt out in first reference.
Divisions are District Court, High Court, Court of Appeal (only sits in Wellington) and the Supreme Court. Judges sit in all courts. The courts are split into divisions, for example, the District Court is split into the Youth Court, the Family Court, and a Court of general jurisdiction.
Titles: In the Youth and District Courts, Judge Peter Butler (christian and surname); in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court Justice Tipping, Justice Dame Silvia Cartwright. Do not use the christian names of High Court judges unless they are a dame or a knight.
Court reports should be brief without compromising accuracy. But always keep in mind newsworthiness in using discretion on length of reports. Lead with the most interesting case. Always include: Full name, age, occupation, charge, date offence occurred, the result. For excess breath and blood alcohol offences the style is: Drink-driving charges dealt with: Name, age, occupation, alcohol level, date. Sentence. (Other charges dealt with at the same time in brackets).
Breath alcohol concentrations are measured in micrograms per litre. The abbreviation is mcg. Blood alcohol ratios are measured in milligrams per 100 millilitres. The abbreviation is mg. The limits are 400mcg (150mcg for under 20s) and 80mg (30mg for under 20s). Do not describe excess breath or blood alcohol cases as drunken driving. There is a specific charge of driving while intoxicated so as to be incapable of having proper control of a vehicle. That is the only charge which may be shortened to drunken driving.
In cases of shoplifting, theft as a servant and so on, put in the name of the firm, which is the victim.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Keep a balance between the two sides of a case. Be wary about angling intros. Use names in preference to "defendant,'' "witness,'' "the judge.'' Take special care with descriptions of the behaviour and attitude of a witness or defendant, or with remarks shouted out in court by members of the public. There is no privilege attached to these. Do not mention a person's race unless it has particular relevance (such as in immigration charges).
Police prosecutors should be given their full rank in the first mention, thereafter Mr (or the honorific preferred if it is a woman).
If mentioning a remand, only state whether it is on bail or in custody if it is a serious offence such as murder. If a person's name is suppressed, nothing may be included in the report that will identify the person. Beware of word order in court story intros. It is all too easy to have the judge committing the crime in the court or the defendant sentenced to jail in the court.
Keep reports to what happened in court. Do not include information from previously published news reports, other than information from previous court news reports, eg, how a defendant pleaded, unless approved by the editor.
Do not mention appeals against conviction and-or sentence unless present in court when the appeal is heard or you get a written judgment giving the result of an appeal. Solicitors' intention to appeal should not be included in court reports.
Victims of sexual assaults (rape, incest and the like) automatically have their names suppressed.
Youth Court Automatic suppression of the defendant's name, his-her school and anything that can lead to the defendant's identification.
Consent of the judge must be obtained to publish any details from a court hearing. If a young person (aged 16 or under) is charged in any other court his-her name is not automatically suppressed. However, if a person aged 16 or under is a witness in any court, the name is automatically suppressed.
Coroners Court An inquest is an inquiry into the sudden death of a person. Therefore do not say "An inquest into the death of ...'' "An inquest on ...'' will avoid the tautology.
Where death is self-inflicted, all that may be published is the name, address and occupation of the dead person; the fact that an inquest has been held and that the coroner has found that death was self-inflicted, unless an order is made that some or all of the evidence can be published.
court martial two words; the plural is courts martial.
Covent Garden
coverup noun; to cover up, verb.
Creamoata
credible believable, creditable, bringing honour.
Crippled Children Society now CCS.
criteria, criterion
criticise, criticism
crayfish fresh water; rock lobster salt water.
Cromel a Southland river.
cross-country
Crown Capped when referring to a ruler, Crown lands, the Crown prosecutor, Crown solicitor.
Crown Range Rd
Cruetzfeldt Jakob disease Spell out at first mention, then CJD.
crystallise
CT scan/scanner (computerised axial tomography scanner) is better in its abbreviated form.
cup sports events are capped when named in full, such as the Davis Cup, French Open, Monaco Grand Prix and so on. On their own, cup, open, grand prix are lower case.
curb restrain; kerb roadside.
Currency Argentine, peso, centavo, Belgium, franc, centime; Canada, dollar, cent; China, yuan, cent; Denmark, krone, kroner; Egypt, pound, piastre; France, franc, centime; Germany, mark, pfennig; Greece, drachma, lepta; Holland, gilder, florin; India, rupee, anna, pice; Italy, lira, centesimi; Japan, yen, sen; Mexico, peso, centavo; Norway, krone, kroner; Poland, zloty, grosz; Portugal, escudo, centavo; South Africa, rand; Spain, peseta, centimos; Sweden, krona, kronar (pl); Switzerland, franc; Turkey, Lira, piastre; United States, dollar, cent; USSR, rouble, kopeck.
current as in now, is superfluous.
currently is superfluous and is banned. Use "now'' or "at present'' but these, too, are mostly unnecessary.
Currie, Rowly former Southland Boys' High School rector.
curtain-raiser
Customs the department
Cvigr, Mirek
Czar not Tzar.
Dacca use Dhaka.
dachshund
Dacron is a trademark for a brand of polyester fibre and should be capped.
Dalai Lama
dam is not capped.
damage "The fire caused damage estimated at $1 million" or even "The fire caused $1 million damage" but not "worth of" damage.
dates on Friday, June 6; or on Friday, June 6, 2008. June 8-11.
days special, refer to Capitals (15).
daytime
DB Breweries not Dominion Breweries.
de, de la and so on are generally lower case.
deaf and dumb is not to be used as a phrase. Handy alternatives are "deaf mute'' or "born deaf.'' Increasingly, deaf people like to be called hearing impaired. Please check with people at the time of interview about how they wish to be described.
death notices "Smith, Ernest. — (Suddenly), on Thursday, July 30, 1994, at the residence of his daughter, Mrs R Black, 90 Helm Street, beloved husband of the late Mary Smith, loved father and father-in-law of Susan and Paul Green (Windvale), loved Granddad of Peter, Geoffrey and Yvonne; aged 69 years. The funeral service will be held in our Chapel, corner Gala and Leet Streets at 11am, Monday, August 3, the funeral leaving at the conclusion for the Eastern Cemetery. — J Clark and Sons, Funeral Directors.'' "Pet'' names, such as Pop, Grandma, Dad, Mom, are to be capped. Place names such as Street, Cemetery, Chapel, are to be capped. There should be no full-stop between the rule ( — ) after the deceased's name and the age. A semi-colon is to be inserted before the age. A rule ( — ) appears before the name of the undertaker. The ampersand (&) is not to appear in death notices.
decimals quantity less than a unit should carry an initial zero. Thus 0.2, not .2. However, a .22-calibre rifle.
decimal currency sums below $1 express in cents, thus 6c, 24c, 98c. Sums above $1 and below $10,000, express in whole dollars, or dollars and cents, thus $10, $10.30, $20.05, $925, $7346. Note: 1 dollar 5 cents is $1.05 not $1.5. Sums above $10,000 and below $1 million express thus: $12,348, $780,500. Sums above $1 million express thus: $1 million, $3 million. Abbreviations to show foreign currency follows the dollar sign, thus Australia $A3000, United States, $US15,500, Canada $Can4500, Hong Kong $HK12,500. For cents, the abbreviation goes before the first digit: US70c.
decorations and orders closeup caps, eg, DSO, MBE.
deductible not -able.
deerstalkers association
de facto
defeat military only; in sport use beat.
defence not -se.
defendant
degree celsius (fahrenheit), use C (F). Write 12degC.
degrees
Bachelors BA (arts), BCom (commerce), LLB (law), LLB (Hons) (law with honours), BSc (science), BArch (architecture), BHSc (home science), BE (engineering), BAgSc (agricultural science), BAgSc (Hort) (horticulture), BForSc (forestry science), MB (medicine), ChB (surgery), BMedSc (medical science), BDS (dental surgery), BD (divinity), BMus (music).
Masters MA (arts), MCom (commerce), LLM (law), MSc (science), ME (engineering), MAgSc (agricultural science), MAgSc (DTech) (dairy tech-nology), (MAgSc (Hort) (horticulture), MMedSc (medical science), MDS (dental surgery), MMus (music), MArch (architecture).
Doctors LittD (literature), DSc (science), PhD (philosophy), MD (medicine), DDS (dental surgery), MusD (music), LLD (law).
Delft pottery, pronounced "delf.''
De Lury, John Invercargill police officer.
demethanation
Democrat Party formerly Social Credit; not Democratic Party.
demonstrators (-ors) but protesters (-ers).
demoralise
departments Government departments and ministries are capped when the full name is given, otherwise, lower case. Divisions within a department or ministry are not capped. After first mention they become the department or ministry. DOC is acceptable after first mention for Department of Conservation.
dependant noun; dependent adjective.
deprecate means express disapproval of; depreciate means to diminish in value (intrans) or disparage (trans).
Depression can be capped when referring to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
deputy (adj), also assistant and acting, do not take a hyphen. Where deputy or assistant are part of a rank or title taking capitals, capitalise, eg, Deputy Prime Minister.
derby hat, is lower case.
deregulation
descendant noun; descendent adjective.
desiccated
desirable
desperate
despise
despite in preference to in spite of.
desire should be replaced with want .
despoil, but despoliation
despondent
deutschmark lower case, no -e-.
device noun; devise verb.
dextrous not -er-.
Dhaka previously Dacca.
dhow
diarrhoea
Dictaphone is a trade name. Use dictation machine or recorder.
dieldrin
diesel
dietitian
different from something (not "different to")
dilapidated
dilemma implies a choice between two unsatisfactory alternatives.
dinghy, dinghies
dingo, dingoes
diphtheria
diphthong
direct quotes are sacrosanct and should be exactly what a person said. However, watch that they are not unduly repetitive. Do not change quotes for any reason except gross grammatical error which would make the person look foolish. Under no circumstances are quotations to be changed simply because it seems better to change them.
director-general lower case.
disc not disk, except as a computer disk.
discomfit (verb) defeat; discomfort (verb and noun) means uneasiness or to make uneasy.
disenfranchise not disfranchise.
disguise
disinterested does NOT mean uninterested, it means impartial.
dispatch not despatch.
dispel, dispelled, dispelling
diplomas should be spelt out and lower case, eg, diploma of journalism.
disquieting not disquietening.
dissociate not disassociate.
distance use figures and abbreviations in all instances, eg, 25cm, 5m.
ditto marks are confusing, and are not to be used, even in tabulations. Exception: the share trading table.
Divide (The) the point on the road to Milford.
divorcee male and female.
Djakarta use Jakarta.
doberman pinscher (dog) lower case.
doctor Do not abbreviate in headings unless accompanied by surname.
dog-leg (golf)
domiciliary
domino, dominoes
donate is stilted for give.
door-to-door
dos and don'ts no apostrophe before "s".
dove is a bird. Past tense of dive is dived, not dove.
down as a prefix does not usually require a hyphen, eg, downtown. Similarly as a suffix, eg, countdown. It would depend on how common the word was.
down under
downstream activities; is becoming cliched.
downward (adj); downwards (adv).
Dr Barnardo's Homes capped.
draft legal (draftsman), banking, military, rough copy.
draught boat, air, drink, art drawing (draughtsman), draught horse.
drier (noun and adjective), not dryer.
driftnet, driftnetting
drink-driving hyphen.
drive-by
drive-in
driver's licence
drop out verb; dropout noun.
drowned, was drowned if a person suffocates in water, he drowns. To say someone was drowned implies somebody else held the victim's head under the water.
drugs because the word drugs has become synonymous for narcotics, the word "medicine'' is better for references to a person taking medication.
drunk, drunken he was drunk, he was a drunken driver/drink-driver (but see court warning.)
drunkenness
dual two parts; duel, a contest between two people.
duckshooter, duckshooting one word.
due to means money owing; is banned when the meaning is because of.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
dumbfound
dux, plural is duces
dying death; dyeing colour.
Earls Court
early not ahead of schedule.
earned not earnt.
earners wage or salary.
Earnslaw vintage steamer on Lake Wakatipu; Ernslaw One forestry company.
earrings
earth (the) lower case, except in an astronomical context when used without the definite article, Earth.
earthquakes are measured on the Richter scale, which gauges the energy released by an earthquake as measured by the ground motion recorded on a seismograph. Every increase of one number, say from 5.5 to 6.5, means that the ground motion is 10 times greater. Some experts say the actual amount of energy released may be 30 times greater. Theoretically, there is no upper limit to the scale. Readings of 8.9 are the highest on record. A quake of magnitude 2 is the smallest normally felt by humans; one at 3.5 can cause slight damage; 4, moderate; 5, considerable; 6, severe; 7, capable of widespread heavy damage; 8, capable of tremendous damage.
Earthquake Commission
East, the (but not capped when merely a compass point).
East Bank
East Coast North Island, capped.
East End (of London) capped, and Eastenders colloquial and TV programme.
Eastern bloc
ebit means earnings before interest and tax and should be taken in full the at the first mention with the abbreviation in brackets, and abbrevieated in subsequent mentions; ebitda means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation and follows the same rule and ebit.
ebola fatal disease, lower case.
EC European Community, has been overtaken by the European Union (EU).
eclectic
ecotourism
ecstacy both the the drug and the emotion have a "c" before the "y", not an "s".
eczema
educable not educatable.
educationist not educationalist.
effect (verb), to accomplish; affect, to influence. Thus to "effect a change'' and to "affect the outcome.'' Note that both will have an effect (noun). There is no noun "affect.'' See affect for examples.
effervescent
eftpos lower case e, electronic funds transfer at point of sale; well enough known to use eftpos without spelling it out in full.
eg should be avoided, say for example. If "eg'' is used, no full point but commas before and after.
Eglinton Valley Fiordland.
Eidlebughers Invercargill Bavarian beer band.
either ... or; neither ... nor.
Elastoplast is a trade name. Use sticking plaster.
