Communications Office

UvA English Style Guide

April 2011

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Contents

Introduction 3

1. Abbreviations 4 1.1 Acronyms and initialisms 4 1.2 Contractions and truncations 4 1.3 Usage 4 1.4 Common English abbreviations 5

2. Capitals 6 2.1 When to use a capital 6 2.2 When not to use a capital 6 2.3 University / university or Faculty / faculty 6

3. Correspondence 7 3.1 Letters 7 3.2 Emails 7

4. Dates, times and numbers 8 4.1 Dates 8 4.2 Times 8 4.3 Numbers 8

5. Grammar 9 5.1 Singular / plural agreement 9 5.2 Present perfect and simple past tenses 9

6. Titles 10 6.1 Academic titles 10 6.2 Personal titles 10

7. Place names / geographical names 11 7.1 Local vs anglicised forms 11 7.2 The Netherlands 11 7.3 United Kingdom and United States 11

8. Public or religious holidays 12 9. Punctuation 13

9.1 Apostrophes 13 9.2 Bullet points / lists 13 9.3 Colons 13 9.4 Commas 14 9.5 Exclamation marks 14 9.6 Full stops 14 9.7 Hyphens and compound words 15 9.8 Quotation marks 15

10. References (in publications) 16 10.1 Harvard system 16 10.2 More detailed information 16

11. Spelling 17 11.1 Names of organisations 17 11.2 Specific words 17 11.3 Main spelling differences (UK / US) 17 11.4 Other common spelling differences (UK / US) 19 11.5 Common spellings to watch out for 19

12. Translating foreign words and phrases 21 British and American English vocabulary 22

Useful websites and reference books 23

3 Introduction

This English Style Guide is for the use of editors and other staff members at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) who regularly write or edit documents in English. It aims to cover the most common issues that arise in preparing UvA texts, and cites examples wherever possible. It is also meant as an aid to external translators and translation agencies.

There are few absolute rules on language, and commonly used style guides (such as the EU Style Guide, The Economist Style Guide and New Hart’s Rules) have differing opinions on many issues. Choices have therefore been made on the basis of established usage, extensive research and relevant UvA policies. For example, as a European institution the UvA adheres to British rather than American English in its corporate manifestations (print and online). For reference, however, certain differences between British and American English are highlighted in this Guide.

One should always bear in mind that context is vital and will largely determine the appropriate usage. It is also important to strive for consistency – within an individual text and within the body of texts published by the UvA as a whole. This need for consistency is one of the reasons the UvA Translation List (UvA-Vertaallijst) was developed and also the main motivation behind the writing of this Style Guide.

As language is a living entity, this Guide will be subject to change. Suggestions or comments are welcome and can be sent to: vertaalcoordinator-bc@uva.nl. The latest version of the English Style Guide is available on the UvAweb at:

UvA English Style Guide (staff site) UvA English Style Guide (corporate site)

4 1. Abbreviations

Abbreviations can be classed into two main categories:

1.1 Acronyms and initialisms • Acronyms are words formed from the first (or first few) letters of a series of words. They

are pronounced as words (Benelux, NATO). They never take full stops. • Initialisms are formed from the initial letters of a series of words and are usually written

without full stops. Each letter is pronounced separately (BBC, MEP, USA).

1.2 Contractions and truncations • Contractions omit the middle of a word (Mr, Dr) and in British usage are not followed

by a full stop. • Truncations omit the end of a word (Feb, Wed, Tues) and are also not followed by a

full stop.

1.3 Usage • Upon first reference, write the name out in full, followed by the abbreviation in

parentheses. After that, the abbreviation alone will suffice (there is no need to abbreviate the name if it appears only once in the text):

e.g. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) was founded in 1877. The UvA is one of

the leading universities in the Netherlands

NB If you are using an abbreviation that is so familiar in English that it is used more often than the full form, it is not necessary to use the full name first:

e.g. EU, AIDS, BBC, NATO, US, CIA, UNESCO

• If a Dutch institution has an English name (i.e. check the website and/or publications of

the institution itself) for which the Dutch abbreviation is also used, write the official English name first, followed by the Dutch abbreviation in parentheses:

e.g. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) funds thousands of

top researchers at Dutch universities and institutes. • Other examples of Dutch institutions with official English names which use the Dutch

abbreviation:

e.g. Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences (KNAW) e.g. University of Amsterdam (UvA)

• If you are using a non-official English translation of a Dutch name or title (because no

official translation exists), write the English translation first, followed, in parentheses, by the full name in Dutch in italics, with the abbreviation after the name and separated from the name by a comma:

e.g. The Netherlands Association for Surgery (Nederlandse Vereniging voor

Heelkunde, NVvH) • Do not use Dutch abbreviations in English texts. Most non-Dutch readers will not know

what they mean:

e.g. a.u.b., bijv., o.a., p.m. (pro memorie), e.a.

