AM style guide
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A
a whole range
Use “a range” if you must, or perhaps just “many”.
AA, The
The AA, not "... the AA ..."
abbreviations
Do not use full points in abbreviations, or spaces between initials: ACFO, BVRLA, SMMT, BIK, mph, 4am, No 10, etc. Spell out less well-known abbreviations on first mention; it is not necessary to spell out well-known ones, such as EU, PCP. Use all caps only if the abbreviation is pronounced as the individual letters; otherwise spell the word out: the BBC, ICI, VAT, but Isa, Nato. There are always going to be exceptions to this.
accents
Use on foreign words (Citroën, Škoda), but use common sense – an accent is not needed on cafe, but its lack would make an exposé meaningless.
act
Upper case when using full name, eg Criminal Justice Act 1998, Official Secrets Act; but lower case on second reference, eg ‘the act’, and when speaking in more general terms, eg “we need a radical freedom of information act". Bills remain lower case until passed into law.
action/actioned
Strictly speaking, it can be used as a verb. Please don't.
actively encouraged
“Actively” is redundant. How do you passively encourage someone?
AdBlue
One word, upper case B. Generically known as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), AdBlue is fine in copy. Not all Euro 6 engines use AdBlue.
added bonus
The “added” is redundant.
addresses
AM, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6EA.
admitted/admits
This suggests that something has been concealed. Use acknowledged, or just said.
adverbs
Do not use hyphens after adverbs ending in -ly, eg a hotly disputed penalty, a constantly evolving newspaper, genetically modified food, etc; but hyphens are needed with short and common adverbs, eg ill-prepared report, hard-bitten hack.
adviser
Not advisor.
affect/effect
Affect is probably the verb you are looking for. It can have an effect (noun) or you can effect change (verb).
AFV
Spell out – "alternative fuel vehicles (AFV)" – at first mention.
ageing
With the e. But whining, pasting, shuffling etc.
agenda
Is singular. The plural is agendas.
ages
"Benoit Dilly, 49,"; "...the director has a son, Thomas, four, and a daughter, Thomasina, 16..."; "he has worked in automotive retail since his 20s".
AGM
Not agm.
air conditioning
Two words. No hyphen.
air-con
Hyphenate.
all right
Is correct.
alternative fuel vehicles (AFV)
Not "alternatively fuelled vehicles" or "alternative fuelled vehicles".
AM Awards
No italics.
AM100
No italics.
AM250
No Italics.
amidst
Use amid.
among
Not amongst. Similarly, while, not whilst.
ampersand
Use in company names when the company does: Marks & Spencer, P&O
am/pm
No full points.
an
Use an only if the h is silent: an hour, an heir; but a hero, a hotel, a historian.
an increasing number of
Or "more".
another (when talking about numbers)
Another' refers to a quantity already stated. Use 'further'.
anticipate
Not the same as expect – it means to take action in expectation of something.
any more
Two words
apostrophes
Some plural nouns have no ‘s’, eg children. These take an apostrophe and ‘s’ in the possessive, eg children's games, gentlemen's outfitter, old folk's home. The possessive in words and names ending in s normally takes an apostrophe followed by a second s (Jones's, James's). Use apostrophes in phrases such as in two days’ time, 12 years' imprisonment and six weeks’ holiday, where the time period (two days) modifies a noun (time), but not in nine months pregnant or three weeks old, where the time period is adverbial (modifying an adjective such as pregnant or old) — if in doubt, test with a singular such as one day’s time, one month pregnant.
Its does not take an apostrophe.
Apple CarPlay
Not CarPlay.
approximately
Use 'about' when you are talking about figures.
armed forces
Lower case, but the Army, the Navy, the RAF.
around
Use 'about' when you are talking about figures.
At the end of the day…
Banned.
Auto Trader
Two words.
autumn statement
Lower case.
awards, prizes, medals
Lower case, eg Fleet News manager of the year award.
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B
B segment, C segment
Cap B, small s. Hyphenate when used adjectivally: "a C-segment leader" but "a leader in the C segment"
begs the question
Probably does not mean what you think it does. Use "raises the question" instead.
benefit-in-kind tax
Spell out at first instance, then BIK.
bespoke
BANNED. It is usually meaningless, but never more so than in "Company X tailors bespoke solutions to fit the needs of each of its clients."
bid
Unless it is referring to an auction, use attempt.
big
Usually preferable to major, massive, giant, huge, monster, mammoth, brobdingnagian, etc, particularly in news copy.