-elect president-elect, Governor-General-elect.
electrical terms units of electrical energy are: Amp, abbreviation A; calorie, cal; hertz, Hz, horsepower, hp; volt, V; watt, W. Prefixes are: giga, G; mega, M; kilo, k; milli, m. Examples include: kilowatt, kW; megawatt, MW; kilovolt, kV; megavolt, MV; milliamp, mA; millivolt, mV; kilohertz, kHz; megahertz, MHz.
electrocution (fatal), not to be used for electric shock.
ellipsis (...) indicate part of a sentence has been omitted. They should be used sparingly because they tend to highlight what might have been missed out rather than what is there. They are useful when quoting from heavy legal-type documents but usually it is easier and tidier to paraphrase. Use three points.
election (general), singular and lower case, not elections.
elicit draw forth; illicit illegal.
Elmwood Garden
e-mail, e-commerce, e-trade for the electronic variety.
embargo, embargoes
embarrass
embassy, ambassador lower case, but British Embassy, New Zealand Ambassador.
emigrant leaves a country; immigrant comes in.
emphasise stress is preferable.
en route two words.
en suite two words.
encyclopaedia
endeavour (verb) should be replaced by "try''.
ended/ending ended means it is already over, ending means it has not yet finished. I stories that mention annual reports, be careful to get it in the right tense. Example, if the report is for the year "ended'' June 30, 2005, say "ended'' not "ending''. The year ending June 30 implies the date is in the future, when obviously it isn't.
engineers but NZ Institution of Engineers
England is not to be used for Britain or the United Kingdom (see Britain).
Enola Gay the aircraft that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima to end World War 2.
enough instead of sufficient.
enquiry use inquiry.
enrol, enrolled, enrolment
ensure to make sure or safe; insure, to take out insurance.
enterprise
enthral, enthralled, enthralment
entrepreneurial
envelop (verb), to surround; envelope (noun), wrapper.
epaulet not -ette.
epizootic animal disease.
epsom salts lower case.
equalise, equalisator.
equator lower case.
equestrian Otatara Equestrian Centre; Invercargill Riding Centre (at Otatara), which has Riding for the Disabled.
Ernslaw forestry company; Earnslaw, Lake Wakatipu steamer.
escaper not escapee.
Eskimo, Eskimos
Espiritu Santo island; Espirito Santo golf.
etc should be avoided, say etcetera if needed in direct quote. If used, no full point but comma before.
estimated is an overused word. Most of the time an estimate is covered by about.
ethnic groups Cape coloureds but coloured, blacks and whites lower case.
Ethiopia not Abyssinia.
EU (European Union) was once called the European Economic Community, EEC, or Common Market; and latterly European Community.
Eve should be capped when used after the name of a holiday such as Christmas Eve.
ever is redundant with superlatives such as "first ever''.
everyday adjective; every day as in "He called every day.''
ex- as a prefix, can be used in such terms as ex-husband and so on. Do not overwork.
excess blood/breath alcohol the legal limits are 80mg for blood (30mg for under 20s) and 400mcg for breath (150mcg for under 20s).
ex officio no hyphen, but ex-officio members (adjectivally).
ex-servicemen
exaggerate
excel
except not "with the exception of''.
excise duties
exercise, exercised
existence
expatriate may be shortened to expat only in a heading.
expedite should not be used instead of hasten
exuberant
-ey and y With few exceptions, the mute "e'' should not be dropped when the adjectival suffix "y'' is added, such as "matey,'' "racey,'' "horsey'' and so on. When a noun ending in "y'' is made into an adjective ending in "y,'' an "`e'' is inserted, eg, "clayey.'' Nouns in "ue'' make "bluey'' and "gluey,'' and to prevent confusion, "hole'' makes "holely.''
eyeing
eyesight
eyewitness banned; use witness.
F111 aircraft.
facetious
facts are true by definition so "true facts'' is a tautology
fahrenheit (lower case); the contraction F is capped.
Fairplay Awards capped.
fallout (nuclear) one word.
Falluja
fanfare
Far East
farm animal breeds are lower case.
farmer not agriculturist or primary producer, except when being compared with a secondary
producer.
farmbike
farmhouse one word.
far north lower case
fast-track procedures.
Father the church title, is spelt out at first mention then Fr. Likewise Brother (Br), Sister (Sr).
Father's Day apostrophe.
fax acceptable for fascimile.
FBI the Federal Bureau of Investigation is well enough known not to be spelt out fully.
Feast of the Passover
Federated Farmers Southland not the.
fee-free SIT scheme
Feilding the town.
Feldwick Gates in Queens Park, Invercargill.
fell swoop
female suffix "ess'' is not to be used for lady editor, sculptor, author or poet.
feminines No "e'' after typist, artist and so on; exception — actress.
Ferrari
fertilise
fewer for number; less than for quantity. For example, fewer with people or countable things (fewer ducks, fewer children) but less for things that can't be counted (less time, less money).
fiance both sexes.
fibreglass the material, is one word, similarly fibrolite.
field-days but Mystery Creek Fieldays.
Field Marshal two words.
Fifa
figures and numerals
These are called Arabic numerals — 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, and the cypher 0, to distinguish them from the Roman numerals, I, II, III, IV. All are written as figures. Insert commas in five-figure numbers, 10,500, but not in four. NOTE: 19th century. Figures to be used in all contexts. Roman numerals to be used in historical context such as Henry VIII; the full point follows the numeral only at the end of a sentence.
Sports teams — 1st 15. In sports results (eg, 18-6) figures should be used.
Even millions: 8 million, 12 million, but where parts of million are involved figures are used, eg, 12.67 million, or 12,675,432 is acceptable.
Figures for ages.
Filipino an inhabitant of the Philippines.
film-maker hyphenated
film titles are italicised.
finalist
financial terms are generally lower case.
Finegand freezing works.
fire engines to put out fires is better than appliances
firefighter not fireman.
Fire Service
Fisher & Paykel
First World War say World War 1 or 2.
first-hand, second-hand.
fiscal year is the 12-month period a corporation or government body uses for bookkeeping purposes.
Fish and Game Southland but Otago Fish and Game.
fishers banned. Use fisherman, fisherwoman or anglers.
five-eighth rugby.
flack slang for a press agent; flak anti-aircraft fire.
flail to swing the arms widely; flay, literally, to strip off skin by whipping, figuratively, to tongue-lash.
flamboyant
flammable means inflammable, easily set on fire. Say flammable.
flier an aviator; flyer, the formal name of some trains and buses.
floodbank but flood plain two words.
flow-on
fluorescent
fluoridation
fly fishing two words, but fly-fisherman.
FM is acceptable in all reference for frequency modulation.
FOB means free on board. Spell out.
focus, focuses, focused, focusing
folk song, folk singer
follow-up
foodbank one word.
for goodness sake
forbear abstain; forebear, ancestor.
forecast not forecasted.
foreign names Asian names in particular are tricky. Some examples of the usual style for various countries: China, Korea, Taiwan: Chiang Kai-shek, Park Chung-hee. The first name is usually equivalent to our surname, but always check. Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Laos, Cambodia. Except for Chinese names in these countries, there is great variation as to which of the names is the main one, a complicated situation made worse by the fact that the people of these countries often alter the order of their names for consumption outside their country. This also applies to Korea.
In general, the last name is generally recognised as the surname in Laos and Japan, and for Indians in Singapore and Malaysia. With Malay names, the first is usually the important. When in doubt, use full names. See Asian names.
foreign origins generally, they take the usual English plural inflection in non-technical copy, although there are rather numerous exceptions. Examples of anglicised plurals: adieus, apparatuses, appendixes (intestinal only), aquariums, focuses, formulas (technical, formulae), geniuses, hiatuses, honorariums, indexes (technical, indices), lenses, memo-randums (but memoranda in the collective sense), octopuses, plateaus, premiums, prospectuses, sanatoriums, skis, stigmas, syllabuses, tableaus, taxis. Examples of persisting foreign plurals: addenda, algae, appendices, axes (plural of axis), bacteria, bases (plural of basis), criteria, data, errata, fungi, genera, larvae, mesdames, media (but mediums in spiritualism), messieurs, neuroses, oases, paren-theses, phenomena, radii, stimuli, strata, synopses, theses, vertebrae.
foreign phrases and expressions are not to be used unless necessary in context.
foresee
forestall
forgather not fore-
forgo to go without; forego, to precede.
forklift
Formica is a trade name, use laminated surfacing.
Formosa use Taiwan. The people are Taiwanese.
Forms as in schools, are lower case, eg, form 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, but third form, seventh formers and so on. Now replaced by year, eg, year 2, year 3.
Formula One motor racing.. F1 is acceptable after first mention and in headings.
forward not forwards.
four-wheel-drive spell out at first mention, then 4WD
Fourth of July not July 4, for the United States anniversary of the declaration of independence.
fractions when a fraction stands alone, it should be spelt out: One-quarter, one-half. In these examples, a hyphen is inserted between the numerator and the denominator. To avoid cumbersome spellings, some fractions contain a number — 21-hundreths. When part of the fraction contains a hyphen, the hyphen is omitted between the numerator and the denominator — 20 thirty-thirds. Numerals are used whenever a fraction appears with a full number — 2, 3, 10. Numeral fractions can be created by writing [command]sfr before the numbers to be fractionalised, eg, [command]sfr 1/4. In general news stories write out in full, eg, two and a half. Wherever possible use decimals and percentages in preference to fractions.
fragmented piece or pieces broken from the whole; fragmentary, disconnected or incomplete parts.
franchise
Franz Josef
freak is not an adjective. Use the word only as a noun, and carefully. Freakish is the adjective.
free gift is a tautology.
free-for-all
free kick
freestyle (swimming) one word.
freezing worker use meat worker.
french fries, leave, polish, window lower case "f''.
fretsaw for fretsaw work.
Freyberg Rosebowl
fridge not frig.
friesian
Frog 'N' Firkin
frontbench frontbenchers; similarly backbench, backbenchers.
frontyard, backyard
fruitgrower one word.
fuchsia
Fuehrer
Fulbright Scholar
fulfil, fulfilment, fulfilled
fullback
fulltime, halftime, but part-time.
fulsome excessive in an insincere way; now often misused.
fundraising one word.
funeral director not mortician or undertaker.
fungus noun; fungous adjective.
furore use uproar.
furthest not furtherest.
Gabba Brisbane cricket ground.
gaberdine
Gaddafi Colonel Muammar, Libya.
gaiety but gaily.
Galilee
Gallipoli
Gallup as in poll.
galvanise
Games is capped for Olympic, Commonwealth and Special Olympic Games.
games and matches are interchangeable.
Gandhi not Ghandi.
gaol is not to be used, use jail.
gargantuan lower case.
gas, gassed, gases, gasify
gasoline not -ene, but petrol is preferred.
Gatt stands for General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It is caps and lower case and does not need spelt out at first mention.
gauge not guage.
Gazette (the), capped but gazetted.
geiger counter lower case.
genera plural of genus.
General Assembly of both the United Nations and Presbyterian Church is capped.
general election is singular and lower case.
general manager of a company or government department is lower case.
generalise
genius, geniuses
gentleman is not to be used as a synonym for man; similarly lady for woman.
genus plural, genera.
german measles rubella, lower case.
gewurztraminer type of wine.
G-forces
Ghanaian
ghetto, ghettos
Gibbston near Queenstown.
gibraltar board lower case, known as gib board.
gigawatt-hours
gipsy not gypsy, but Gypsy Moth yacht.
girl females under the age of 13 can be referred to as girls but ensure that any reference to "girl'' is not condescending; those between 13 and 16 are pupils or teenagers; those over 16 are young women.
Girls Brigade caps, no apostrophe.
give not donate.
glamorous
Glen Dhu forest; Glendhu Bay near Wanaka.
Glendinning Russell, former Kingston Flyer driver.
Glengarry
glue sniffing two words, but a glue-sniffer hyphen.
goalkeeper, goalkicker but goal-line.
godsend
go-kart
goldminer, goldmining, goldrush, goldfields
golf course inland; golf links by the sea.
good day two words.
goodbye
goodnight one word.
goods and services tax well enough known as GST (capped).
goodwill one word, but predicatively ("men and women of good will'') two words.
GOP in American politics stands for Grand Old Party, ie, the Republican Party. Spell it out.
Gorge Rd is a street in Queenstown; Gorge Road is a place in southern Southland.
go-slow
Gore district (not District)
gospel lower case.
gothic type, lower case.
Government is capped when referring specifically to the current New Zealand Government. It takes the definite article. In a general sense, it is lower case. It can be shortened to Govt in headlines but try to avoid.
gotten is banned.
Governor-General, Governors-General
graffiti
gram not gramme.
Grand Prix capped when specific, eg, Spanish Grand Prix.
grandchildren, granddaughter (-dd-), grandfather, grandad, grandmother; but great-grandfather (hyphen).
Grasmere a suburb of Invercargill; Grassmere in Marlborough where salt is produced.
Great Britain Britain or United Kingdom are better.
Green Lane Hospital two words.
grey
Grey Power two words.
gridiron
grievous not -ious.
grill cooking; grille grating.
grim is overworked.
grisly horrifying; grizzly, means greyish or is short for grizzly bear.
gross domestic product lower case, but GDP after first mention.
grotto, grottoes
grown-up hyphen.
groyne (in sea and Lake Wanaka), not groin.
guerrilla
guide as in a girl guide is lower case, but the Guides.
Guinness World Records is italicised because it is the name of the book. Until 2000, it was known as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous US editions as The Guinness Book of World Records).
gun as a prefix is one word, eg, gunfight, gunboat, gunpowder.
Guteres, Francisco "Lu-Olo"
H & J Smith Ltd not Smiths.
haemphilic (adjective), haemophiliac the sufferer (noun), haemophilia (noun) the medical condition.
haemorrhage
hailstone
hajj pilgrimage to Mecca
halal lower case.
half a half, half an apple, half an hour (no hyphens), but half-price, half-dozen.
halfback (rugby), halftime, halfway
Halfmoon Bay
halfpipe
Halley's Comet
halo, haloes
handbrake
handicraft manual skill; but hand-crafted, handcraft.
handknitting one word
handover
hangar a building, hanger for clothes.
hanged, hung a person is hanged, a picture is hung.
hang-gliding
Hanmer Springs
hansom cab
hara-kiri suicide by sword or knife.
harass, harassed, harassment
hardline one word
Hare Krishna
harebrained
Harley Davidson
harmonise
Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone (in the US it is called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
hat-trick
havoc to wreak.