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1.4 Common English abbreviations with meanings

am ante meridiem (before noon) BA Bachelor of Arts BSc Bachelor of Science c. circa e.g. exempli gratia (for example) (comma is used before not after this abbreviation) etc. et cetera i.e. id est (in other words, that is) kg kilogram km kilometre LLB Bachelor of Laws LLM Master of Laws MA Master of Arts MBA Master of Business Administration MSc Master of Science n/a not applicable NB nota bene (please note) PC personal computer PhD Doctor of Philosophy PO Box Post Office Box (not Postbus) pp / p.p. per procurationem (Latin phrase meaning you are signing a letter on

someone else’s behalf) pp. pages

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2. Capitals (upper case)

Avoid the excessive use of capitals. In general, capitals are used to start sentences, to distinguish proper nouns (person, place or thing), organisations or institutions, and for key words (e.g. nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs) in headings or titles. There are no absolute rules regarding the use of capitals, but here are some useful guidelines.

2.1 When to use a capital • Sentences - capitals are used with the first letter of a word beginning a sentence

• Cities - e.g. London, Amsterdam, The Hague

• Countries - The Netherlands

• Historical terms/events - Renaissance, the Depression, the First World War

• Political, economic or religious labels - e.g. Buddhism, Hobbesian, Marxism

• Organisations or institutions - European Commission, University of Amsterdam, the

United Nations, the Faculty of Science, the Executive Board • Ranks and titles (in conjunction with name) - Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Colonel

Qadaffi, Queen Beatrix • Dates and periods/holidays - Tuesday, March, Christmas Eve

• Legislation and official documents - the Employment Act, the Bill of Rights

• Honours and awards - Nobel Prize for Physics

• People and languages - American, English

2.2 When not to use a capital • Titles (without name) - he is a professor of physics, he was elected prime minister, he

works as a manager • Compass points - east, west (do use capitals if part of official name, e.g. North Korea,

North Holland)

2.3 University / university or Faculty / faculty

If the word ‘University’ refers to a specific institution, then it is capitalised. Otherwise ‘university’ is written in lower case. The same applies to Faculty/faculty, e.g. Faculty of Science vs faculty in general:

e.g. The University was proud to announce the appointment of Professor Dymph van

den Boom as Rector Magnificus.

NB ‘UvA’ is often used instead of ‘University’.

7 3. Correspondence

3.1 Letters • Yours faithfully

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, open the letter with ‘Dear Sir‘ or ‘Dear Madam’ or ‘Dear Madam or Sir’. Close the letter with ‘Yours faithfully’. In American English, the letter might be closed with ‘Sincerely yours’.

• Yours sincerely

If you do know the name of the person you are writing to, open the letter with ‘Dear Mr [Smith]’ or ‘Dear Ms [Smith]’. Use ‘Mrs [Smith]’ if you are sure the person you are writing to is married or otherwise appreciates that form of address. Close the letter with ‘Yours sincerely’. In American English, the letter might finish with ‘Sincerely yours’ or ‘Sincerely’.

• Kind regards

If you know the person better or have a more personal relationship with him or her, open the letter with ‘Dear [first name]’ and close the letter with ‘Kind regards’, ‘Regards’ or ‘Best wishes’. In American English, the letter might end with ‘Best regards’.

NB Both the salutation and the closing are followed by a comma.

3.2 Email

Emails in British English generallly close with ‘Kind regards’ or ‘Regards’. Emails in American English often close with ‘Best regards’.