BIK
Spell out benefit-in-kind tax in the first instance, then BIK afterwards.
bill
Lower case, as in private member's bill; criminal justice reform bill. Usually capped should they become acts of parliament: The Criminal Justice Reform Act.
billion
Spell out billion at first reference on numerals; bn thereafter. It means one thousand million, not one million million. People are always billion. Use bn in headlines.
blind-spot monitoring
Note the hyphen. However, it is used for monitoring blind spots.
boasts, boasting
Banned where you mean "has", as in: "The car boasts four doors."
book titles
Italicise. Lower case for a, an, and, of, on, the (unless they are the first word of the title): A Tale of Two Cities, The Pride and the Passion, etc
boot volume / cargo volume
Boot volume in litres, cargo volume in cubic metres.
both
Unnecessary in most sentences that contain “and”; “both men and women” says no more than “men and women”, and takes longer.
brace, a
Means two of something, not many.
brackets
If the sentence is logically and grammatically complete without the information contained within the parentheses (round brackets), the punctuation stays outside the brackets. (A complete sentence that stands alone in parentheses starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.)
Brexit
Refers to Britain's exit from the EU, which hasn't happened yet, so avoid attributing changes in the economy to Brexit. The only thing we can attribute those changes to so is "the EU referendum" or, at a push, "the vote for Brexit". Either way, never refer to "a Brexit" or "the Brexit".
Britain, UK
These terms are synonymous: Britain is the official short form of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Used as adjectives, therefore, British and UK mean the same. Great Britain, however, refers only to England, Wales and Scotland.
Budget, the
Upper case when referring to the annual spending plan presented to parliament by the Chancellor, or in "Budget 2016". However, "an austerity budget". No longer autumn or winter. Specify "last November's Budget" or "the 2017 Budget" if you wish.
bull's-eye
Apostrophe and hyphen.
Burma
Not Myanmar.
business minister
A junior minister with a business portfolio. Use "business secretary" for the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
business secretary
Not synonymous with "business minister".
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C
cabinet, shadow cabinet
Lower case
captions
No full point.
cardinal points
Lower case – north, south, east, west, north-east, etc.
cargo volume / boot volume
Cargo volume in cubic metres; boot volume in litres.
carmaker
One word.
car measurements
In metres please, not mm.
car names
DS 3 (note space), but Citroën C4 (no space); Mercedes-Benz C-Class (hyphen) but BMW 3 Series (no hyphen); Mazda3 (no space), but Mazda MX-5 (space); MG3 (no space) but MG ZS (space); Toyota Rav4 (not RAV4); Smart, not smart; Mini, not MINI.
car tax
Specify the type of tax to avoid any confusion – cars can be subject to vehicle excise duty (VED), benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax and VAT.
CarPlay
Use Apple CarPlay.
cash flow
Two words.
C-Class
Mercedes-Benz model names take a hyphen, unlike BMW (3 Series, 5 Series).
celsius
Prefer to fahrenheit; 23C. Take care when converting temperature changes – it is easy to mistake a 2C change (about 4F) with 2C (about 36F).
chairman
Not chairman/chairwoman.
Chancellor
Upper case for the specific role: "...the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, ...".
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Prefer the Chancellor.
Channel 4
Not Channel Four.
chassis
Singular and plural.
chief constable
A job, not a title — John Smith, chief constable of Greater Manchester; Smith at second mention.
Christie's
The London auction house takes an apostrophe.
chronic
Means lasting for a long time or constantly recurring, too often misused to mean acute (short but severe).
Citroën
With the umlaut. Citroën model names do not take a space - Citroën C3.
cliches
Overused words and phrases to be avoided include: back burner, boost (massive or otherwise), major, massive, raft of measures, surge, soar, going forward, bottom line, heads up, will be rolled out to, ongoing, prioritise, pushing the envelope, singing from the same hymn sheet, thinking outside the box, close of play and many many more.
click-through
Hyphenate.
collision
Strictly speaking, two objects have to be in motion to collide. Prefer crash or spell out the exact nature of the accident.
commas
In general, avoid using commas following an 'and' in lists (the Oxford comma), but use your judgement to avoid sentences such as – ""This style guide is dedicated to my parents, Beyoncé and Jeremy Corbyn.”
Use commas when listing, not semicolons. Unless listing items that require a comma – e.g. "I travelled to Bristol, England; Brussels, Belgium; and Paris, France". Or: "I’d most like to have dinner with Michael Jordan, the world’s greatest basketball player; Ferenc Puskas, the great (but dead) Hungarian footballer; and Lou Reed, the lead singer of The Velvet Underground."
commented
Use said. Same for remarked, exclaimed, whispered, opined, screamed, uttered, shared, held forth. Use said every time.
Commons committees
They are lower case. Most are select, but some (legislative, general) are not. Full list at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/
common sense
Two words in normal use, but hyphenated adjectivally: "a common-sense approach to driver safety checks".
company names
In general, use the names that the companies use themselves, but use your judgement. Emac is preferable to EMaC. Companies are singular – it, not they.
compared to
Compared with. 'Compare to' means 'liken to' as in "nothing compares to you".