Hawaii, Hawaiians
Hawke's Bay
Haydn composer.
haylage square covered bales of hay.
H-bomb
Head of State
headaches should not be used when referring to general problems.
headings avoid the sensational, and they must accurately reflect the story underneath, while remaining eye-catching. They must have a verb and a subject and attributed where they reflect an opinion.
headquarters is a singular verb. HQ is acceptable after first mention and in headlines.
Health Ministry not department.
heartfelt
heart-wrenching
heaven lower case.
hectare (2.47 acres), abbreviate to ha when with a figure, eg, 12ha.
Heidelberg suburb of Invercargill.
heifer
heiress
heli-ski, heli-skiing
hell lower case.
Hells Angels (no apostrophe). The full title is Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
Hemisphere capped when Northern or Southern.
Henderson, Kathie, Centre Bush farmer and entrepreneur.
herculean lower case.
herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D.
heroin is a drug, distinguish from heroine.
hertz frequency, singular and plural, cycles per second, Hz; kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (MHz).
Heslip, Aeilie, Gore JP.
Hewett, Brian Invercargill detective.
Heylen poll
high commission, high commissioner but the New Zealand High Commission, the New Zealand High Commissioner.
high country but a high-country run.
high-ranking (adj).
Hillary as in Sir Edmund and Commission has two "lls''.
hijack
Hindi language; Hindu religion.
hippie not hippy.
hippopotamus, hippopotamuses
His Excellency, Their Excellencies avoid.
historical events, epochs, movements, documents and treaties are capped, eg, World War 1, Middle Ages, the Six-Day War, but the atomic age, space age.
history a; a historic (famous in history), a historical (belonging to history). See a/an.
hit-and-run
hitch-hiking
HIV human immunodeficiency virus which can lead to Aids, no need to spell out.
HMNZS Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship.
Hobbs, Marian
Hokonui in Central Southland
holiday not vacation
homebake drugs.
homeowner
homicide means slaying or killing; murder is malicious, premeditated homicide, manslaughter is homicide without malice or premeditation. Don't say a person is a murderer, even if convicted. Say a convicted murderer.
Hon and Rt Hon not to be used.
Honduras not Belsize.
Hong Kong
honorifics (See also names, police ranks, titles)
In general, we take Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms before all names after the first mention. In the case of women, care should be taken that the honorific is the one the person wishes. Many women are sensitive on this point. Some women want no honorific at all and this should also be complied with although it can make the story cumbersome. Extra care is needed in such cases. With some softer stories or features, a Christian name is acceptable, depending on the tone of the story. Check with a supervisor, but take care not to be patronising if this form is used. Call children and young people of primary and secondary school age by their christian names, not their surnames.
In sport, honorifics are not used unless it would seem insensitive not to do so, eg, a middle-aged or elderly woman golfer or a 100-year-old male bowler.
Christian names are appropriate with children's sport.
Witnesses in court cases have honorifics; accused do not.
In the case of entertainers normally no honorific, but would depend on the context. If in any doubt about what to use, consult the news editor. If the entertainer has a title, it is used in the first mention then reverts to the surname only. For example, Sir Elton John at first mention; John in subsequent mentions.
In the case of headings, no honorific on national or international stories is necessary providing the person is instantly recognisable and cannot be confused with anyone else.
Thus, a politician called Ardern is acceptable, one called Smith is not.
In local stories, surnames should be avoided if possible, except in the case of court stories where the accused is well known. Use titles instead. Remember, the name must be instantly recognisable. Few come into this category.
In sports stories, surnames for men and women can be used except where, as above, it would be insensitive to do so. For feature-type or soft stories, christian names are more appropriate than surnames.
Young people and children in achievement stories should not be referred to by their surnames in headings. Don't be afraid to use christian names.
If in doubt, consult a supervisor.
honours See decorations
hoofs not hooves.
hook-up
hooley: a spree.
Hoover or Hoovering is a trade name; use vacuum cleaner or vacuuming. Similarly, Electrolux or Lux.
hopefully means "in a hopeful manner". Don't use it to mean: "It is hoped."
horse races are capped when written out in full.
horsepower is one word. Abbreviation: hp, eg, 5hp.
horticulturist
Hospital is capped when referring to a specific hospital, eg, Southland Hospital, (which is not Kew Hospital); Gore Hospital; Lakes District Hospital, Queenstown hospital.
hospitalised is banned.
Hotel cap when used with name, eg, Kelvin Hotel.
house-husband
hotline one word
House of Representatives, the House (NZ); House of Commons the Commons; House of Lords, the Lords (UK).
Houstoun, Michael pianist.
However is not a conjunction and should never be used as such: but is a better word. However goes at the start of a sentence, followed by a comma (for example: However, it is better to do it this way).
HQ is acceptable for headquarters after first mention and in headlines.
humorist, humorous but humourless
hushkit, hushkitted aircraft.
hydro-electric
hyper over, hypo, under; hypertension is high blood pressure; hypotension is low blood pressure.
hyphen to be used when two words are together used to describe a noun — a black-bearded person. But no hyphen in "He is a person who is well known.'' Compound nouns and similar words in familiar use, such as armchair, birdcage, hairdresser, nowadays, seaport, wartime, warehouse, manpower require no hyphen. See compounds.
ice-breaker hyphen.
ice cream two words.
ideology
ie should be avoided, say that is. However, if used, it should have commas before and after, ie,.
ifs and buts needs no apostrophes.
illicit illegal; elicit draw forth.
ILT Velodrome
imbalance (noun), lack of balance; unbalance (verb), throw off balance.
immigrant comes in, emigrant leaves.
impassable cannot be traversed; impassible, incapable of feeling.
impel, impelled
imply means to suggest and can't be changed to infer. A speaker implies, a listener infers.
impostor
impresario
improvise
Inch Clutha
in committee noun; in-committee adjective.
in connection with use about.
Inland Revenue capped when referring to the department. IRD is acceptable after first mention and in headlines.
in regard to is banned. Use about.
in short supply is long-winded for scarce.
in spite of use despite.
in the vicinity of is banned. Use near.
incredible unbelievable; incredulous, sceptical.
Independent Police Conduct Authority not the Police Complaints Authority
india rubber, india ink lower case.
indispensable
Indo-China
inequity unfairness; iniquity, wickedness.
infinitives are not to be split if possible, eg, to ruin completely, not to completely ruin.
inflammable see flammable.
initials if used should be full initials such as J K Rowling not J Rowling. There is a space between the two initials (subs to watch for bad turnovers), not JK Rowling. Our style is to use christian names.
injuries are suffered, not received or sustained.
-in-law plurals sons-in-law, mothers-in-law.
inner city refers to the centre of the city; but inner-city development.
innocuous
innuendo, innuendoes
inoculate
inquiry not enquiry.
inquest is an inquiry into the death of a person so it is tautology to say an inquest into the death of. Say an inquest for or of.
insanitary not unsanitary.
inside-left sport, with hyphen.
install, installed, installation but instalment
instil, instilled, instilling
Institution (not institute) of Engineers.
instructor
insure take out insurance; ensure, to make sure.
Intellectually Handicapped Children's Society IHC is sufficient.
inter normally makes one-word compounds, eg, interschool.
interfered
interisland one word
interned, imprisoned; interred, buried
internet
into, one word; on to, two words
intros, like headings, should sell the story. They should be simple, clear and capable of being understood at a glance. Above all, they should say something worth saying. Try to get the who, when, what, where and why into the intro but this is less important than getting the reader to read on.
Invercargill City Council at first mention, thereafter council (lower case). ICC is acceptable in headlines.
Invercargill Licensing Trust at first mention, then the trust (lower case). It has a president, not a chairman. ILT is acceptable in headlines.
Invercargill Workingmen's Club in full at first mention. Don't abbreviate to "IWMC" in subsequent mentions, call it "the club".
Inverness-shire hyphen.
Inverrary golf.
in vitro
iPod
Iran not Persia. Iranians. The language is Persian.
Iraqis are the inhabitants of Iraq. The adjective is Iraqi.
iridescent
Iron Age
Iron Curtain (and Bamboo Curtain). Use only if essential in context and never in tourism or sport.
Iroquois
-ise We take the suffix -ise in preference to -ize.
i-Site
Islam is the Muslim religion. Its deity is Allah, Mohammed, its founder and prophet. The adjective is Islamic.
Island capped when referring to the Pacific Islands.
italicise titles of books, songs, plays, films, TV shows, videos and paintings but not periodicals, magazines and comics, newspapers, ships or exhibitions.
its the possessive pronoun, does not have an apostrophe. "It's'' is contracted form of "It is.''
jack-knife
Jacks Point Queenstown
jail not gaol.
Jakarta not Djakarta.
jam to squeeze; jamb, of a door.
James MacPherson Bowling Club
Japanese never Japs, even in headings.
jargon and in-words Government and local body statements in particular, but many others as well, are often riddled with jargon. Scientific and sociological sources add their quota. Then we have in-words, fashionable for the moment. You can use them, but treat them with great caution. Among those to watch: accommodation units, amenities, backlog, blueprint, bottleneck, breakdown, complex (noun), criteria, end product, escalation, facility, functional, implementation, integrated, optimum, organisational, overall, pragmatic, reticulation, sophisticated, target, transportation, upgrading, utilisation.
jawbone one word.
Jeep is a trade name and capped.
Jehovah's Witnesses
jellyfish one word.
jersey (wool and cow) is lower case.
jetboat
jetski
jet lag
Jew is not to be used for Israeli.
jewellery
jibe jeering remark, not gibe.
jodhpur
Johns Hopkins US hospital and university.
JP justice of the peace; JP Patricia Veltkamp.
Judge is capped when a title with a name (Judge Peter Butler) but "the judge'' is lower case. NB His/Her Honour, but try to avoid in preference to the judge's name. See capitals, court.
judgment
judicial of a court of law; judicious, prudent.
jugful
jujitsu not ju jutsu.
jumbo jet Boeing 747.
junior and senior (lower case), abbreviations are jnr and snr.
jury takes a singular verb.
kahawai not kawhai (fish).
kaik Maori village.
Kaiser Aluminum trade name, note the American spelling of Aluminum
Kaiwharawhara
kamahi tree, wood.
Kapiti Coast not Golden Coast.
kapok
Kaniere as in place, but Kanieri Gold Dredging Ltd.
karat use carat.
Karitane
Katikati one word.
Kathmandu
Kawakawa one word.
Kawarau is the Central Otago river; Kawerau is in the Bay of Plenty.
kayak
kerb roadside; curb, restrain.
kerfuffle
kernel
kerosene not -sine.
keyhole, keynote and so on one word.
K-Force
KGB caps, no points; the initials stand for Russian words meaning Committee for State Security, which no longer exists but is still commonly referred to.
kickboxer, kickboxing one word.
kickoff one word
kid is not to be used for child.
kilohertz the symbol is kHz, but megahertz MHz, not mHz.
kilotonne (the explosive force of 1000 tonnes of TNT); viz, megatonne is the explosive force of 1 million tonnes and gigatonne has the force of 1 billion tonnes.
kilowatts, KW
Kimberley South Africa and Australia; Kimberly Canada.
kimono, kimonos
Kindhaven
King is capped when referring to a specific king.
Kingswell Heights
Kiwi capped in reference to New Zealander; lower case for the bird and the New Zealand dollar.
Kiwiana
Kiwibank
kiwifruit not Chinese gooseberry; lower case.
KiwiSport one word.
kmh (kilometres an hour), not km/h, kmph or kph.
K Mart two words.
Knesset is the Israeli Parliament.
knick-knacks
Knob's Flat Milford.
knock-on, knock-out hyphen; in boxing, knockout is one word.
knots as in measure of speed, a nautical mile an hour. Do not add "an hour'' to speeds given in knots. To convert wind speeds given in knots to kilometres an hour, multiply by 1.85. Use kmh rather than knots.
knowledgeable
Knox Theological Hall not College. The hall of residence at the University of Otago is Knox College.
kohanga reo
kosher (food) lower case.
kowhai native tree.
kowtow
kraft paper, lower case.
Ku Klux Klan
Kuala Lumpur
Kumagaya Invercargill's sister city in Japan.
kumara sweet potato. The town takes a capital K.
Kyoto Japan.
Labor Party as in Australian Labor Party.
Labour Weekend
lackadaisical
lacklustre
lacquer
lady use woman unless it is a title.
laetrile
laid-back
lake cap only if part of a name; Lake Te Anau.
Lakes District Hospital
lambswool one word.
lamp-post
Land-Rover caps and hyphen. Do not use as a general term for four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Landcruiser one word.
landslide
largesse
lagarosiphon lake weed
Land Transport Licensing Authority LTSA after first mention.
lasso, lassoes
last and past should not be confused. The last year of his reign (meaning there will be no more); the past year (the year which has just gone by).
Last Post or Reveille, caps, no quotes, no "The''.
Last Supper caps.
late not behind schedule. Also, do not use "widow of the late'' or "funeral of the late.''
later but not later on.
latitude and longitude express degrees of latitude (distance north or south of the equator, designated by parallels) and longitude (distance east or west of Greenwich, England, designated by meridians) in this form: New York city lies at 40 degrees 45 minutes north latitude and 74 degrees 0 minutes west longitude; New York City lies south of the 41st parallel north and along the 74th meridian west.
Law Lords preside over the Privy Council. They sit in London.
lawsuit one word.
layout one word.
lay-by hyphen.