8 4. Dates, times and numbers

4.1 Dates • The date is written in the British English style:

e.g. Monday, 21 January 2011 or 21 January 2011 (note comma after day) • The American English style has the month before the date:

e.g. January 21 2011, but the UvA opts for the British English style. • Cardinal numbers used instead of ordinal numbers:

e.g. 12 May 2011 not 12th May 2011

NB The -st, -nd, -rd or -th endings (as in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) are not commonly used in British English print or web texts. This is more for spoken English.

4.2 Times • Time should be written in the 24-hour notation, with a colon between the hours and the

minutes: e.g. 09:30, 17:25

• In invitations or more personal texts, you may prefer to retain the12-hour notation.

e.g. 12 pm or 12 p.m.

NB Never use hrs after the time, e.g. 12.00 hrs. This is always wrong.

4.3 Numbers • As a general rule, write lower numbers (1-9 inclusive) in words and larger numbers (10

and above) in figures: e.g. three universities, 25 professors. • Figures are generally used with:

- decimals (the average family has 2.3 children) - percentages in scientific texts (only 5% of the sample showed improvement) - times (the class starts at 14:00 or 2 pm) - money (the participants received $200 each).

• Words are used in the following circumstances:

- figures at the start of a sentence (Twenty respondents were excluded) - modifiers next to each other (ten 45-page brochures / nine 6-room apartments).

• In numbers, the comma and full stop appear in different positions in English than they

do in Dutch. In English, a full stop marks decimals (the decimal point) and a comma marks thousands:

e.g. ‘A million’ is 1.000.000 (Dutch) but 1,000,000 in English.

• Further examples:

- €9.95, not €9,95 - 11,000 students, not 11.0000 students - €10,499.99, not €10.499,999

NB At the UvA, no spaces are used between the currency symbol and the numbers following it, e.g. €500.

9 5. Grammar

5.1 Singular / plural agreement • Use the singular verb when the emphasis is on the whole entity:

e.g. The Government is considering changing the law. e.g. The Commission was not involved in the decision-making process.

• Use the plural verb when the emphasis is on the individual members:

e.g. The police have failed to find a suspect. e.g. A majority of the Central Student Council were in favour of the changes.

• Countries and organisations with a plural name take the singular verb:

e.g. The Netherlands is reconsidering its position on the sale of cannabis. e.g. The United Nations was unwilling to send troops to the region.

• Use a singular verb when a multiple subject clearly forms a whole:

e.g. Checking and stamping the forms is the job of the IND.

• Words in -ics: Such words are singular when used to denote a scientific discipline or

body of knowledge (mathematics, statistics, economics). They are plural in all other contexts:

e.g. Economics is a very popular study programme.

5.2 Present perfect and simple past tenses • When writing from the standpoint of the present moment in time, the present perfect is

used to refer to events or situations in the period leading up to that time:

e.g. The Commission is meeting to consider the proposal. It has (already) discussed this several times in the past.

• Where the starting point of this period is indicated, the present perfect is often used in

its continuous form to emphasise the ongoing nature of the process:

e.g. The Commission is meeting to consider the proposal. It has been discussing this since 2001.

• If the reference is not to a period up to the present but to a time that ended before the

present, the simple past is used:

e.g. The Commission is meeting to consider the proposal. It discussed this last week.

10 6. Titles (Dutch and English)

6.1 Academic titles • Only two academic titles are commonly noted in English: Dr and Prof. Note that Dr is

without a full stop (i.e. not Dr.) and Prof. is with a full stop. This is because when a title is abbreviated in English but ends on the actual last letter, no full stop is necessary (e.g. Dr and Mr).

• It is not common to include academic titles, such as BA, BSc, MA, MSc, LLB and PhD,

after a name (NB no full stops after these titles). If you do want to include these titles, place them after the name, e.g. Mr J. Smeets, MA, Ms E. Konijn, LLB.

• Do not use academic titles that are not common in English (e.g. drs, ir, mr.), even if

they are common in Dutch:

e.g. Professor Dr. Jan Braun > Professor or Prof. Jan Braun e.g. Drs. J. van den Heuvel > Ms or Mr J. van den Heuvel

• In English no distinction is made between male and female in academic titles.

e.g. Mw. Prof. Dr. van den Boom > Professor or Prof. Van den Boom e.g. Mw. Dr. Smit > Dr Smit

6.2 Personal titles • When referring to a woman, use Ms as the standard title (for Dutch mevrouw).

• Mrs is only used for a married woman, usually if it is her personal preference. Even if a

woman is married, she may still use her maiden name (meisjesnaam). • Miss is generally only used for a young girl.