CO2MPAS
All caps, no subscript 2, even though it breaks the general rule.
complement/compliment/complimentary
To complement is to make complete: the cigars and brandy complemented each other; to compliment is to praise; a complimentary copy is free.
complimentary
Use 'free'.
comprises
No 'of'.
confessed
Unless it's to a priest or a policeman, use said.
congestion charge zone
CCZ at second mention. lower case. Specify city.
consult
Not 'consult with'.
contemporary
Means 'of the same period'. If you mean modern, write modern.
Continent, the
Use 'mainland Europe'.
continual
Refers to things that happen repeatedly, but not constantly.
continuous
Refers to things happening in an unbroken sequence.
contractions
Avoid contractions – aren't, can't, couldn't, hasn't, don't, I'm, it's, there's and what's – we produce business publications that deserve to be taken seriously; we are not chatting informally.
conversions
Where to begin? Metric for some – Nm (not lb-ft), PS (not hp); car and truck weights and lengths in kg and metres, CO2 emissions in g/km,etc; imperial for others – mpg; both for some – pence per mile (ppm). Dealership areas in acres or square feet. It is inconsistent, but most people get it.
convince/persuade
Convince involves only a change of mind or opinion, if the change involves taking action it should be persuade: "She convinced him it was a mistake. She persuaded him to stay."
coordinate
No hyphen.
countries
Like companies, are singular: "The US is ...".
coupé
Note the accent.
crescendo or climax?
A crescendo is a gradual increase in loudness or intensity; musically or figuratively, it is the build-up to a climax, not the climax itself. It is never reached.
criterion
Singular. Plural is criteria.
currencies
Use symbols for £, $ and €. 1p, 99p, $1, €1.33. Spell out all other currencies, lower case. Convert all currency amounts to sterling unless in a direct quote. Give sterling equivalents in brackets after references to foreign currencies.
currently
Means now. 'Presently' means soon. Neither is usually necessary.
cutbacks
Just use cuts.
cybercrime
One word.
cybersecurity
One word.
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D
Daf
Not DAF.
dangling modifiers
Avoid modifiers that do not refer clearly and logically to some word in the sentence.
"Running for a bus, the pavement tripped her up."
"After being beaten, his doctor said Tom was lucky to be alive."
In these examples, the meaning is that the pavement was running and the doctor was beaten up, which is presumably not what happened. Take care that the modifier, the phrase that seeks to describe a person or thing, and what it modifies are clearly associated.
dashcam
One word.
dates
Day, month, numeral, year – Wednesday, January 13, 1999. No 'th'.
decades
Write in full - 1960s, 1990s, 2000s.
DEF
Diesel exhaust fluid. Prefer AdBlue (even though it is a trademark) in copy.
defleet
No hyphen.
depending/dependent
Not interchangeable – "I’m depending on an answer from you. What I do in future is dependent on it.
different from
Or to, not different than.
digital
Is not a noun. It can describe marketing, sales, data, examination, etc. On its own it is meaningless, e.g.: "Dealers need to get better at digital"
discreet
Means careful in your choice of words.
discrete
Means separate.
disinterested
Means free from bias. Uninterested means bored.
disparate
Not the same as separate - it means not able to be compared.
disrupter
With an 'e' when referring to people who, for example, disrupt 'tech'.
dos and don'ts
Note the apostrophes.
drink-drive
Hyphenate. Also drink-driving and drug-driving.
Drivetech
Prefers to be called "DriveTech, part of The AA", not AA DriveTech.
driving licence
Not driver's licence.
DS
Model names take a space - DS 3. Confusingly, when writing about historic DS models, they did not take a space - Citroën DS3.
DVLA
Spell out at first mention: "... Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)...".
DVSA
Spell out at first mention: "... the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)...".
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E
e-commerce
But email.
eco-warriors
Hyphenate.
e.g.
Use the full points.
effectively
Effectively means that an intended effect was achieved. If you mean "in effect", write that.
eke
To make something last. Not eek.
e-learning
Note the hyphen.
elicit
Means to evoke or draw out (e.g. a response). See illicit.
But e-commerce.
en masse
Not "on mass". If you're a Francophobe, write "in bulk".
enquire/enquiry
Prefer enquire/enquiry unless you are writing about an investigation.
ensure
Means to make certain. Insure means to indemnify against risk.
etc.
With the full point.
EU
No need to spell it out.
euro
Use the symbol (€) for amounts. In describing the currency it is lower case currency; plural is euros (and cents).
Europe
Whether or not Britain remains in the EU, Britain is part of Europe, so try to avoid referring to "vehicles launching in Europe" if they are not also launching in the UK. Prefer "mainland Europe" if you need to make the distinction.