Lay-Z-Boy chair, commercial, therefore avoid; recliner would suffice as a description.
lead see led.
lead time means the time between when an item is ordered and when it is ready for use.
lead-up
Leader of the Opposition (note caps), but the leader of the Labour, National, Democrat or whatever party.
learned preferred to learnt.
led is the past participle of the verb, to lead. It is not lead, which is a heavy metal.
left half, left wing sport, two words. Left, right as nouns in the political sense are lower case. Adjectively left-wing, right-wing are hyphenated. Be wary of using these cliched terms.
left-handed
Legation is capped as part of a proper name, eg, the Russian Legation.
legionnaires disease
leisure
lengthwise
lengthy long will generally suffice.
lens, lenses
less than refers to amounts; fewer than to numbers; less than 50 hectares, fewer than 50 people.
letterbox one word.
leukaemia
liaise, liaison
LIBEL: Our policy is quite clear. The best guard against libel is accuracy. If someone threatens you with a libel action, get all the details possible from the complainant. Offer no information and surrender no copy, notes or photographs. If pressured, explain the matter is out of your hands and must be referred to a higher authority. Get in touch with the editor and be ready to relate all the facts.
libellous
libretto, librettos
licence noun; license verb. Hence licensing, licensee.
Liddel St
lifeboat, lifeguard, liferaft, lifesaver one word (but Surf Life Saving Association).
liftoff
lightening is growing lighter; lightning is a flash in the sky.
lightweight (sport) one word; but light-heavyweight (boxing).
likeable
likely is an adjective, not an adverb. Write "He is likely to die,'' not "He will likely die.''
Lilburn Valley
lilies
limited always contract to Ltd in company names.
line dancing two words
lineman electricity; linesman, sport.
lineout (sport), one word.
lineup
liquefy not liquify.
liqueur
literally is overworked.
liveable
living room
Lloyd Webber, Andrew Knighted in 1992 (Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber) and created an honorary life peer in 1997 (Lord Lloyd-Webber). Note, the second title is hyphenated but his surname is not. Our rule for titled entertainers is the title and name at first mention (Lord Lloyd-Webber) and just the surname in subsequent mentions (Lloyd Webber).
Lloyd's London and Lloyd's Register (shipping) take the apostrophe but Lloyds Bank does not.
loaded words (such as admit, claim, deny) should not be used unless there is a compelling reason. Say "said.'' Likewise avoid add, continue, observe, declare, report and stated. See attribution.
loadout one word.
loan is the noun; lend is the verb.
local is banned; be specific.
local bodies take the full name in the first instance, ie, Southland District Council (capped), thereafter council (lower case). If more than one local body is referred to then say regional, district or city council (lower case).
Loch Linnhe
long as a prefix requires a hyphen, long-awaited, long-term.
Long Gully
loophole
loose forward
Lord's Cricket Ground takes the apostrophe.
Lottery Grants Board gives out funds; Lotteries Commission runs Lotto, etc.
loveable
low-alcohol hyphen.
Low, Eddie entertainer.
LPG (liquid petroleum gas) is sufficiently well known not to need spelling out.
LSD lysergic acid diethylamide, drug; its initials, capped, should suffice.
Ltd for limited in company names.
luncheon is a stilted form of lunch.
luxury, luxurious are overworked.
Lyttelton not Lyttleton.
machiavellian lower case.
machinegun one word.
Mackenzie country
mackintosh overcoat.
Macpherson, Malcolm, from Alexandra.
MacPherson, Maryanne former IRD and health boss.
Macetown
Macraes Flat
macrocarpa hedge.
Madame, Monsieur, Frau, Herr, etc use Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms in most contexts although Madame is acceptable in some artistic contexts. Women should be asked what honorific they prefer and whether they wish to be known as, for example, Mrs John Smith or Mrs Betty Smith. This is a sensitive area and care should be taken not to offend. See honorifics.
MAF The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry NOT Fisheries.
Magdalen College Oxford; Magdalene College, Cambridge.
magnetise
magneto, magnetos
mailbox
maimai
main is preferable to major.
main trunk as in railway, is lower case.
Mainland (or Red) China should not be used. China is sufficient.
maintenance not maintanance.
Makarora at the head of Lake Wanaka (eastern shore) on way to Haast. Do not confuse with Maroroa which is not far from Mossburn on the way to Te Anau, site of tourist-trap one-lane bridge.
makeup one word.
Malagasy is the adjective from Madagascar, and the noun for the language of Madagascar.
Malaysia (country); Malays, (race), Malay, (language). Be wary. All people of Malaysia can be called Malaysians but only those of the Malay race can be called Malays. Singapore alongside is a separate republic.
man-of-war, men-of-war
Mana Motuhake political party.
manageable
Manakau Wellington; Manukau, Auckland.
mandarin is a Chinese official and language, and a small orange.
Mandeville
mandolin
Manfeild is a car raceway.
Mangu Kaha
Manila the capital of the Philippines.
Maniototo the district that Ranfurly is in.
mannequin
manoeuvre, manoeuvring
many instead of "large numbers of''.
Maori Development Corporation not Te Puni Kokiri or TPK.
Maori coverage for hints on Maoritanga and reporting Maori affairs, refer to the Journalist Training Board's Kawe Korero by Michael King.
Maori words should be used first with the English translation in brackets, not vice versa. Maori words in everyday use, such as hui, hikoi, powhiri, can be used without translation.
Plurals: In Maori the plural is denoted by the definite article and so when used with English no "s'' should be added. The same goes for other English suffixes, eg, a person is not "hongied,'' they "receive a hongi.'' We use the southern dialect, which generally replaces Ng with k, with the exception of Ngai Tahu and Ngati Mamoe. This is because, in stories mentioning the Ngaitahu Maori Trust Board, it's confusing to use the southern dialect Kai Tahu and Kati Mamoe.
Note also that the board runs the tribal name together, while we usually have it as two words.
Mao Zedong
Mara, Ratu Sir Kamisese first; thereafter Ratu Sir Kamisese.
Marae is capped when referring directly to, for example, the Murihiku Marae.
marathon is an overworked word as an adjective.
marijuana use cannabis.
Marian Hill Fiordland.
marketplace but preferably market.
Maroroa is not far from Mossburn on the way to Te Anau, site of tourist-trap one lane bridge, not to be confused with Makarora, which is at the head of Lake Wanaka (eastern shore) on way to Haast.
marshal, military; marshall, federal.
masonic lodge give members the full title in the first instance, then Mr.
masonry
Mass (religious) is capped.
match and game are interchangeable in sports stories.
matron of honour three words.
may-can Each should be used carefully to convey the proper meaning. May (past tense is might) means that consent is given — "You may go ahead.'' Can (past tense is could) means you have the skills/ability to carry out a certain task — "I can do it'' — but perhaps without consent from some higher being. So: "Once you can use these words properly you may put them in a sentence.''
may, might: may expresses possibility, permission, whereas might has a conditional sense. Thus, "You may be right'' or "you may do that'' but "you might be right if ...'' "The council might decide ...''
mayday is a word to be used with care. As a distress call, it is a voice radio call for immediate help. A ship in difficulty, but not needing immediate help, sends out a pan call.
Mayor is capped if it is part of the full title, for example, Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt.
MCC stands for Marylebone Cricket Club but MCC is sufficient.
McClean, Julia skier
McCormick, Gary
McDonald's the restaurant, with apostrophe.
McKechnie Brian, former Southland sportsman.
McLeay, Glenn, cyclist.
McMaster St Invercargill.
ME myalgic encephalomyelitis, formerly Tapanui flu, spell out at first mention.
measurements for specific measurements, use figures and abbreviations, eg, 6m, 5kg and 180cm. See Metric Measures and Weights.
Meat New Zealand
meat worker two words.
Meat Workers Union not Meatworkers or freezing workers, but the Auckland Freezing Workers' Union.
meat works not freezing works. They are processing plants, not simply freezing plants.
meccano lower case.
medallist
media is a dreadful word to describe, in blanket terms, newspapers, radio and television. Avoid if at all possible and specify which branch is meant. NOTE: it is plural.
medical practitioner is generally doctor except perhaps in some court or medical contexts.
medieval
meet not meet with.
mega as a prefix, denotes 1 million units.
Melburnians of Melbourne.
Member of Parliament (caps); use MP (caps, no points).
memento, mementoes
memorandum, memorandums
meningococcal disease is a bacteria, not a virus.
meningitis
men's wear, boys' wear, etc
mental hospital use psychiatric hospital.
merchant navy lower case.
merino lower case.
Merivale Canterbury; Merrivale, Southland.
mesmerise
Metcalf Lawrie, author and former Invercargill City Council parks and reserves manager.
meter measuring instrument, parking meter; metre, unit of length, poetic rhythm.
methamphetamine speed; also known as P.
metric measures Always use metrics (with imperial measures in brackets if essential). Most metric measures are sufficiently well known not to need spelling out, eg, 30kg, 12m, 180cm, 25km, 30deg, 30mg, 30g and so on. Spell out the uncommon ones. Litres is abbreviated but takes a capital L to avoid confusion (for example, 20L). Don't use superior figures (2m3) for square and cubic metres. Say 20 square metres, 30 cubic metres. Never add an "s'' to abbreviations. Imperial measurements should always be converted. See separate conversion section at back of book.
metre use figures, eg, 100m, 200m.
metrication not metrification.
MetService
microchip
mid- hyphen and lower case when adjectival; but mid-Pacific, mid-Tasman, mid-July, mid-May, etc.
Mid-Canterbury
Middle Ages capped.
middle of the road no hyphens, unless used as an adjective.
middleweight (sport) one word.
mid-winter
midnight does not need a 12 in front of it, similarly noon.
mid-off, mid-on (sport) hyphenated.
migraine
mileage
Milford track and road are lower case; Milford Sound, which is a fiord, is upper case.
Millers Flat no apostrophe
military ranks are spelt out in full, except in lists. Honours bestowed by the Queen take precedence over ranks in terms of address. It would be Major-General Sir John Smith, thereafter Sir John. Had Major-General Sir John not been a knight, he would have been Major-General John Smith on the first occasion and General Smith thereafter. Lieutenant-generals, brigadier-generals, lieutenant-colonels, second-lieutenants, lance-corporals, lance-bombadiers, vice-admirals, rear-admirals, lieutenant-commanders and sub-lieutenants also drop the prefix on subsequent mention. Field-marshals, admirals of the fleet, sergeant-majors and petty officers keep their prefix as do all air force types. Police and firefighters, being civilians, are called Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms on subsequent mention.
milkbar, milkshake
mimic, mimicking
Minister, Ministry are capped when part of a specific title but lower case after first mention and in general use. We take Health Ministry, Forestry Ministry, not Ministry of Health, Ministry of Forestry, etc.
mischievous
misfire
miss-hit
misspelling
misstate
mixup
moccasins
Mohamet, Mohammed rather than any of the variations. One exception is Black Muslim.
mollymawk not -hawk.
Molly O'Gradys
molotov cocktail lower case.
molybdenum
money figures use $15.7 million, not $15,700,000, but if the figure involves more than one decimal place, use figures (for example $15,780,000, not $15.78 million).
moneys, not monies, but why not funds.
Monroe, Marilyn.
Montecillo Invercargill motel.
Monteith's
months are capped.
Montevideo
morphine
Moslem we take Muslim.
mosquito, mosquitoes
most is better than "a majority of''.
Mother Nature
Mother Teresa
Mother's Day
motocross
motorcar, motorcycle, motor-racing, motorscooter.
Motorola
mountainbike, motorbike, trikes and bikes are acceptable rather than cycle.
Motunui petrol plant.
mount in proper names is abbreviated to Mt, but Mount Cook Line; Mount Linton Station.
Mount Anglem Helicopters (mount in full)
Mount Aspiring College (mount in full)
Mr, Mrs, Dr Cr, no point.
Mt Cook was 3763m high (12,349ft), now 3753.5m (12,315ft).
multi words which begin with multi need a hyphen, but multi million-dollar (adjectivally).
multisport one word
Mumbai is the city formerly known as Bombay.
Murihiku Marae
Mururoa Atoll
musical terms e-flat
Muslim rather than Moslem.
musk-ox
muttonbird
myna bird.
myxomatosis
Names, Initials, Titles, Ranks (see also honorifics, police ranks, titles):
(1) All people are first referred to by organisation, title or description, christian then surname; for example, Invercargill Licensing Trust president Ray Harper. Thereafter, the honorific and surname only. We take christian names rather than initials unless people specifically want initials used. Articles should not contain a mixture of christian names and initials.
There are a few exceptions (see also honorifics):
(a) Children (up to the age of 14) and young people to the age of 19 would not usually have an honorific unless they also have a title, then Christian name only.
(b) Accused people in court cases, full first names, then surname only. Use honorific for counsel and witnesses.
(c) Entertainers and sportspeople; honorific only if common sense dictates, depending on the sort of story.
(2) Titles are dropped after the first mention. Exceptions are Cr for councillor, Dr for doctor, Fr for Father, Sr for Sister and Br for Brother.
(3) All unusual names should have a note indicating they have been double checked and are correct.
(4) The honorific Ms should be used only if a person wishes and in wire stories where an honorific is not given.
Nadi not Nandi.
naphtha not naptha.
Nasa (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is sufficiently well known as Nasa.
Nasdaq National Association of Securities Dealers (parent body of the stock market.)
national anthem is lower case. However, God Defend New Zealand.
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Niwa after first mention.
National Library of New Zealand
national superannuation Can be contracted to Super, in which case it is to be capped for clarification.
nationwide one word.
native should be used only in its strict sense of "a native of ...'' In other senses it is now derogatory and in no case should it be used for Maori.
Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) has become a word in its own right. Initial cap only.
naturalise
nautical terms
naval as in sea; navel, tummy button.
naval rating not an officer.
navy, army and air force are lower case.
Nazi capped.
near not "in the vicinity of''.
nearly not to be used with numbers; use almost.
Near East capped.
nebula, nebulas
Negro, Negroes are capped but should be avoided. Use blacks. Neilsen Bill, Te Anau hotel manager.
neither .. nor (either ... or)
nerve-racking not nerve-wracking.
net (adj) not nett.
neutralise
New Testament capped.
New World capped, and means the Western Hemisphere, also capped.
New Year's Day
New Zealand Conservation Authority parent body of the Southland Conservation Board.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation
newlyweds one word; newly wed, two.
newspapers Cap the definite article in The Southland Times, The Times (of London) but in all others it is lower case, eg, the Dominion Post (no italics).
next of kin no hyphens.