• Mr is the only title used for a male (for Dutch heer).

11 7. Place names / geographical names

7.1 Local vs anglicised forms

Use well-established English forms where they exist:

e.g. Cologne, Copenhagen,The Hague (capitalise ‘The’), Munich, Vienna

7.2 The Netherlands • Use The Netherlands, not Holland, to refer to the country.

• Use the English names to refer to the 12 provinces of the Netherlands (most are the

same as in Dutch): Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, North Brabant, North Holland, Overijssel, South Holland, Utrecht, Zeeland.

• Use the Dutch names to refer to the districts of Amsterdam, but include the English

translation in brackets: Amsterdam Oost (East), Amsterdam Zuidoost (South-east), Amsterdam Zuid (South), Amsterdam Nieuw-West (New West), Amsterdam Noord (North).The reason for using the Dutch name in this case is because this is specific, local usage. Moreover, in UvA texts these districts are often referred to in shortened form, e.g. Ik woon in Zuid.

7.3 United Kingdom and United States • United Kingdom = England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

• Great Britain = England, Wales, Scotland

• Do not use British when you mean English and vice versa. ‘English’ refers specifically

to someone from England. • Refer to the country as the United States or the US. America includes both North and

South America.

12 8. Public or religious holidays

Here is a list of the main public or religious holidays. Note the use of capitals:

New Year’s Eve Oudejaarsavond New Year’s Day Nieuwjaarsdag Good Friday Goede Vrijdag Easter Pasen Easter Monday Tweede Paasdag Liberation Day Bevrijdingsdag Ascension Day Hemelvaartsdag Whitsun (or Whitsuntide) Pinksteren Whit Monday Tweede Pinksterdag Christmas Eve Kerstavond Christmas Day Eerste Kerstdag Boxing Day Tweede Kerstdag Queen’s Day Koninginnedag May Day de Dag van de Arbeid Remembrance Day (11 November) Wapenstilstandsdag Ramadan Ramadan Hanukkah Chanoeka

NB Capitals are never used for the seasons, e.g. summer, not Summer. An exception is when reference is made, for example, to ‘Summer Programme’.

13 9. Punctuation

9.1 Apostrophes • The possessive form of nouns is marked by an apostrophe followed by an -s. If the

noun already ends in ‘s’, then an apostrophe only is added:

e.g. the owner’s car, the countries’ gross national product • Singular words, names ending in ‘s’ and plurals that do not end in ‘s’ use the ’s ending:

e.g. the boss’s car, children’s ideas

• Plurals of abbreviations do not take an apostrophe:

e.g. FAQs, KPIs, MEPs, SMEs

9.2 Bullet points / lists • Lists of short items (without main verbs) should be introduced by a full sentence and

have the following features:

- introductory colon - no initial capitals - no punctuation (for very short items) or comma after each item (if a bit longer) - a full stop at the end.

• If all items are complete statements or longer sentence fragments, proceed as follows:

- introduce the list with a colon; - label each item with the appropriate bullet, number or letter; - start each item with a lowercase letter; - end each item with a semicolon (comma also possible); - put a full stop at the end of the last item.

9.3 Colons • Colons are most often used to indicate that an expansion, qualification or explanation is

about to follow (e.g. a list of items in a running text). The part before the colon must be a full sentence in its own right, but the part after need not be.

e.g. It is available in two colours: red and black.

• After a colon, the next word should not start with a capital.

e.g. Three main topics were discussed: grammar, vocabulary and punctuation.

• Use a colon before a whole quoted sentence, but not before a quotation that begins

mid-sentence.

e.g. Karel van der Toorn is very content with new rankings: ‘The UvA has shown that it can compete with the best universities in the world.’

e.g. Karel van der Toorn highlighted ‘the need for a new approach to sustainability’.

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9.4 Commas • The two kinds of relative clauses, restrictive and non-restrictive, are distinguished by

their use of the comma.

- defining or restrictive clauses cannot be omitted without affecting the sentence’s meaning. They are not enclosed in commas:

e.g. Identical twins who share strong emotional ties may live longer.