European Commission
Use 'the commission' after first mention.
Euro 6
And "Euro 6-compliant"
eurozone
One word. Lower case.
every day
Means something happens once each time the earth completes a revolution on its axis.
everyday
Means commonplace.
eVHC
Spell out at first mention: "electronic vehicle health check (eVHC)". Lower case e
Exchequer, the
Cap E.
exclamation point
Banned!
explained
Use said.
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F
fahrenheit
Use celsius.
far east
But Middle East.
far, farther, farthest
Only for distances; otherwise further, furthest.
fascia
Not facia.
FCA
Financial Conduct Authority. Spell out at first mention, then FCA.
fewer/less
Fewer means smaller in number, eg fewer coins; less means smaller in quantity, eg less money.
figures
Spell out from one to nine; integers from 10 to 999,999; thereafter 1m, 3.2bn (except for people and animals, eg 2 million viewers, 8 billion cattle)
Financial Ombudsman
Note the caps.
financial years
2004/2005, not 2004-2005.
firm
Try to avoid because it has a strict legal meaning. Usually you mean company. It is sometimes unavoidable in headlines.
first
Then second, third etc; spell out up to ninth, then 10th, 21st, millionth.
first ever
The 'ever' is redundant.
flack
Slang for a PR person.
flak
Anti-aircraft fire or criticism – "taking flak".
Fleet 200
One word. No italics.
Fleet News
Italicise. Likewise AM, Commercial Fleet, Driving Business.
Fleet News Awards
No italics.
flip side
Two words.
FN50
No italics.
flounder/founder
To flounder is to perform a task badly or uncertainly. To founder is to fail, or in the case of a boat, to sink.
focus, focused, focusing
One 's'.
forensic
Has a specific meaning relating to crime and the law. If somebody has analysed something in great detail, write that.
forever
Means continually – I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles. 'For ever' means always.
fractions
Two thirds, three quarters, etc., but two-and-a-half when used adjectivally – "two-and-a-half times faster". No need to hyphenate when just a noun – "one half of the population drive cars".
free fall
As a noun – "in free fall" – it is two words.
free-for-all
Note hyphens.
fuel card
Two words.
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G
GAP insurance
At first instance. GAP thereafter. Stands for guaranteed asset protection, but no need to spell it out.
gender
It is best to avoid constructions that assume all of our audiences are male: "Dealers who value their customers" rather than " A dealer who values his customers".
general election
Lower case.
geography
Distinct areas are capped up: Black Country, East Anglia, Lake District, Midlands, Peak District, West Country. Areas defined by compass points are lower case: the north of England, the south-east, the south-west, etc
going forward/moving forward
BANNED. It is utterly meaningless and what is the alternative? Leave it out.
government
"The Government" when referring to the current entity that governs Britain, but lowercase for other countries – "the Swiss government" – or in general language – "government departments", "local government", "previous governments", "the government of the time".
Government departments
"Attorney General's Office
Cabinet Office (but the cabinet).
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Department for Communities and Local Government
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Education (DfE)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Department for Exiting the European Union
Department for International Development
Department for International Trade
Department for Transport (DfT)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Department of Health
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
Her Majesty's Treasury (the Treasury)
Home Office
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Northern Ireland Office (not Northern Irish Office)
Office of the Advocate General for Scotland
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords
Scotland Office (not Scottish Office)
UK Export Finance
Wales Office (not Welsh Office)
Lower case when departments are abbreviated, eg environment department, transport department.
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H
handicapped
Do not use to refer to people with disabilities or learning difficulties. Similarly, disabled parking spaces, not handicapped parking.
hard-top
Hyphenate.
harebrained
Not hairbrained.
has made the decision to
Just write "decided to".
has plans to
Just write "plans to", or even better, "will".
has seen
Inanimate objects or business organisations cannot "see" anything. Often used in the construction: "Company X has seen growth of 25% in its profits". Just write: "Company X's profits grew 25%"
hat-trick
Hyphenate.
head-up display
Not heads. Note the hyphen.
headlines
Headlines, more than any other element of what we write, need to be active.
In print editions, avoid overusing headlines that follow the same construction – questions (Does the FCA mean the end of dealer finance?); colons (Dealer finance: FCA rules may kill F&I industry); How to-s, ‘How I …' or ‘Why I...’.
Also beware headline cliches – one recent issue of AM almost went to print with four headlines that referred to something being the key to something else.
There should be a comma before ‘says’.
Headlines used in body copy, such as when referring to past issues, should be encased in single quote marks.
heads up (as in leads)
Just write heads (or leads).
hi-tech
Not high-tech. Similarly, hi-fi.
High Court
Upper case.
Highways Agency
Highways England since April 2015.
hike
A nice country walk OR hackneyed journalistic shorthand for an increase. Do not use.