Ngai Tahu Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu is the tribe (known as Tront but avoid if at all possible); after first mention Ngai Tahu will do.
Nichol's Greenworld
nicknames are quoted.
NiE lower-case "i".
Night 'n Day takes a space between the t and apostrophe (from Andrew Lane, Night ' n Day national director, June 13, 2008).
nightclub one word.
nitpicking
Niwa National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Niwa after first mention.
No (as in No 2) no point but cap "N''.
Nobel prizes use cap initials when the full name is given, for example, Nobel Peace Prize.
noisome means offensive, noxious; noisy means clamorous.
no man's land
nom de plume no hyphens; plural noms de plume.
non as a prefix usually takes a hyphen — non-combatant, non-commissioned, non-existent, non-co-operative. Excep-tion: Non sequitur.
none is singular or plural according to sense, thus: "None of the sand is left in the bucket'' or "None of the apples are left.''
noon does not need a 12 in front of it; similarly midnight.
no one two words, not hyphenated.
North Pole
northbound, southbound one word.
north-east, north-west take a hyphen.
Northend Bowling Club
noticeable
now not currently, or presently, but rarely needed anyway.
nucleus
nuclear-free
number is a collective noun and usually takes a singular verb when used with the definite article. For example, "the number of players is overwhelming'' but a plural verb when used with the indefinite article, eg, "a large number of players are coming''. However, it is best to use "some'', "several'', "many'' etc. The phrase "a number of" is banned.
Numbers Numbers below 10 are spelt out except in age, tables, sports results, time, measurement, distance, quantity, percentage and indices. All figures 10 and above are written as figures, except at the start of a sentence.
numerous but many is usually better.
nunchukka
nylon is not a trade mark.
number of as in a number of is meaningless and therefore banned.
NZ is banned as a contraction for New Zealand but is allowed as a contraction in names such as Transit NZ.
NZ Institution of Engineers not institute.
NZ Deerstalkers Association
oasis, oases
Oban township on Stewart Island at Halfmoon Bay
obbligato, obbligatos
objet d'art
objective is stilted. Say aim.
obliques (/) to be avoided but needed in the case of alternatives (and/or).
observer
obstetric unit
obtain is often better as get.
Occupational Safety and Health (Osh) spell out at first mention.
occur, occurred, occurring, occurrence
ocean-going
octet
octopus, octopuses
-odd as in 30-odd people, is better as about 30.
odometer not hodometer.
offshore jargon, avoid; use overseas.
off-road
Olympic Games caps and the Games.
Ombudsmen Office of (capped). Note, -men NOT -man.
omelet not -ette.
omission, omitted not -mu-
on not to be used when referring to streets, as in "on Dee St.'' Say "in Dee St.''
on account of is banned. Use because.
on to not onto; but into
on-course
one-tenth (of a second) 0.1sec.
oneself rather than one's self.
ongoing is jargon, avoid; use continuing.
online one word
only has to follow the word it modifies or the sense may be greatly altered, eg, he could travel only on Tuesday is something quite different from he could travel on Tuesday only.
OnTrack the New Zealand railways organisation.
Opec (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), sufficiently well-known as Opec.
Open capped in the names of sports events, eg, British Open and lower case at subsequent mention. Capped in headlines.
opencast
operations best left to surgeons. Use the specific terms.
ophthalmologist
opossum should be possum. This is the north American variety; in NZ we have possums.
Opposition (Parliament) capped.
opus plural, opuses.
orange roughy
orang-utang
ordeal is often an overworked word.
order-in-council lower case and hyphens.
ordinance law; ordnance, guns.
Orient capped.
oriented not orientated.
orthopaedic
orthotic
-os, -oes plurals Nouns ending in -o preceded by a vowel normally have -s to form the plural; most nouns ending in -o preceded by a consonant add -es to form the plural but there are many exceptions.
Osh
otherwise
out of court (adv); out-of-court (adj).
outpatient
Oval Office is the White House office of the President of the United States.
over follow the Concise Oxford Dictionary for compounds with "over'' as a prefix.
overall garment or adjective, but as an adverb it is imprecise and should be avoided.
over-ride
over-rule
overseas but the Royal Over-Seas League.
pa (Maori village) is lower case except where it is part of a proper name.
Pacific Blue is not owned by Richard Branson, it is owned by Virgin Blue of Oz ,which is majority owned by Toll Holdings Ltd.
Pacific Rim
packhorse one word.
pact is an overworked word.
pacey quick.
paediatrician not ped-
paedophile
Paekakariki
Pago Pago not Pango Pango.
paintings titles are capped and italicised.
Pakeha is a person of predominantly European descent and is preferable to European or Caucasian.
Pak'N Save
palace is capped only if it is part of a name.
palate the roof of the mouth; palette, an artist's paintboard; pallet, a bed or low, portable platform.
Pan American two words and capped.
panama (the hat), lower case. Panama Canal, Panama City, capped.
panel but panelled.
papal lower case.
papier mache
Paquin, Anna, NZ actress
parallel, paralleled
Paraparaumu
paraphernalia
Parenthesis ( ) should be used to enclose words or phrases in a sentence by way of explanation. Square brackets are used only if some editorial comment is interposed in a story.
pari passu equal.
parking meters not metres.
Parliament capped when specific.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary caps.
part-time
partial means having a preference.
participate is stilted. Use take part.
Participles (and continuing tenses):
(a) Some are needless, eg, "he will be going'' for "he will go''.
(b) Watch the misrelated participle: "Entering the house, the fire was on'', which is silly.
(c) Watch out for the fused participle: "You cannot forbid him coming'' is wrong. The pronoun should be his, not him. The coming is a gerund (verb-noun) and the pronoun must be possessive. Thus, "you cannot forbid his coming''.
(d) -t and -ed past participles. A preferred spelling is spelt but burned, dreamed, kneeled, leaned, leaped, learned, smelled, spilled and spoiled (except perhaps in some idiomatic phrases).
partygoers one word.
Passchendale
passerby, passersby
passive voice should be avoided, in text and particularly in headings.
passoff happens at the start of a basketball game (not a tip-off, that's netball)
past not last 10 years — last means final.
pastime one word.
Paterson Inlet on Stewart Island.
paua
pavilion
pawpaw fruit.
payout
payroll
peacekeeping, peacekeeper one word.
peacetime one word.
peddler not pedlar.
pekin ducks.
Peking now Beijing.
peloton (cycling)
peninsula noun; peninsular adjective.
penpal, penfriend one word.
peony rose
per use with Latin terms (per annum, per lb), but preferably a year, a pound. Sometimes, although rarely, expressions like "production per man'' can be used where "a man'' would be strained.
percent one word, no point. Use figures before, eg, 5 percent.
percentage is often used incorrectly for number, proportion and so on. Do not say "a large percentage of the players''. Say "Many of the players''.
phone is acceptable.
phone numbers and internet addresses may be used on stories only with the approval of the editor.
phoney
phosphorus, noun; phosphorous, adjective.
photo-finish
Photostat is a trade name. Say copy.
piano, pianos
pianist, no -e, even if female.
piccolo, piccolos
Pick6 one word
picket, picketed, picketer, picketing
picnic, picknicking
Pig Root not route, Central Otago road from Palmerston to Ranfurly.
pigs breeds are lower case.
pigsty one word.
pigswill one word
PIN not PIN number (PIN stands for personal identification number).
pipfruit one word.
pit bull terrier
piupiu (Maori flax skirt) is one word. In a Maori context, it should not be described as a grass skirt.
placegetter one word.
place names should be spelt in accordance with the National Geographic Board rulings as in Wises. For foreign names, consult an atlas.
PlaceMakers one word, capital "M".
planets specific planets are capped, eg, Mars.
planning avoid the redundant phrase "future planning''.
Plants In general, lower case, eg, douglas fir. If a botanical name is used, cap the first word, lower case the others, eg, red cedar Juniperus virginiana.
plaster of paris lower case.
plateaus not -eaux.
playoff
play titles are italicised.
PlayStation one word PlayStation 2 (or PS2)
playwright
plimsoll line.
PLO sufficient for the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
plurals see Foreign origins.
pohutakawa
polite weatherboard
point out implies we believe it. Use "said".
polar (lower case)
Polaroid is a trade name and if used should be capped.
Police Complaints Authority now called the Independent Police Conduct Authority
Police ranks See also names, honorifics, titles.
Ranks are not abbreviated, except in headings.
Constable Joe Bloggs at first mention, thereafter Mr (or Ms, Mrs etc) Bloggs. This applies to ALL police ranks, eg, Community Constable Brian Gibson, Inspector Tony O'Neil, Detective Steve Larking (Mr Larking).
The South Invercargill Community Policing Centre is the South Invercargill police, likewise the North Invercargill Policing Centre is the North Invercargill police. When quoting officers stationed at Don St they are from Invercargill. When quoting a police officer, say: Senior Constable Brian Gibson, of Invercargill, said; NOT Senior Constable Brian Gibson of the Invercargill police OR Invercargill police senior constable Brian Gibson OR any variations of these.
There is no need to say a person is relieving at a country police station unless it is newsworthy (such as someone on the first day in a town catches a murder suspect).
The inquiry office and CIB have a new title, the combined investigation unit. However, they are both still separate entities and we will continue with our present style of CIB.
No police ranks are hyphenated.
NOTE: Both Detective and Detective Constable are separate police ranks. The beginner is a detective constable. He graduates to become a detective and should not thereafter be called a constable.
The southern region district commander is Superintendent Nick Perry.
politicking
pontifical lower case.
Pope, the capped; papal, lower case.
Pope John Paul 2
Port as in Port Chalmers is not abbreviated; similarly point.
possessed is a stilted word for "had''.
Possessives: (a) Personal pronouns do not have apostrophes — The possessive of "it'' is "its'' not "it's,'' and "of who'' is "whose'' not "who's''.
(b) If a phrase takes an apostrophe in the singular, it must take it in the plural — one month's jail, three months' jail.
(c) It is often best to use a form that dispenses with the apostrophe — an eight-hour day, a seven-year-old girl, a five-day conference.
(d) The possessive of inanimate nouns is often awkward and better avoided. For example, "The chassis of their car was broken'' reads better than "Their car's chassis was broken''.
(e) Where two or more nouns are linked in a possessive phrase, only the last takes the apostrophe, eg, "John and Robert's typewriter''.
(f) Avoid false possessives like "Invercargill's Mayor''. (See punctuation).
possum not opossum for the NZ species.
postmortem (adj) one word, is in examination of a dead body. Autopsy is preferred.
postnatal, prenatal
post-primary hyphenated but it is the Post Primary Teachers' Association.
post-war, pre-war hyphenated.
postgraduate one word.
Postmaster-General has a hyphen and is capped.
pothole one word.
potpourri
pound spell out in general contexts but abbreviate to lb in lists, such as of grocery prices and on specialist pages. Note, however, you should use pounds as a measurement of weight only if essential. Otherwise convert to kilograms (kg).
The Power Company formerly SEPS. The Power Team, its marketing section. The company formed a joint venture networking company with Electricity Invercargill to form PowerNet Ltd. The retail arm is United Electricity and the commercial retail arm is Pacific Energy.
power house two words.
practice noun; practise, verb.
Prayer Book (a specific book) is two words and capped.
precede
precedence means priority; precedents are examples from the past.
predict, better than forecast.
predominant, predominately
Premier should not be used for Prime Minister. It is used for the chief ministers of Australian states, Canadian provinces and the Cook Islands.
prenatal, postnatal
prepositions: Too many unnecessary prepositions keep creeping in, such as meet with, speak with, fly into, test out, stop off at, check out, check up, face up to, close down.
prerogative
preschool one word.
presently is banned. Say soon.
President, Vice-President of a country (capped when preceding a name) but the president; president, vice-president (lower case), of a company or association.
press, the lower case.
prestigious is overworked.
preventive not preventative.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
prima facie
Prime Minister: Capped when referring to a specific prime minister by name, eg, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, otherwise it is lower case.
prince, princess are capped only when preceding the name — Prince Philip, Princess Anne, the prince, the princess (see royal family).
Princes St Invercargill.
principal, first in rank (adjective), and by extension headmaster (noun); also of money (noun); principle, general rule.
prior to is banned; say before.
prison use jail
privilege (not -edge)
Privy Council is capped and always in full; Privy Counsellor
prizefighter, prizegiving, prize-money, prizewinner but prize list.
proactive one word
probe over-used for "inquiry''.
proceed is usually better as go.
Professor is never to be shortened to Prof.
programme not program (unless it is a computer program).
ProHealth
promissory note.
promoters
pronouns not to be used in an intro before the proper name has been given.
propellant noun; propellent, adjective.
propeller not -or.
prophecy noun; prophesy verb.
protest not to be used as a transitive verb, that is without a preposition ("against'') except in idiomatic use such as "protested his innocence''.
Protestant capped.
protester not -or.
proviso, provisos
provocative statements not attributed to a named person should be treated with care, particularly if they reflect on someone else or an organisation and, unless approved by the editor, are banned.
psychosis
pteradactyl
Public Service, the capped; Public Service Association. Avoid Civil Service.
Puisne next to Chief Judge.
pukka polo.
Punctuation: The function of punctuation is to make the story easy to read, by indicating where there would be pauses if the story was read aloud. As short sentences aid readability, use plenty of full stops. Be sparing with other marks. See quotation marks.
(1) The apostrophe. Is used for the singular possessive of a noun ending in "s'' or "z'', eg, Mr Thomas' violin. The possessive personal pronouns, his, hers, its, theirs, do not take an apostrophe. Plurals ending in -en take 's in the possessive — men's, women's, children's. (Note, however, Crippled Children Society.) Where two or more nouns are joined in a possessive phrase only the last takes the apostrophe, eg, Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association, John and Robert's boat. In contractions, the apostrophe shows an omission — Plurals or letters take 's, eg, "Underline u's and put a stroke over n's'', p's and q's.
Apostrophes are not needed for:
(a) Plurals of figures — Boeing 707s, the 1970s.
(b) Plurals of abbreviations — MPs, except in the possessive.