- non-restrictive or non-defining clauses can be removed and the sentence will retain its meaning. These clauses must be enclosed with commas:

e.g. Identical twins, who are always of the same sex, develop in a different way.

• A comma should not be used to join two main clauses or those linked by adverbs or

adverbial phrases, such as nevertheless or therefore. This error is called the comma splice:

e.g. I like swimming very much, I go to the pool once a week e.g. He was still tired, nevertheless he went to work as usual.

This error can be corrected by adding a coordinating conjunction, such as and or but, or by replacing the comma with a semicolon:

e.g. I like swimming very much, and go to the pool once a week. e.g. He was still tired; nevertheless, he went to work as usual.

• When a sentence is introduced by an adverb, adverbial phrase or subordinate clause,

this is often separated from the main clause with a comma:

e.g. Moreover, the University of Amsterdam is one of the top universities in the Netherlands.

e.g. Founded in 1887, the University of Amsterdam is one of the top universities in the Netherlands.

• Unlike in American English, in British English there is no comma before and or or in a

list of three or more items:

e.g. The doctor suggested an aspirin, half a grapefruit and a bowl of chicken soup.

This so-called ‘serial comma’ is conventional in American English and is often referred to as the Oxford Comma.

9.5 Exclamation marks

Broadly speaking, avoid exclamation marks in English as they look unprofessional and irritate readers:

e.g. ‘Thank you for participating!’ e.g. ‘Sign up for a Crea photography course!’

9.6 Full stops

Use full stops at the end of the sentence, but not: • if the sentence already has some form of stop (e.g. a question mark, exclamation mark

or abbreviation – such as e.g. or etc. – which ends in a full stop);

15 • after listed items when the item does not start with a capital and is not the last item in

the list; • after headings, column headings or addresses.

9.7 Hyphens and compound words • Many compound nouns that are written as one word in Dutch are written as two

words in English:

e.g. policy document, team leader, project manager, health insurance • In English, compounds may be written as two or more separate words, with hyphen(s)

or as a single word. There is a tendency for compounds to develop into single words as they become more frequently used:

e.g. data base, data-base, database

• Compound adjectives or modifiers (i.e. where two or more words are used to modify a

noun) are usually hyphenated:

e.g. long-term plans, up-to-date information, market-oriented course, high-quality programme, student-friendly facility, country-specific rules, UvA-related issues, 450-page book

• A hyphen is not used when the adverb ends in -ly:

e.g. a highly competitive course

• A hyphen is used to avoid confusion or mispronunciation, particularly where vowels or

consonants are repeated, and before a capitalised name or numeral:

e.g. anti-intellectual, co-occur, semi-annual, anti-American, pre-1980s • A number of words with prefixes are often not hyphenated:

e.g. coordinate, cooperate, extracurricular

NB The UvA does not hyphenate the word email.

9.8 Quotation marks

Use single quotation marks (‘). Double quotation marks (“) are used for a quote within a quote:

e.g. ‘We still have no idea,’ Jansen states, ‘what “red mercury” means.’

16 10. References (in publications, e.g. scientific journals)

Various systems are used when referencing works cited in a text. The most common forms of referencing are indicated below. Please note that scientific journals often have their own style guidelines. These should be consulted in advance.

10.1 Harvard system (author-date)

This system is most common in the physical and social sciences, but also used for Humanities. The author’s name is followed by the date (sometimes in parentheses), the title of the article (in single quotation marks), the name of the scientific journal/publication (in italics), and the page number(s) (if known):

e.g. Stokey, R.W. (1974). ‘Social Structures and Politics in the Yemen Arab

Republic’, Middle East Journal, 248-60.

e.g. Murphy, P.L. (2003). ‘Semantic Distance and the Verification of Semantic Relations’, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 431-35.

e.g. Johnson, R. (2009). Birds, Bees and Butterflies (Garden Press, London).