HMRC
No need to spell out.
Holland
The Netherlands.
home counties
Lower case.
homepage
One word.
honorifics
Full name at first mention. Subsequently, surname only – no 'Mr'. Exceptions include barons, knights and dames, or where a person has requested we include their title, such as Dr or Prof.
horsepower
Use PS. No need to convert.
hp
Use PS. No need to convert.
hyphens
Use hyphens to form compound adjectives, eg two-tonne vessel, three-year deal, 19th-century artist. Do not use hyphens after adverbs ending in -ly, eg a hotly disputed penalty, a constantly evolving newspaper, genetically modified food, etc; but hyphens are needed with short and common adverbs, eg ill-prepared report, hard-bitten hack; a little-used car.
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I
I was stood
Unless you want the next words to be "...up against a wall and shot" this is banned, banned, banned. Substitute almost any other verb and you will see how awful this sounds ("I was ran"; "I was wrote"). Same applies for "I was sat".
ICFM
No need to spell out - the Institute of Car Fleet Management has formally renamed itself.
ID50
No italics.
i.e.
Use the full points.
illicit
Means illegal. See elicit.
inquire/inquiry
Prefer enquire/enquiry unless you are writing about an investigation.
impact/impacted
For asteroids and bowels only. Use affected.
impracticable
Means impossible, undoable.
impractical
Means possible, but difficult.
in a bid to
Just write 'to'.
in close proximity to
Or as humans say it: "Near".
in excess of
More than.
in the firing line
The people in the firing line are the ones doing the shoooting. If you are being shot at, you are in the line of fire.
in the pipeline
Cliche. Avoid.
inasmuch
One word.
income tax
Lower case, as is national insurance (NI).
infer/imply
To infer is to deduce something from evidence; to imply is to hint at something (and wait for someone to infer it).
initials
No spaces or points, whether businesses or individuals, eg TCH Harrison, ALD Automotive.
Inland Revenue
Use HMRC.
insisted
Just use said.
insure
To indemnify against risk. To make certain something happens is to ensure.
internet
Lower case – not synonymous with the worldwide web.
into
But on to.
introduce a new… / build a new…
Introduce/build.
is at the helm of
Cliché (banned). Use any of: leads, heads, runs, controls, manages etc.
is currently in the process of ...
Just write "is ..."
is located on
No need for located – 'is on'.
it's
Means it is. Its (possessive) takes no apostrophe.
It is this that has....
This has ...
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J
jargon
Best avoided – while we can safely assume the bulk of our print readers understand the meaning of NOx, PCP, gearing, true fleet, overhead absorption, etc, we also have to consider online audiences, who may be coming to a topic cold. Try not to insult anyone's intelligence, but make the meaning understandable to a layman.
job titles
Lower case – editor of Fleet News, governor of the Bank of England, chief executive of Renault, prime minister, etc. But Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister are capped when referring to the person – ""... the Prime Minister, Theresa May"", rather than a general prime minister.
When introducing people in copy, do not use constructions such as ""..., said Fleet News editor-in-chief Stephen Briers yesterday."". It should be ""... said Stephen Briers, the editor-in-chief of Fleet News, yesterday."". Note the commas surrounding the job title.
job-need
Not job need.
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K
k
Do not use in copy to mean 'thousand'. 60,000, not 60k. It is excusable in headlines.
kerb appeal
Not curb appeal.
Kers
Spell out at first mention: "…kinetic energy recovery system (Kers)…".
key
Totally overused word in copy – especially in the hated passive construction "Key to this were ..." Banned
key ring
Two words.
kilogram
kg
kilojoule
kJ
kilometre
km
kilowatt
Upper case W, no need to spell out. The kilowatt (kW) is the unit of measurement of engine power. It is not interchangeable with kilowatt-hour (kWh).
kilowatt-hour
Upper case W, no need to spell out. Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a measurement of battery capacity. It is not interchangeable with kilowatt (kW).
Korea
There is no such country. If referring to the home of Hyundai, SsangYong and Kia, you mean South Korea.
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L
lack-lustre
Note hyphen and spelling.
lane-keep assist
Use "lane keeping assist".
last
Avoid using last as a synonym for latest as it also means final.
Use past rather than last for periods of time: she has worked there for the past 12 months.
learnings
Ridiculous Borat-esque buzzword for "things learned". Use any of: lessons, discoveries, findings or insights instead.
less/fewer
Less means smaller in quantity, eg less money; fewer means smaller in number, eg fewer coins.