(c) Shortened forms like bus and cello which have become words in their own right.
2. The comma. The use and misuse of commas in modern idiom is one of the great debates of the English-speaking world. Many old grammarian rules that applied up to a generation ago are substantially in abeyance. Much comma use is over-use; much is rule of thumb. With the rules in such a state of confusion, good sense must be the guiding precept. Our use of the comma might well be guided by the principle that it is designed to help reading and clarify meaning. In general, the aim should be to avoid over-using the comma. Although it would be unwise to adhere to a precise set of rules, and while the following practices are not to be considered a rigid prescription, they may provide a valuable guide.
The comma:
(a) Separates items in a list: "They drank beer, gin and whisky''. Note that no comma is needed before "and'' except to make the sense clear: "They drank warm beer, bathtub gin, Napoleon brandy, and tea''. And no comma is needed when adjectives before a noun qualify one another: little old lady.
(b) Marks off descriptive clauses and phrases, eg, "The cat, which was left by itself, disappeared.'' But not defining clauses and phrases — "The cat who walked by herself.'' And not in absolute constructions: "The cat having disappeared, the mouse played ...'' not "the cat, having disappeared, the mouse played.'' Note the disastrous effect of the wrong use of commas under this heading: "Pilots, whose minds are dull, live short lives.''
(c) Sets off words and phrases parenthetically: "Joe Bloggs, 53, of Remuera, was charged ...'' "Ken Douglas, representing the unions, said...''
(d) Indicates the omission of "and'', eg, "The men drank beer, the women tea.''
(e) Introduces a direct quotation of only a few words, eg, He said, "Do not do it.'' (A colon would also serve).
(f) If used with titles and degrees following a name: "Charles King, MSc, was appointed ...''
Do not use commas:
(a) Between two nouns, one qualifying the other. For example: "The New Zealand singer John Rowles returned ...'', "All Black Bryan Williams scored ...'' The use of commas here would indicate that there is only one New Zealand singer, only one All Black.
(b) After street numbers — 15 George St, or in dates — June 1996.
(c) Before Ltd in the names of companies — Fairfax New Zealand Ltd.
3. The exclamation mark (screamer in the trade) is seldom justified in newspaper writing. But "Oh! Calcutta!'' rightly has two.
4. The hyphen is used in compounding (qv) and also to link words to avoid misunderstanding. "The often-told story of the fried-fish merchant'' is a good example.
5. The question mark, like the exclamation mark, is infrequently used in news writing, being confined largely to direct speech. Indirect questions and rhetorical questions do not take a question mark. For example: "He wanted to know how he could avoid meeting his creditors.'' Even in direct speech do not use a question mark if the sense is more imperative than interrogative: "May I draw your attention to the following matter.'' If a question is followed by "he asked'' the question mark is superfluous.
6. The semi-colon is used to separate clauses that contain commas and in lists where commas alone would not separate the components. The semi-colon may also be useful to link two phrases or clauses in juxtaposition.
7. The colon is used:
(a) To introduce a series of items.
(b) To introduce a self-contained statement: "This is the plan: To stop all teaching of formal grammar in the schools and concentrate solely on free expression.'' When a self-contained statement follows a colon, it should not begin with a cap.
(c) As an alternative to a comma to introduce direct speech, in which case the first word after the colon is capped.
8. The dash is much over-used, particularly to mark a parenthesis where commas would often do as well. However, it can be effective, especially the single dash used to add a thought to the end of a sentence.
9. Quotation marks are not used for titles of books, plays, poems, operas, ballets, paintings and other works of art, films, songs, television and radio programmes — use italics. Nor the actual titles of lectures, sermons, etc. Musical works are tricky but in general the work number is not quoted, eg, Symphony No 92 in G major (the "Oxford'') by Haydn. Nicknames are quoted.
Except on some rare occasions when needed for clarity, do not quote the names of newspapers or magazines, or trade names. Do not quote the names of ships, boats, aircraft or cars, or the characters in books and plays, sports events and trophies, castles, houses or station homesteads, cinemas, theatres, hotels, motels or taverns. Slang expressions or unusual coinages may need to be quoted, but do not do so unnecessarily. Where a quotation is of more than one paragraph, the beginning of each par is quoted but the last word of only the final par. The speaker should be worked into the first par. Similarly for verses or stanzas of a poem. But do not use quotes if the passage or poem is indented or set in distinctive type.
Remember that when you begin a phrase, sentence or passage with a quote you must end it with one.
Quotation marks are not needed where questions and answers are given in cross-examination style. For example:
Mr Quibble: Where were you at 2am on August 12?
Accused: At home.
What were you doing? — A crossword puzzle.
With a loaded revolver? — Yes.
(Note how the style can be shortened after the opening exchange). Use single quotes where a quotation falls within a quotation.
The comma and the full point come within the quotes, eg, "Put the full stop before the quotes.'' Other punctuation marks are placed according to their grammatical sense. For example: He said, "Is this the style of the paper?'' But: Did not the witness say, "This is my property''?
Single quotation marks in headings, subheads and crossheads.
puns rarely impress anyone except journalists.
punter person who bets (preferble to bettor)
pupil-student: A pupil is someone taught by another, particularly a schoolchild; a student is a person studying at a tertiary institution. purchase stilted for buy.
pushup noun, adjective; push up verb.
putt, golf, but shot put.
Puysegur Point
pygmy, not pigmy.
pyjamas, not pajamas, except in The Pajama Game show.
Qantas
QE2 (for the liner and the park) are acceptable in headings and after first mention in stories.
quadriplegic, not quadraplegic.
Quakers is acceptable for the Society of Friends.
quango a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation.
quantum is the Latin equivalent of amount; use the English.
quartermaster
quarter-mile hyphen.
quartet, quintet not -ette.
quinrella three quinellas.
quinnat salmon.
Quintin Hut Fiordland.
quixotic lower case.
quotation is a noun; quote is a verb
quotation marks: If a quote makes up the full sentence and the fullstop ends the quote, the quote marks come after the fullstop. If the sentence includes part of a quote and the fullstop is not part of the quote the quote marks come before the full stop.
Quotes ("...'') should reflect accurately what was actually said. Ellipsis (...) is allowed as long as the context is not altered. See punctuation.
Do not change quotes for any reason except gross grammatical error which would make the person look foolish. Under no circumstances are quotations to be changed simply because it seems better to change them.
rabbit haemorrhagic disease in full at first mention then RHD.
raccoon
racecourse one word.
raceday one word
racehorses are which, not who.
Race Relations Office
Race Relations Conciliator capped.
racial discrimination take care when stating someone's race that it is pertinent to the story and cannot be interpreted as racial discrimination. This particularly applies to court stories where it is rare that a person's race need be stated.
rack and ruin not wrack; similarly nerve-racking.
rack your brain
racquet tennis, squash and so on, not racket.
radiata pine, not pinus radiata.
radio stations have proliferated in recent times. These are the main players and their stations: Radio New Zealand (Concert FM, National Radio); Radio Southland; Radio Works Southland (the Edge, the Rock, Solid Gold, Radio Pacific, Foveaux FM); Hokonui Gold (Gore); the Radio Network (Classic Hits 98.8 ZAFM, Newstalk ZB, 96ZM, Radio Hauraki, Radio Sport).
radioactive one word.
Rajah should be capped if named.
Ranchslider is a trade name; use sliding glass door.
Ranks see police, armed forces, service ranks. Police take honorific after first mention. All armed forces retain rank.
rank and file no hyphens.
Range-Rover hyphen.
rapeseed one word.
rapid-rail transport system; rapid-transit adjective; both hyphenated.
rarefy not -ify.
Rastusburn skifield one word.
rateable not -table.
ratio the ratio was two to one; but a two-to-one ratio.
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara at first reference, thereafter Ratu Sir Kamisese.
Ray-Ban sunglasses, this is a trade name so it is capped.
Raynes Senior Sergeant Dave, Invercargill police officer.
Rayonier
raze means destroy.
razzmatazz
re- does not usually take a hyphen when applied as a prefix (for example, revisit) unless the word to which it is attached starts with the letter "e''. However, there are other exceptions, such as re-form, when it means to form again.
Reader's Digest
realise, realising
reason why in this construction, the "why'' is usually redundant. "The reason why he did so well was because ...'' should read "The reason he did so well was because...''
recap on previous events and don't assume the reader saw yesterday's paper. It need take only a paragraph or two to recap background.
recent is meaningless and is banned. Be specific.
recognise
recondition, rehabilitate stilted. Mend, fix, restore will often suffice.
reconnaissance
record be wary of records and other "firsts.'' Often they are not. Also, record the basis of the record — the best in NZ, the world, Southland? Don't write such things as all-time, new or best record and so on. That is tautology.
record-breaking, record-holder, record-setting
red (as in communist) is emotive and best avoided.
red-handed
referendum, referendums not -a.
re-form for form again.
refute a word to avoid as it means "prove the falsity of'' rather than merely denying the truth of; rebut is usually what is meant.
regretful sad, repentant; regrettable, unwise (of a course of action).
reign a period of rule; rein, leather strap for a horse.
relative pronouns see which.
released is not what happens to statements; they are made, issued.
relevant as an adjective in front of information, is usually redundant.
renege, reneged, reneging
rental should not be used as short for rental car.
repechage rowing race.
repellent
reported speech use the past or pluperfect tenses. Examples: "He said the sky was blue'' not "He said the sky is blue''. "He said he had been to the races'' not "He said he has been to the races''. Intros with reported speech are in past tense, as should be copy. Exceptions where copy can/should be in present tense are in features, when stating facts, or when quoting directly from reports, minutes or statements. Otherwise, attributed quotes or opinions should be in past tense. eg: The sky was green, Fred Tulett said. NOT: The sky is green, Fred Tulett says.
Requiem Mass
Reserve Bank at first mention, then it becomes "the bank".
reside is stilted for live.
rest is a break; remainder is what is left.
resthome one word.
restaurateur (no -n-); but a word best avoided.
resuscitated
Returned Services' Association abbreviate to RSA after first reference. In Australia, Returned Servicemen's League, RSL.
Reuters we follow Reuters style for cable stories if it's not in the style book.
Reverend contracted to Rev and is always used with the definite article. After first mention use honorific. See church titles.
revoke, revocable
revolutionary an overworked word.
rhododendron
riband as in blue riband, premier class.
Richter scale see Earthquakes.
rick (or crick) not wrick (neck).
rickety
ricochet
riding centres see Equestrian.
rip-off is an emotive word and should not be used.
riveted
roadblock one word.
roadworks one word.
rock 'n' roll
rock lobster salt water; crayfish fresh water.
roll call noun; roll-call, adjective.
Rollerblades trade name, use inline skates
roll-on, roll-off
Rolls-Royce
Roman Catholic is generally just Catholic but the Roman may be needed for reporting certain church pronouncements or to distinguish from high Anglicans who sometimes call themselves Catholics.
roman (type) lower case.
Romania not Rumania.
roof, roofs
Rossignol brand name for skis.
Rotaract clubs
rotisserie
rottweiler breed of dog.
round is an adjective and should not be used for the adverb-proposition, around.
round robin
Round Table club; Business Roundtable.
roundup noun; round up verb.
routing of an army; routeing, of transport.
Rowallan forest in Western South-land.
royal is lower case, eg, royal tour, royal yacht, the royal family (this is a vague phrase and best avoided).
Royal Commission where a specific commission is named, is capped; but a "royal commission'' and "the commission'' are lower case.
royal family: Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother; the Queen, Queen Elizabeth II; Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, Princess Diana, their children Prince William (second in line to the throne) and Prince Henry (commonly known as Prince Harry); Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, the Duchess of York, the former Sarah Ferguson, also known as "Fergie''; their children Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; Prince Edward; Sophie, Countess of Wexford and their daughter Lady Louise; Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, her husband Commander Tim Laurence, her children Peter and Zara Phillips, her ex-husband Mark Phillips; Princess Margaret.
Royal Foundation of the Blind
rugby, rugby league lower case.
Rugby Park stadium
Rugby World Cup is the event where teams compete for the Webb Ellis Trophy.
ruing
runabout
runner-up hyphen.
runoff
rush is overworked. In particular, do not have ambulances rushing, or people being rushed to hospital. It implies carelessness.
rush hour noun; rush-hour adjective.
Russia is one of the Commonwealth of Independent States, formerly known as the Soviet Union. (See Soviet Union)
Sadd students against driving drunk, out in full first time, then Sadd.
Sadler's Wells ballet.
said generally, rather than claimed, averred, declared, added and stated; said in a statement: said will usually suffice; if "in a statement'' is relevant put in a note stating why; said of is banned. Says is confined to feature material.
saleable
salesman, saleswoman avoid salesperson.
saleyards
salmonella brandenburg lower case.
salvo, salvoes
sanatorium, sanatoriums, not -ia.
Sanders Cup yachting.
Satan capped; satanic lower case.
savannah
Savile Row clothing.
sawn-off hyphen.
saxophone
sceptic, not skeptic.
schedule overworked. "Behind schedule'' usually means late. Instead of scheduled say expected.
scheme is an overworked word.
schoolboy is one word as is schoolchild, schoolgirl, schooldays, schoolhouse, schoolmaster, schoolmistress, schoolroom, schoolteacher, schoolteaching. Two words are school children, school building, -committee, -grounds, -hours, -roll, -term, -work, -year. School-leaver is hyphenated.
school certificate lower case. Schwarzenegger, Arnold, film star and politician. When the story relates to entertainment he does not take an honorific; he does take an honorific when he"s a politician.
Scientology is registered as a religion and is therefore capped when the reference is to the organisation, headquarters and so on. But scientology as a subject for study is lower case.
scot-free lower case and hyphen.
Scotch (noun and adjective) is objected to by Scots as applying to anything but whisky; use Scot, Scottish. Scotch Tape is a trade name and capped but lower case are scotch eggs, whisky, broth, mist.
scouts (and guides), members are lower case, but Scouts and Guides (organisations).
scrapbook one word.
scriptures lower case.
scuba is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus and is sufficiently well-known to stand alone and uncapped.
sea lion two words
sean triubhas
seashore one word.
seasons lower case, unless personified as in poetry.
seatbelt one word.
secondhand
secretary for justice (lower case, not "of''); secretary to the treasury (lower case, not "of''); Secretary-General of the United Nations (upper case and hyphen).
secretary-treasurer has a hyphen.