10.2 More detailed information on referencing works cited in a text • Butcher’s Copy-editing (J. Butcher, C. Drake, M. Leach, Cambridge University Press,

4th ed., 2008) • The Chicago Manual of Style (The University of Chicago, 16th ed., 2010)

17 11. Spelling

11.1 Names of organisations • The UvA, like most universities and organisations in the Netherlands and Europe,

adheres to British English spelling. However, if a company or organisation has officially adopted American spelling for its own name, then this spelling should be used:

e.g. Academic Medical Center (AMC-UvA)

11.2 Specific words • With American influences crossing the Atlantic all the time, some words used in a

specific context are always written with the American spelling:

e.g. program (American English) > program (British English), when talking about computer software/data processing). In all other contexts, the correct spelling in British English is programme.

e.g. disk (American English) > disk (British English), when referring to a computer, In

all other contexts, the correct spelling in British English is disc. • American English is more obviously phonetic than British English and may often

seem more logcial:

e.g. labour (British English) > labor (American English), theatre (British English) > theater (American English), sizeable (British English) > sizable (American English)

• For more information on spelling, consult the Oxford English Dictionary online

(www.oed.com). Please note that the UvA’s preferred spelling may sometimes differ from that of the Oxford English Dictionary (see, for example, the item on -ise / -ize below).The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors is also an invaluable tool for checking the correct spelling of certain words.

NB The default setting in Word is ‘English (U.S.)’. Be sure to change this to ‘English (U.K.)’ or the American spelling will automatically be used.

11.3 Main spelling differences (UK / US English) • -ae / -oe British English retains the classical composite vowel or digraphs. These are

most common in scientific/medical words.

UK US

anaemia anemia anaesthetic anesthetic diarrhoea diarrhea gynaecology gynecology

• -ce / -se In British English, the verb that relates to the -ce noun ending has the ending

-se. This spelling change is sometimes accompanied by a slight change in pronunciation e.g. device/devise. However, in other instances they are pronounced the same, e.g. practice/practise.

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UK US

defence defense practice (verb practise) practice licence license offence offense

• -e / -ue The final silent -e or -ue is usually omitted in American English but retained in

British English.

UK US

catalogue catalog analogue analog

• -eable / -able The silent e in certain adjectives with this suffix is generally left out in

American English, although it is sometimes retained where it affects the sound of the preceding consonant, e.g. manageable, traceable.

UK US

likeable likable unshakeable unshakable

• -ise / -ize In British English both the -ise and the -ize form can be used. Oxford

University Press has traditionally used -ize endings, whereas The Economist Style Guide advocates the use of the -ise ending. (The -ize ending has in fact been in use in English since the sixteenth century and is not an Americanism.) However, the -ise ending is more common in British English and is thus the preferred choice of the UvA. There are also many words in which the -ise ending must be used in both British and American English (e.g. advertise, advise, comprise, compromise, despise, disguise, exercise, improvise, merchandise, revise, supervise, surprise, televise).

UK US

analyse (cannot be spelt with -ze) analyze paralyse (cannot be spelt with -ze) paralyze organise/organisation organize/organization

• -l / -ll In British English, words often end in a single -l where a double -ll is used in

American English. However, when there is a suffix beginning with a vowel (-able, -ed, - ing, -ous, -y), British English does double the -l (e.g. anul/annulled, enroll/enrolled, model/modeling, quarrel/quarelling, rebel/rebellious, travel/traveller). Note that American English does not double the -l when the stress is not on the preceding vowel (e.g. travel / traveler, model / modeling).

UK US

enrol/enrolment enroll/enrollment fulfill/fulfillment fulfill/fulfillment

exceptions:

traveller traveler modelling modeling

• -mme / -m American English tends to use the single -m ending, although there are

some exceptions (e.g. software program in both British and American English).

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UK US

programme (e.g. study programme) program (except in ICT, then program)

• -our /-or British words ending in -our lose the u in American English.

UK US

behaviour behavior colour color favour favor honour honor labour labor

• -re / -er Most British English words ending in -re tend to end in -er in American

English. Exceptions are acre, massacre, mediocre.

UK US

centre center fibre fiber metre meter theatre theater

• -t / -ed (past tense forms) Both forms are acceptable when spelling past tense

endings in British English, but the -t form is dominant.