Level 4, Level 3
For levels of vehicle autonomy. Cap L plus numeral (follows the same style as Euro 6).
leveraging
Has a specific financial meaning. Do not use in place of "using".
licence
Noun. The verb is to license.
life cycle
Two words.
lifespan
One word. No hyphen.
like/such as
Some pedantry here. 'Like' excludes; 'such as' includes' – when you write "cars like the Seat Ibiza...", it suggests you are thinking of the Ford Fiesta or Vauxhall Corsa or other rivals. If you just intend to provide an example, use "cars such as the Seat Ibiza..."
loan
Noun; the verb is lend.
loathe
Means detest. If you mean unwilling or reluctant, it's loth.
low-emission zone
LEZ at second mention lower case. Specify city if known.
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M
MaaS
Spell out at first instance: ..."introducing 'mobility as a service' (MaaS) .....
major
Overused to mean significant.
makeover
No hyphen.
makeshift
One word.
making the switch
Just write switching.
MAN
All caps – it is pronounced M-A-N, rather than man.
managing director
Never MD in copy. MD is acceptable in headlines and standfirsts.
massive
Overused.
may or might?
Nobody but a grammarian will care about the difference between may and might. However, 'may have' and might have' do differ in a very important way.
'May have' implies that a possibility remains: "The emissions scandal may have killed off Volkswagen's diesel ambitions" means that the matter is not yet settled – VW's diesel ambitions could yet be scuppered. 'Might have' implies that the possibility is closed: "The emissions scandal might have killed off Volkswagen's diesel ambitions" means that it almost happened, but did not.
Consider also the difference between "He drank poison and may have died" (the writer does not know whether the person is alive or dead) and "He drank poison and might have died" (he has not died, but it was a possibility).
Also bear in mind that may means "has permission to" so beware ambiguity in headlines.
mayor of London
Lower case. "The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, ..." at first mention. Khan thereafter.
Mazda3
No space – same for Mazda2 and Mazda6, but Mazda CX-5 and Mazda Mx-5.
MD
Spell out managing director in copy.
meanwhile
Don't use to mean "In other news...". It means "While this has been going on..." or "on the other hand".
meet with, met with
Just use meet or met, unless you want the next words to be "a sticky end".
Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz.
metres
Spell out metres.
Metropolitan Police
The Met at second mention.
MG3
No space, but MG GS.
Middlesbrough
NOT Middlesborough, NOR Middlesboro.
mid-90s, mid-60s
Not mid-1990s.
mileage
Note the 'e'.
million
In copy, use 'm' at second mention for sums of money, units or inanimate objects: £10m, 45m tonnes of coal, 30m doses of vaccine; but million for people or animals: 1 million people, 23 million rabbits, etc. Use m in headlines.
Mini
Not MINI.
minutes and seconds
Use mins and secs: 12 minutes 10 seconds.
MirrorLink
No space. Note the caps.
mitigate
Unless it is a court case, use reduce or alleviate. Never used with 'against' (that's militate).
mobility as a service
Spell out at first instance: ..."introducing 'mobility as a service' (MaaS) ..... Maas thereafter.
more value-driven
Or perhaps just "cheaper".
MOT
All caps.
motor show
Two words.
motorcar, motorcycle
One word.
motorways
Write M1, not M1 motorway.
moving forwards/going forwards/looking forwards
BANNED.
mph
No points.
Mr / Ms / Mrs
None of these should appear in any of our titles.
Myanmar
Use Burma.
myriad of
No 'of'. Many is a better word anyway.
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N
national insurance contributions
Spell out and lower case at first mention, but abbreviated to NIC afterwards.
new, now
Almost always redundant.
newspaper titles
Italicise.
NHS
No need to spell out.
NI / NIC
Spell out and lower case – "national insurance contributions" at first mention, but abbreviate to NIC afterwards.
nitrogen oxides (NOx)
NOx at second reference.
no one
No hyphen.
none
A contraction of "not one", none used to take a singular verb, but can take a plural if it makes the sentence sound better: "none of the Renault 5's issues have been resolved".
none the less
But nevertheless.
notwithstanding
One word.
NOx
Spell out at first instance: nitrogen oxides (NOx). There are more than one. The more damaging of the two is NO2
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O
OBE
People are "made an OBE", they do not receive them. It stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
OEM
Prefer "manufacturer".
offering (as a noun)
BANNED, especially if it is "a bespoke offering".
Office for National Statistics, the
"the ONS" at second mention.
Office of Fair Trading
OFT on second mention.
OK
Do not write "okay".
ongoing
One word.
on to
Not onto. Unlike into.
online
One word.
only
Place it next to the word being modified to avoid ambiguity:
I only eat fish when I'm sick.
I eat fish only when I'm sick.
I eat only fish when I'm sick.
operator's licence
Lower case. Spell out at first instance. O-licence thereafter.
over
Avoid. Prefer more than.