Security Council (United Nations) capped.
see not sight. To sight means to glimpse for a first time. Therefore to say "he first sighted'' is a tautology.
seeds as in squash, tennis, are No 1 seed, No 2, etc.
seize
select committee (Parliament) lower case.
self is always hyphenated, eg, self-interest.
sell-down jargon, do not use.
sell off or selling off is banned. It should be "sell". The same goes for beating off. You sell something or you beat someone.
Sellotape is a trade name, say tape.
sellout one word.
semi see compounds.
semi-colon See Punctuation.
senior, junior, snr, jnr
septet not -ett or -ette.
sergeant-at-arms but Serjeant at Arms (parliamentary)
sergeant-major hyphen.
Service ranks: All service ranks, including police, are spelt out except, at discretion, in headings. Following are examples of spellings of service ranks.
Army: Field-marshal, lieutenant-general, major-general, colonel-in-chief, lieutenant-colonel, quarter-master, second-lieutenant, sergeant-major, warrant officer, lance-corporal. In the British and New Zealand armies, brigadier, but brigadier-general in the United States.
Navy: Admiral of the fleet, vice-admiral, rear-admiral, lieutenant-commander, surgeon captain, master-at-arms, sub-lieutenant, cadet-midshipman, petty officer, leading seaman, able seaman.
Air Force: Air chief marshal, air marshal, air vice-marshal, air commodore, group captain, wing commander, squadron leader, flight lieutenant, pilot officer, flight sergeant, leading aircraftman.
All armed service personnel retain ranks at subsequent mentions; police personnel take honorifics after first mention.
serviceable
setback, one word.
sewage is the effluent; sewerage the system.
sextet not -ette.
sexual relations but family are relatives.
shadow (cabinet, minister) lower case.
Shakespeare Please, no other spelling of the Bard's name.
shakey
shakeup one word
shallot not shalot.
Shanghai
sheep names of breeds are lower case; halfbred, crossbred are lower case.
sheep dog, sheep farmer, sheep meat, sheep owner, sheep skin, all two words.
sheik
sheriff
Ships take the definite article, including navy ships (HMNZS Southland, but the Southland). They do not weigh 1000 tonnes, they displace 1000 tonnes. Ships are it not she (except in direct quotes). All battleships are warships but few warships are battleships.
shish kebab
shock is an overworked word.
shoo-in
shoestring
shootoff
shops butcher's, baker's and so on; not butcher shop.
shoplifting one word.
short-term adjective; but in the short term.
shortly use soon.
shot put
showgrounds
showjumping
Siam is Thailand; siamese cat and siamese twins are lower case.
sideline one word.
siege
sieve
sight the ability to see; site the ground on which a building is erected; cite quote as an example to support an argument. Also see see.
Sijnja Dr Branko.
silage
silly-leg, silly-point cricket, hyphen.
simmental
sinbin, sinbinned one word.
sine die no date set, adjourned indefinitely.
single-handed
siphon not syphon.
Sister in the religious context can be shortened to Sr after first mention.
Sistine Chapel
sitting room is two words.
sizeable
skateboard
skifield, skilift, skitow, skier and skiing one word.
skilful
Skilsaw is a trade name, use power saw.
skindiver, skindiving
skipper to be used only for small craft.
slash is an overworked word.
slate as in criticise is overworked.
sleepout
sly grog is two words.
smoke bomb, smoke screen two words.
snapper, not schnapper.
snowboard one word.
snowfall
soar is an overworked word.
soccer lower case.
social security, social welfare
socks, not sox.
Soda Stream is a brand name; avoid.
soiled is genteel for dirty, avoid.
solicitor-general lower-case, hyp-hen.
solo, solos
some for about is affected.
son-in-law is hyphenated; plural is sons-in-law.
song titles are italicised.
soprano, sopranos
Soroptimists
southbound, northbound one word.
South-east Asia
Southern Institute of Technology (SIT after first mention).
Southern right whale
SouthFert formerly the Southland Phosphate Company.
Southland Boys' High School, Southland Girls' High School can be shortened to SGHS and SBHS after first mention.
Southland Conservation Board appointees who advise the Conservation Department Southland conservancy. Replaced Fiordland National Parks Board. Each conservancy has a similar board. National body is New Zealand Conservation Authority.
Southland Hospital not Kew.
Southland Times, The the definite article is always capped, but the Times.
South Pole capped.
South Port two words.
Southpower
SouthRoads one word
South Sea Hotel Stewart Island.
South-west Africa now Namibia.
South West Helicopters (according to the company's logo on the website)
Soviet Union no longer exists; it is now the Commonwealth of Independent States, made up of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia.
souvlaki
space shuttle
spacecraft one word.
Spary, Don
spay, spayed female animals.
Speaker (Parliament) capped
speak to not with.
specialty
speech from the throne lower case.
speed methamphetamine
Speight's beer brand.
spelling, take the first preference of the Concise Oxford dictionary.
spelt not spelled.
spina bifida
spinnaker
spinoff noun; spin off verb.
split infinitives are usually ugly and therefore to be avoided unless there could be ambiguity.
spokesman wherever possible, name someone, rather than have an anonymous spokesman; avoid spokesperson but we do take spokeswoman.
sponsorship we have to acknowledge the importance of sponsorship today. Thus sponsored events and teams should have the main sponsors' name attached — once in each article. This should apply to events and teams both big and small. Names of sponsors should not appear in headlines or captions. The name of a sponsor (of a team or an event) should appear once only, in the body of the story but not in the intro. If there are numerous sponsors to be mentioned, do not clutter a sentence or paragraph with them. Weave the sponsors' names through the article. Sponsorship of individuals is not to be mentioned, and particular sponsors should not appear in captions or pictures. However, common sense applies to photographs as in some instances, such as motor-racing, it will be difficult not to get sponsors names. Photographs must not be altered to delete sponsors.
sport see sport section for a quick guide to sports terms.
Sport Southland not Sports.
sports teams singular.
spring where it does not begin a sentence, is lower case, as are all seasons.
Squirrel helicopter.
St Andrew's Day
St Andrews University
St Andrews golf
St John Ambulance
St John's Church
St John's Girls' School
St Patrick's Day
St Peter's College
St Theresa's Church and school, Invercargill; St Teresa's School, Bluff. NOTE: Some names take the apostrophe, some don't, in their official title; always check.
standards and forms of schools are lower case with numerics, eg, standard 4, year 7, but third former.
standby noun; stand by verb.
stand-down
standoff noun; stand off verb.
standout
State When referring to the Crown, is capped; thus State Highway 1. State-owned enterprises, Minister of State-owned Enterprises
state-of-the-art
stationwagon
stationary standing still; stationery, writing materials.
statuary of statues; statutory, required by law.
stemcell one word
stiletto, stilettos
stimulant that which causes a rapid increase in energy or excitement, has a narrower sense than stimulus (stimuli) which rouses to activity.
Stirling Point Bluff.
stonefruit
stopbank, but flood plain.
stopwork
storey, storeyed (of buildings).
stormwater
straight without curve; strait, narrow passage.
straightforward
straitjacket
strata is not singular; it is plural of stratum.
streamline
Street, Maryan former Labour Party president.
street names (also see addresses) streets, roads, terraces and so on should be abbreviated with initial caps when part of a named street, such as Dee St. We take St for street, Ct for court, Ave for avenue, Tce for terrace, Rd for road, Pl for place, Dr for drive, Cres for crescent; Mews, View and Rise are not abbreviated. This also applies to mountains, rivers, streams, canals, oceans, avenues, and so on. But the street, mountain, etc, lower case.
Streisand, Barbra
stroke play
strong-arm (adjective) is hyphen-ated.
student-pupil: A pupil is someone taught by another, particularly a schoolchild; a student is a person studying at a tertiary institution. stupefy not -ify.
sub-Antarctic
sub-centre
subcommittee one word.
subcontractor one word
subdivision, subdivisible
sub-lieutenant hyphen.
sub-machinegun
submittor not "er" but banned unless in a quote.
subpoena, subpoenaed
subsection
substation
sub-union
suicide is not to be used as a verb.
summer where it does not begin a sentence, is lower case, as are all seasons.
summon, summoned (verb); summons, summonses, (noun).
sun, moon are lower case.
sundeck
sunporch
superannuation see national superannuation.
superfluous words, such as broad daylight, weather conditions, crisis situation, are not to be used.
superintendent
supersede (not -cede).
supervise, supervising, supervisor
supertanker
SuperValue one word, capital "V".
surfboard
surfcasting one word.
Surfers Paradise
surgeons, specialists are Mr, not Dr. Always check.
surnames the use of surnames only, without titles or forenames, is difficult. In many cases, it seems overbearing and impolite. However, historical figures, eg, Hitler, Stalin, Seddon, can have the honorific dropped, but Mr Bush. Accused in court cases do not take honorifics. Nor do entertainers or sportsmen and sportswomen, except where common sense dictates otherwise. Surnames can be used in headlines only if the person is well known. This applies in few cases. See honorifics.
Swanndri jacket, a trade name; say waterproof jacket; if swanni is used it is lower case.
swap, not swop.
swat, flies; swot, books.
swath, noun, bundle of grass or space left by mower; swathe, verb, to wrap.
Swear words or expletives can be used only with the permission of the editor. Blasphemous expressions are banned.
swede-tossers
sworn in is two words.
syllabus, syllabuses
syncrolift
synchronised swimming
Synod, Assembly and other church courts are capped when part of a full title.
synonymous
synopsis, synopses
1080 poison
tableau, tableaus
tablespoon, tablespoonfuls
taboo (Maori tapu).
tae kwon do three words.
Taieri
Taliban
tail-light
Taiwan not Formosa; inhabitants are Taiwanese.
Tarbert St Alexandra.
targeted, targeting
taskforce one word.
takeoff (aircraft) one word.
takeover (noun); to take over (verb).
Takitimu Mountains
tarakihi, not terekihi.
Taumarunui
taxi, taxis, noun; but taxies, taxied, taxiing as a verb; taxidriver.
Tb (abbrev for tuberculosis).
T-ball
teachers college, has no apos-trophe.
team-mate
teams in sports take singular verbs, ie, "the team is'' not "are.''
teargas, teargassed
teatree one word, manuka; not ti tree (which is the cabbage tree). But prefer manuka.
Technicolor is a trade name.
teetotaller
tefrom (breed of sheep, quarter texel, quarter east friesian, half romney).
Teheran
telecast (noun); televise (verb).
telephone numbers are not hyphenated.
telltale
Temperatures Celsius, not Fahrenheit, but in cases of extremes (for example, frosts) Fahrenheit can be relevant. Say 10degC. If using Fahrenheit, write 10degF. Temperatures become higher or lower, not hotter or colder.
ten-eighty poison we take 1080.
tenpin bowling
tenses should not be switched without careful thought. Normally, you will be writing about events that have happened in the past, so use the past tense. When you use the present or future tenses, make sure the events you are describing cannot be overtaken by other developments. For example, it is silly to report police are seeking someone when by the time the paper appears, he might be caught.
tenterhooks
terminate is stilted for end.
Terrace Tower Queenstown.
test tube
Te Wae Wae Bay
Thailand not Siam.
that, which see which.
Thatcher, Lady Margaret, the Baronness Thatcher.
the do not abandon the definite article (or the indefinite article). We still take the Invercargill District Court.
The Taieri High School note the definite article.
the Warehouse, the National Bank no cap T for the.
there is, there are often waste words. It is better to say "The weather was poor'' than "There was poor weather.''
theatresports one word.
thieves not thiefs.
Third World
Thompson's Bush in Invercargill.
threshold
Throne (royal) is capped, when talking of the Throne; otherwise lower case.
throw-in (sport), hyphen; but to throw in.
Tiananmen Square Beijing.
tiebreaker
tie-dye, tie-dyed, tie-dyeing
time 7pm yesterday or 7 o'clock last night NEVER 7pm last night or 7am in the morning.
times of sporting events can be reported in abbreviated form, eg, 3hr 6min 50.9sec, thereafter 3:6.50. But in general, hours, minutes and seconds are spelt out — "The meeting lasted 3 hours 10 minutes.'' All times should be recorded with figures and letters — 9.15am, 10.05pm.
time zones in stories happening outside our time zone we take both times. Give the time of origin first with the New Zealand time in brackets. Please take care in converting such times.
timeframe one word
tip-off is banned unless referring to what happens at the start of a netball game (not a passoff, that's basketball); tip is the correct term when referring to something police hope to get.
Titles should come before the name unless the name is more important or the title is cumbersome. See also abbreviations, acronyms, honorifics, police ranks and contractions.
Toastmasters ITC International Training in Communication.
toboggan
Todd, Brent former rugby league player.
toetoe, grass; toitoi, fish.
Toetoes, near Fortrose.
Toi Tois the name of some clubs, Presbyterian parish.
toheroa no plural.
Tokanui (Southland).
Tokonui (North Island).
Tolkien J R R (spaces in initials)
ton in cricket
tonsillitis
topdressing one word.
totalizator
totalled
touchline one word; touch judge is two words.
towards, not toward.
Tower (of London) is capped.
townhouse one word.
track Milford track, etc, the track is lower case.
trade names should be avoided if possible but if used, they should be capped.
Trade Me two words.
tradeoff one word.
Traford St in Gore.
Trafford Inn Gore hotel.
trailbike
trailblazing one word.
tranquillisers
transsexual, having the physical and psychological characteristics of the opposite sex; transvestite, one who dresses in garments of the opposite sex.
trans-Tasman, trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic
Tranz Rail, Tranz Link two words.
travelled
trialist, trialed, trialling
trier (god loves one)
trillion, one thousand billion in the US and now widely accepted.
trolley, trolleybus one word.
trooping the colour is lower case and has no "of''
Tropic of Cancer, Capricorn capped.