UK US

burnt burned learnt learned spelt spelled

11.4 Other common UK / US spelling differences

UK US

aluminium aluminum dyke dike grey gray kerb curb manoeuvre maneuver mould mold moustache mustache plough plow speciality specialty sulphur sulfur tyre tire

11.5 Common spellings to watch out for

accommodate / accommodation (two ‘c’s, two ‘m’s) acknowledgment - not acknowledgement address - not adress adviser - not advisor (American English) alumnus (plural = alumni) all right - not alright

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am/pm - no capitals or full stops (i.e. 9 am, not 9 a.m.) among - not amongst analysis (plural = analyses) annex (verb) / annexe (noun) any more - not anymore (this is American English) appendix (plural = appendices) artefact Autumn - not Fall (American English) BA - abbreviation of Bachelor of Arts. No full stops (i.e. not B.A.) BSc - abbreviation of Bachelor of Science. No full stops benefiting, benefited cannot - rather than can not committee (two ‘m’s, two ‘t’s) correspondence - not correspondance cooperate, cooperation, cooperative - no hyphen (i.e. not co-operate) coordinate - no hyphen dependant (noun) - not dependent (American English) dependent (adjective) - not dependant desperate - not desparate email - rather than e-mail (noun & verb) embarrass (two rs, two ss) enrol, enrolment - not enroll, enrollment (American English) focused, focusing forty - not fourty fulfill, fulfillment, fulfilling - not fulfill, fulfillment (American English) government (silent ‘n’) gram - not gramme (American English) HBO - rather than hbo holiday - rather than vacation (American English) homogeneous - not homogenous install, instalment, installation judgment - not judgement kilogram - not kilogramme (American English) MA / MSc degree - preceded by an, i.e. ‘it leads to an MA/MSc degree’ Master’s degree / programme - ’s and capital M, not master programme or Masters PhD - no full stops possess - not posess postcode - not zipcode (American English) programme - not program (American English - except in ICT) recommend (one ‘c’) separate - not separate success / successful (two ‘c’s / one ‘l’ at end) The Hague - not the Hague tomorrow (one ‘m’)

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12. Translating foreign words and phrases

• If a word or phrase has no official English translation and the Dutch word or phrase

would mean nothing to a non-Dutch audience, an English translation can be used. Write the English translation first, followed, in parentheses, by the original Dutch name, in italics:

e.g. The Knowledge for the City (Kennis voor de Stad) symposium was a forum for

discussion between civil servants and academic staff of the two universities. • If a body or organisation’s original-language name is familiar to the intended

readership, or if the organisation uses the original-language name in its own English texts, use this rather than a translation:

e.g. The Bundesbank has issued a new policy directive.

22 British and American English vocabulary

Differences between British and American spelling have already been described earlier in this Style Guide. There are also many differences in British and American vocabulary. Use the British option:

UK US

anti-clockwise counterclockwise at weekends on weekends aubergine eggplant autumn fall bill check car park parking lot chemist drugstore chips French fries cinema movie theater current account checking account diary (for appointments) calendar doctor physician driving license driver’s license fill in a form fill out a form flat apartment ground floor first floor lavatory, toilet bathroom, restroom, washroom lawyer attorney lift elevator mobile phone cell phone motorway highway pavement sidewalk petrol gasoline post code zip code public school private school solicitor attorney state school public school transport transportation underground subway

Many more examples can be found in The Economist Style Guide.

23 Useful websites and reference books

> UvA Translation List UvA Translation List Invaluable list of standard terminology used at the University of Amsterdam.

> European Commission English Style Guide http://ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines/documents/styleguide_english_dgt_en.pdf

> The Economist Style Guide Bestselling guide to style, and manual used by journalists at The Economist and beyond. One of the most useful and clear style guides available. It also contains a lot of useful reference material.

> Longman Phrasal Verbs Dictionary (Pearson Education Limited, 2009) A ‘phrasal verb’ is a verb that consists of two (or three) words, the second of which is either an adverb or a preposition (e.g. confer on/upon, centre on/round).This books explains how to use them correctly.

> New Hart’s Rules (Oxford University Press, 2005) Handbook of style for writers and editors

> New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (Oxford University Press, 2005) Deals with common difficulties met by writers and editors, including information not available in standard dictionaries.

> New Oxford Dictionary for Scientific Writers and Editors (Oxford University Press, 2009) Specifically for editors of scientific material.

> Oxford English Dictionary (online) http://www.oed.com/

> Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Books, 2005)

> Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Books, 1997)

> Usage and Abusage (E. Partridge, ed. J. Whitcut, Penguin Books, 1999) Covers grammatical problems, words that are commonly misused or confused and points of style, and gives advice on how to write clearly and elegantly.