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P
P11D
Not p11d.
part-ex
Use part-exchange at first instance. Note the hyphen.
passed away
Banned. Just say dead or died. Same goes for: demised; passed on; is no more; ceased to be; expired; gone to meet 'is maker; bereft of life; rests in peace; pushing up the daisies; off the twig; kicked the bucket; shuffled off 'is mortal coil; run down the curtain; or joined the choir invisible.
pay-per-click (PPC)
Hyphenate and spell out for the type of advertising. PPC at second mention.
per cent
Means "of 100". Use % in headlines and copy. Beware of confusing percentages with percentage points. Journalists are notoriously poor at working out percentages – here is a handy website that will do it for you – csgnetwork.com/percentchangecalc.html
percentage rises
An increase from 3% to 5% is a two-percentage point increase or a two-point increase, not a 2% increase; any sentence saying “such and such rose or fell by X%” should be considered and checked carefully.
pedalling
What you do on a bike.
peddling
Selling something.
per annum
Prefer "a year".
petrolhead
One word.
PDI
Spell out at first instance: "pre-delivery inspection (PDI)".
pick-up truck
Hyphenate.
pilot
A pilot flies a plane. Either write 'pilot scheme' or 'trial'.
PLC
Upper case.
pm/am
No full points.
Pod Point
Not POD point.
powertrain
One word.
presently
Means soon, not at present.
pressurised
For a tyre, fine. If it is a person or a company, the word is pressured.
prevaricate
Means to lie, not to put off (procrastinate).
preventive
Not preventative.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
one word
Prime Minister
Upper case for the specific UK role, lower case for the head of foreign governments or in general references: "Clement Attlee was voted Britain's greatest prime minister".
principal
Of most importance.
principle
A standard of conduct or belief
proactive
One word.
proceeded to...
Usually redundant.
procrastinate
To delay or defer; often confused with prevaricate.
program
For a computer; otherwise programme.
protester
Not protestor.
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R
raft of measures
BANNED.
ragged copy
Avoid words breaking in ragged copy. If a word must be hyphenated, make sure it sits in one line. Pay attention to brand names such as Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce.
Range Rover
No hyphen.
Rav4
Not RAV4.
re/re-
Use re- (with hyphen) when followed by the vowels e or u (not pronounced as “yu”): eg re-entry, re-examine, re-urge. Use re (no hyphen) when followed by the vowels a, i, o or u (pronounced as “yu”), or any consonant: eg rearm, rearrange, reassemble, reiterate, reorder, reuse, rebuild, reconsider. Exceptions: re-read; or where confusion with another word would arise: re-cover/recover, re-form/reform, re-creation/recreation, re-sign/resign.
realign
No hyphen.
rear-view camera
Note the hyphen.
recent/recently
Avoid: if the date is relevant, use it.
refute
Has a strict meaning: to disprove. Do not confuse with deny, rebut.
road tax
Specify vehicle excise duty (VED) in copy to avoid any confusion with benefit-in-kind (BIK).
rollercoaster
One word.
rolling out the use of
BANNED. Write 'introducing'.
Rolls-Royce
Hyphenate.
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S
salespeople
One word. Similarly, salesperson.
sat-nav
Hyphenate.
seasons
Lower case – spring, summer, autumn, winter.
Seat
Lower case.
segments
B segment, C segment, etc. Cap B, small s. Hyphenate when used adjectivally: "a C-segment leader" but "a leader in the C segment"
semicolon
Use seldom, even if you know how to. One exception is in lists "I travelled to Bristol, England; Brussels, Belgium; and Paris, France"". Or: ""I’d most like to have dinner with Michael Jordan, the world’s greatest basketball player; Ferenc Puskas, the great (but dead) Hungarian footballer; and Lou Reed, the lead singer of The Velvet Underground".
set to
Usually redundant – just write 'to'. In the sense of a plan or an uncertain intention, write 'plans to' or 'may'.
showroom
One word.
skill set
Two words.
Škoda
Note the accent.
slammed
For doors, drawers and tequila. In every other instance, use criticised.
Smart
Not smart.
SMART repair
SMART is upper case. It means Small to Medium Area Repair Technique, but there is no need to spell it out. It is upper case to distinguish it from the car manufacturer.
soft-top
Hyphenate.
solutions
Massively overused and utterly vague. Specify what these things are: technologies, finance offers, what?
South Korea
For the home of Hyundai, SsangYong and Kia, not "Korea".
split infinitives
Are fine.
spokesman
Not spokesman/spokeswoman.
spokesman, spokeswoman
No space.
sports car
Two words.
SsangYong
Double s, cap Y. It is a South Korean manufacturer, not a Korean one.
stand-alone
Hyphenate.
standfirsts
No full point.
state-of-the-art
Hyphenate when used adjectivally.
stationary
Not moving.
stationery
Writing materials.
substandard
One word. No hyphen.
Supagard
Note the spelling.
supersede
Not supercede.
Supreme Court
Upper case.
