F - Editorial Style Guide

Feb 17 2010

F  

Facelift: One word

Facilitate: Use ease

Fact sheet: Note two words

Fair: Only use fayre when part of title

Father-of-four: Use father-of-four Bob but Bob is a father of four

Feet and inches: See measurements

Fewer: Refers to numbers E.g. fewer than 50 people. Less than refers to quantity e.g. less than 10kg

Felt: When writing about a thought process, write believed or thought. E.g. ‘Residents felt he should have been locked away’ should be ‘Residents believed (or thought) he should have been locked away’.

Fete: No accent

Fiancé: Male, but fiancée, female

Figures: See numbers

Filmmaker

film: Not movie

Firemen: Use firefighters, one word, fire crew, two words

First names: Always try to obtain first names, not initials. See names

First World War: Not World War One or WW1

Flammable: Preferred to inflammable

Floor: Only applicable to situations indoors. You cannot ‘hit the floor’ outside if you fell over, instead you would hit the ground.

Flu: No apostrophe or use influenza. Swine flu and bird flu are both lower case.

Focused, focuses, focusing: All have one s

Folk: Not to be used unless folk dance, folk music

Forego: To precede

Forgo: To go without

Fortnight: Acceptable alternative to two weeks

Fox hunt: Fox-hunting but foxhound

Frontline: Frontline troops but on the front line

Full stops: Are not used after abbreviations (mph, Dr)

Full-time: Hyphen as part-time

Fundraiser and fundraising: One word

Further: As in cause or quantity.

Farther: as in distance

Keep up to date with the news. Sign up for News Alerts

Have your say on the latest news and sport in our Forums

Site Tools