Trustpower one word
tryline
try to not try and.
T-shirt
Tuatapere Medical Trust leases rooms in the hospital for the doctor's surgery; Tuatapere Hospital Trust runs the hospital building.
tunnelhouse one word
turbid muddy; turgid, bombastic.
turkish bath, turkish delight, lower case.
Turnbull Thomson Park
turnover
TV the short form is acceptable. NB TV One, TV2, TV3, TV4.
Type 2 diabetes (cap T)
typist never with an "e''.
tyre not tire.
tyro
txt
U-boat capped and hyphen.
unco-ordinated
UFO, UFOs (unidentified flying objects) spell out in the first instance.
ukeleles
ultimatum, ultimatums
ultra vires beyond control.
unanimity
unanimous-without dissent with vote; unanimous means everyone voted the same way; without dissent means there were no voices raised against the proposal. If a vote is on voices it has to be without dissent because you cannot know if someone abstained.
unbalance (verb), throw off balance; imbalance (noun), lack of balance.
under, below, beneath not always interchangeable. Watch the shades of meaning.
under-16, under-18, adjectival; otherwise, under 16, under 18.
underage, one word adjectivally
under-rate
under-secretary (hyphen). No capital required without a name and title.
undertaker is best replaced by funeral director.
underwater, as an adjective, is one word; but under water (two words) predicatively.
under way two words.
unequivocal not unequivocable.
Unesco UN agency, well-known enough to stand alone.
unexceptionable no fault to be found with; unexceptional, not out of the ordinary.
unforeseen
uninterested not interested; disinterested, unbiased.
unique There are no degrees of uniqueness. Something cannot be rather unique. Therefore, be careful that what you are describing is unique.
unit has now been adopted in several jargons. Avoid cooking units (stoves), house units (homes) or power units (engines).
United Kingdom Spell out in first instance, then UK. It includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But preferably Britain, British.
United Nations at first mention, then UN
United States (not American) Ambassador, Embassy and so on. Spell out in the first instance then US, but not USA.
USSR see Soviet Union.
unmistakable not -eable.
unnamed
unshakable
until or till, never "up until'' or "up till''.
unwieldy not unweildy.
upcoming is banned; coming will do.
up and coming banned.. Try promising.
up and running banned.
up-to-date (adjective) hyphenated; otherwise three words, no hyphens.
upward for the adjective; upwards for the adverb — They looked upward; they found upwards of 40 cases.
usage should not be used when use is meant, which is usually the case.
user pays
usher for both men and women.
utilise, utilisation are banned. Write use.
utopia is lower case unless a direct reference to Sir Thomas More's imaginary island.
Valentine's Day
van lower case in foreign names, although sometimes anglicised, when they are capped. Check.
variegated
Vanuatu formerly New Hebrides.
varsity lower case and no apostrophe, but prefer university.
vaseline lower case but prefer petroleum jelly.
Vatican City stands alone in datelines.
VE Day Victory in Europe; VJ Day Victory in Japan — the end of World War 2.
veld not veldt.
venetian (blind, glass), lower case.
vengeance
veranda not -ah.
Verdon College (named after the Most Rev Michael Verdon).
vermilion colour.
versus, v Use the abbreviation in sports reports — Southland v Otago; and in court reports if necessary — Crown v John Smith. However, in ordinary news stories, it should be spelt out.
vertebra each section of the backbone; vertebrae, plural.
very should only be used in direct speech.
very high frequency VHF is acceptable in all references.
veto, vetoes, vetoing
viable is overworked. It means capable of independent life or (of plan) feasible.
vice a device for gripping materials.
vice-admiral hyphen.
vice-captain
vice-president lower case for organisation and in general but capped when a specific vice-president of a country.
vice-regal
vice versa two words.
vie, vied, vying
vienna (bread), lower case.
Vietnam, Vietcong, Vietmin one word.
vilify
vinaigrette
vintner is not a winemaker but a wine-seller.
vinyl lower case.
vitamins lower case vitamin but use a capital letter and/or figure for the type — vitamin C, vitamin B-12.
VJ Day Victory in Japan — the end of World War 2.
V-neck noun and adjective, capital V.
vocalise banned.
volcano, volcanoes, volcanologist not vulcanologist.
Volkswagen
volt lower case.
vortex, vortexes
votes always use figures when giving totals, "The Invercargill City Council last night voted 10-6 in favour of ...'' To make totals of more than 1000 easier to read, use the word "To'' — "A vote of 6583 to 1267.'' However, take care in construction as this is sometimes not the best way of recording votes. unanimous-without dissent with vote; unanimous means everyone voted the same way; without dissent means there were no voices raised against the proposal. If a vote is on voices it has to be without dissent because you cannot know if someone abstained.
Vote: Education (or other Government departments) is the Government budget for the department. It is jargon and best avoided. Say the education budget.
wage-fixing
wagon (not -gg-).
Waianiwa
Waikaia small town 24km north-east of Riversdale in Northern Southland. Road goes on to Piano Flat.
Waikaka small town 25km north of Gore in Eastern Southland. Turn off road going to Tapanui.
Waikana district 11km from Mataura in Lower Mataura Valley on back road to Wyndham.
Waikawa small harbour on southern coast south from Tokanui. On southern scenic route.
Waikouaiti
Wainui, Arni principal of Te Wharekura O Arowhenua, the Maori emersion school.
Wainuiomata
Waiorau Snow Farm
waistcoat one word.
waiter male; waitress female.
Wakari (Dunedin), not Wai-.
Wakatipu (Queenstown); Wakapatu (near Colac Bay); Wakatipu basin lower case.
Walkman is a brand name, use personal cassette or CD, unless in police file, then check.
warlord, wartime one word.
washhouse one word.
Washington, DC the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia; there is also the state of Washington, north of California.
Warehouse, the lower case
watchhouse
watermark, waterline one word.
water-ski
wavelength one word.
Waverley suburb of Invercargill.
Waxy O'Shea's
weak-kneed
weather not weather conditions. Temperatures do not become hotter or colder but higher, lower. See temperatures.
Weather forecasts or information should be attributed to the body making the forecast, eg, MetService or Blue Skies. The paper should not carry the responsibility.
Webb Ellis Trophy (not cup) in the Rugby World Cup.
website is lower case. Web addresses and phone numbers may be used in stories only with the approval of the editor. When putting website addresses in a story they are [command]tfhe, [command]mf.
Wedding anniversaries: Traditional: 1st, cotton; 2nd, paper; 3rd, leather; 4th, fruit and flowers; 5th, wooden; 6th, sugar; 7th, woollen; 8th, salt (or bronze); 9th, copper; 10th, tin (or aluminium); 11th, steel (or copper); 12th, silk and fine linen; 13th, lace; 14th, pottery (or ivory); 15th, crystal; 20th, china; 25th, silver; 30th, pearl; 35th, jade (or coral); 40th ruby; 45th, sapphire (or amethyst); 50th, golden; 55th, emerald; 60th, diamond; 65th, blue sapphire; 70th, platinum.
Modern: 1st, clocks; 2nd, china; 3rd, crystal, glass; 4th, electrical appliances; 5th, silverware; 6th, wood; 7th, desk sets; 8th, linen, laces; 9th, leather; 10th, diamond jewellery; 11th, fashion jewellery; 12th, pearls, coloured gems; 13th, textiles, furs; 14th, gold jewellery; 15th, watches; 20th, platinum; 25th, silver hollow-ware; 30th, diamond; 35th, jade; 40th, ruby; 50th, golden jubilee; 55th, emerald; 60th, diamond jubilee.
Wedgwood
Weeks Book Week, Holy Week (capped).
weekend at the weekend, not during, but preferably be specific (on Saturday).
weightlifter
weights and measures are all to be in metric unless there is a good reason approved by the news editor (see metric measures.) If imperial measures are necessary, use figures (close up to figures, no -s, no points), eg, 8lb 8oz.
weimaraner breed of dog.
Weipa
weird (not -ie-).
welfare state lower case.
well-being
well-known is a term to be avoided.
well-to-do
West the (not the compass point), the Western World and Western Hemisphere are capped.
West Bank, East Bank (of the Jordan) should be capped when of political significance.
West Coast (South Island) is capped.
Western Australia is preferred to West Australia, except in headings.
Western World
Westminster Abbey
Westpac
Whakarewarewa
wharves not wharfs.
whereabouts is singular, eg, "Her whereabouts is unknown.''
whether or not; wether, sheep; weather, wind, rain etc.
which is used to convert what could be an independent sentence into a subordinate clause by taking the place of the noun, or to introduce a clause not essential for identification, "Our Father, which art in heaven.'' That is used to introduce a defining clause essential to identification. It can often be omitted, "The people that you got it from.'' As a clue to getting it right, only use which after a comma.
while never whilst.
whingeing
wind farm
windscreen
whip (parliamentary) is lower case.
whirling
whirr (two r's).
whisky (Scotch); whiskey (Irish, American bourbon).
White Paper (on defence, for example) is capped.
Who applies to the subject of a sentence, whom to the object. Who's is the shortened form of "who is'' or "who has'' and is not
an alternative for the possessive whose.
whoa not woa.
whys and wherefores, no apostrophe.
wicketkeeper one word.
widow do not use "widow of the late.''
wield (not -ei-).
Wielemaker Frank, Queenstown policeman.
wiener schnitzel
Wilsons Crossing
wines most are lower case even when derived from place names such as burgundy or champagne. Caps are needed only when the name does not necessarily suggest wines (Barossa wines, Hawkes Bay wines, Rhone wines) or as a trade name. See champagne.
wing or wing threequarter not winger (rugby).
winter where it does not begin a sentence, is lower case, as are all seasons.
Wintergardens Queenstown.
-wise Take care when using this suffix. It has become slang but is correct as lengthwise, otherwise, clockwise.
withhold not withold.
witness (verb) is stilted for see.
Wollongong
Wolseley
Woman's Weekly New Zealand; Women's Weekly Australia.
women should receive the same treatment as men in all areas of coverage. Physical descriptions, sexist references, demeaning stereotypes and condescending phrases should be avoided. Copy should not assume maleness when both sexes are involved as in "the taxpayer ... he'' when "taxpayers ... they'' can be just as easily said. Nor should it mention clothes, looks or family relationships — "the Mayor, Mr Smith, who has five grandchildren'' — when it has no relevance to the subject. Women must be asked what honorific they prefer. See honorifics. This does NOT mean that perfectly acceptable words such as mankind or humanity should be avoided.
woodchip
woolbroker, woolbuyer, wool-grower, woolhandler, one word.
Wools of New Zealand fomerly the Wool Board.
worcester sauce
workforce
working class (noun); working-class (adjective), eg, they are working class; their working-class background.
workload
workman, workmate
World Bank capped, but the bank.
World War 1, World War 2 but world wars; third world war
worldwide one word.
world wide web
worth of ... banned as in $2000 worth of damage.
worthwhile
wrack see "rack''.
wreak havoc.
wrist watch not wristlet; generally, watch will suffice if it is a wrist watch; if it is some other kind of watch, be specific.
wrongdoing
Wronz Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand, sufficient as Wronz.
wrought iron
Xerox is a trade name; use photocopying machine, photocopy and so on.
-xion (suffix); use -ction.
Xmas not to be used in news stories.
X-rated (movies), cap, hyphen.
x-ray no cap, hyphen.
Yale is a trade name for key or lock; use key or lock.
yaws is a contagious skin disease. Treat as singular, "Yaws is a bacterial disease.''
yearling is an animal 1-year-old or in its second year. The birthdays of all thoroughbred and standardbred horses are arbitrarily set on August 1. On that day, any foal born in the preceding year is reckoned to be 1 year old.
year-long
years take figures without commas — 1975; dates, also with commas, eg, June 12, 1996, but June 1966. Use an "s'' without an apostrophe for decades, the 1960s. When contracting years, an apostrophe is needed, '93.
yield
YMCA well enough known not to be written out in full.
yoghurt
Young Farmers Club no apostrophe.
yours (as in yours truly), no apostrophe.
yo-yo
Yugoslavia
ZANU Zimbabwe African National Union.
ZAPU Zimbabwe African People's Union.
zero, zeros
zero-fee scheme
zigzag
zoo alone, is lower case, but Auckland Zoo, San Diego Zoo.
zoological names:The genus is capped, the species is lower case. The variety is capped in the first word and in parentheses, eg, Pseudopanax crassifolium (Pupurii).
Sports events are capped when named in full, such as the Davis Cup, French Open, Monaco Grand Prix. On their own, cup, open, grand prix are lower case.
blindside
breaststroke
centre-half
centre-threequarters
convener
cross-country
defeat against, defeated by — use loss or lost to instead
five-eighths
Formula One, F1 acceptable after first mention and in headlines.
free kick
freestyle
fullback
fulltime
X1 use cricket 11
XV – use rugby 15
Fifa – acceptable in its abbreviated form.
game plan
games or matches are interchangeable.
Games capped for Olympic, Commonwealth and Special Olympics.
gearbox
goal attack two words
goal keep two words
goalkeeper
goalkicker, goalkicking
goal-line
halfback
half-marathon
halftime
halfway
hat-trick
heavyweight
inside-left
interprovincial
IRB acceptable for International Rugby Board after first mention
kickoff (noun) one word; kick off (verb) two words.
left-field
left half
left-hander
left wing
leg bye
lightweight
light-heavyweight
linesman
lineout
loose forward
match play
middleweight
passoff happens at the start of a basketball game (not a tip-off, that's netball)
prizemoney
putt
quarter-final
right-field
second-rower
semi-final
shot put
sideline
silly-leg
silly-point
skier
skiing
standoff
standout
stroke play
synchronised swimming
team and side are both acceptable
team-mates
tennis results, 6-4, 6-4.
throw-in
tip-off happens at the start of a netball game (not a passoff, that's basketball)
ton in cricket
touchdown
touch judge
touchline
tryline
undefeated only for boxers, all the rest are unbeaten
under-rated
water polo
weightlifter wicketkeeper
wing or wing threequarter not winger.