SWOT
Spell out at first instance (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). All caps, even though it breaks the general rule.
sync
Not 'synch' for synchronisation.
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T
talk to
Not talk with.
tax avoidance
Is legal; tax evasion is illegal.
T-charge
Short for 'toxicity charge'. 'Emissions surcharge' at first mention. Upper case T on T-charge.
temperature
Use celsius; 23C; -25C. Take care when converting temperature changes – it is easy to mistake a 2C change (about 4F) with 2C (about 36F).
that
You can cut almost every 'that' from your copy and not affect its meaning, especially when used after 'said'.
that or which?
Not interchangeable. That defines, which informs: 'this is the house that Jack built', but 'this house, which Jack built, is now falling down'.
The Bank of England
"the Bank" at second mention. Its committees are lower case: "the Bank's monetary policy committee (MPC) ...".
the last year/decade
The past year is the 12 months to date. The last year was 2015. The last decade was the 2000s. The past decade was 1996-2006.
theirs
No apostrophe.
times
1am, 6.30pm, etc.
titles
Italicise titles of books, magazines, films, TV programmes etc.
tonne
Not ton: the metric tonne is 1,000kg (2,204.62lb), the British ton is 2,240lb, and the US ton is 2,000lb; usually there is no need to convert.
torque
Measured in Nm (newton-metres) not lb-ft (foot-pounds).
tortuous
Winding or twisty, as in a road.
torturous
An experience that involves pain or suffering.
total cost of ownership (TCO)
Spell out at first instance, TCO thereafter.
touchpoint
One word.
touchscreen
One word.
trackpad
One word.
trademarks
Take caps, but trademarks should be avoided where possible – ballpoint pen over Biro, vacuum cleaner over Hoover, wireless internet over Wi-Fi.
Transport for London
TfL on second mention
Treasury, the
Cap T.
treaties
Lower case, eg Geneva convention, Lisbon treaty.
treating customers fairly'
Lower case and in single quotes when referring to the Financial Conduct Authority's principle.
try to
Never “try and”.
turbocharged, turbocharger
One word.
turbo diesel
Two words.
turgid
Means swollen or congested. Often confused with turbid (cloudy or opaque), torpid (apathetic or sluggish) or torrid (hot or difficult).
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U
U-turn
Hyphenate.
ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV)
Lower case. ULEV at second mention.
ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ)
Lower case. ULEZ at second mention.
under
Avoid. Prefer less than / fewer than.
under way
Not underway and definitely not under weigh.
uninterested
Means not taking an interest; not synonymous with disinterested, which means unbiased, objective.
units of measurement
Prefer metric units: PS (not hp or bhp); Nm (not lb-ft); kg; g/km; metres (spell out); cm; mm; litres (spell out); pence per litre (ppl after first mention);
However: mpg; mph.
Measurement units do not follow the one-nine rule: 5kg, not five kg.
No space between the number and the abbreviations: 12kg, but 15 litres.
Do not abbreviate acres, miles, pints, gallons.
Use tonne – no need to convert unless the difference is important (comparing truck weights for example).
US
For United States, not USA; no need to spell out, even at first mention; America is also acceptable.
user-chooser
Hyphenate.
USP
Stands for unique selling proposition. Therefore, there can be only one. Also please refrain from referring to a company's USP being something that, in fact, every company offers. e.g. "Our customer service is our USP."
utilise
Not interchangeable with use. It means "to make effective use of" and has a specific meaning in fleet management.
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V
VAT
Value-added tax; no need to spell it out.
VED
Spell out and lower case at first mention: "vehicle excise duty (VED)".
versus
Spell out in copy. 'vs' is acceptable in headlines.
very
Usually very redundant.
vice-chairman, vice-president
Note the hyphen.
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W
watt
Spell out: "54-watt speakers".
website, webpage
One word, but world wide web.
while
Not whilst. Similarly, among, not amongst.
who or whom?
Usually it's who. If you want the grammar, who should be used in the subject position in a sentence, while whom should be used in the object position, and also after a preposition. If in doubt, ask yourself which personal pronoun would make sense. If it's 'he' (or she or they), then the correct usage is 'who'. if it's 'him' (or her or them), then it is 'whom'. For example: "Tom attacked Tim, whom he hated". Tom hated him (not he), therefore whom is correct. But in the sentence "Tom attacked Tim, who he thought was rude" who is correct, because he was rude (not him was rude). If in any doubt, or if it makes a sentence sound unbearably pompous, use who.
whole-life costs
Hyphenate where you have to use it (quotes, etc.), but prefer "total cost of ownership (TCO)”.
Wi-Fi
It is a trademark. Caps and hyphen.
World War I
And World War II. Not First and Second World War.
worst-case scenario
Note the hyphen.
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Y
yours
No apostrophe.