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27 April 2018

Manual - Spelling and Writing Rules

Author/Compiled by
seecon international gmbh
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1) General
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All texts on the SSWM Toolbox are spelled using British English grammar. Make sure your auto-correction settings are set to ‘English (UK)’. If you’re unsure, consult the dictionary of your choice, e.g.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/

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2) Language / Translation
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On SSWM Toolbox we employ a language that is easy to understand, also for non-native speakers. Yet, is it important that all texts on the Toolbox meet a certain quality standard and give a favourable impression.

If English is not your native language, use an online dictionary that exemplifies which words are used in which contexts, e.g.

http://www.dict.cc

http://www.leo.org

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3) Capitalisation in Titles
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Many different standards exist for spelling titles. On SSWM, we agreed on the following rules:

Capitalise:      

  • The first and the last word in the title
  • All nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs

Do NOT capitalise:

  • Articles (the, a, an), conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, with), prepositions (to, over, towards, at, on, …)

Example: ’Common Elements of a Dug Well’, ‘Child Hygiene and Sanitation Training (CHAST)'

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4) Common Mistakes
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4.1) E.g. versus i.e.

  • e.g.: means: for exemple (exemplis gratia). You provide an example or several examples.
  • i.e.: means: ‘that is? (id est). You specify or elaborate more on an issue.

 

4.2) Punctuation (Setting Commas)

Setting commas correctly is a challenging task even for native speakers. Have a look at: http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/commaand use intuition. :-)

 

4.3) British English versus American English

There are several areas in which British and American spelling are different. These are the main ones to be aware of.

 

Words ending in –re

British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:

British

US

centre

center

fibre

fiber

litre

liter

theatre

theater or theatre

 

Words ending in -our

British English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:

British

US

colour

color

flavour

flavor

humour

humor

labour

labor

neighbour

neighbor

 

Words ending in -ize or -ise

Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either -ize or -ise at the end are always spelled with-ize at the end in American English:

British

US

apologize or apologise

apologize

organize or organise

organize

recognize or recognise

recognize

 

Words ending in -yse

Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelled -yze in American English:

British

US

analyse

analyze

breathalyse

breathalyze

paralyse

paralyze

 

Words ending in a vowel plus l

In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:

British

US

travel

travel

travelled

traveled

travelling

traveling

traveller

traveler

fuel

fuel

fuelled

fueled

fuelling

fueling

fuel

fuel

fuelled

fueled

fuelling

fueling

 

Words spelled with double vowels

British English words that are spelled with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelled with an e in American English:

British

US

leukaemia

leukemia

manoeuvre

maneuver

oestrogen

estrogen

paediatric

pediatric

Note that in American English, certain terms, such as archaeology, keep the ae spelling as standard, although the spelling with just the e (i.e. archeology) is usually acceptable as well.

 

Nouns ending with –ence

Some nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelled -ense in American English:

British

US

defence

defense

licence

license

offence

offense

pretence

pretense

 

Nouns ending with –ogue

Some nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:

BritishUS
analogueanalog or analogue
cataloguecatalog or catalogue
dialoguedialog or dialogue

The distinctions here are not hard and fast. The spelling analogue is acceptable but not very common in American English; catalog has become the US norm, but catalogue is not uncommon; dialogue is still preferred over dialog.

 

Aside from spelling differences, many items and practices have different names in British and American English. To explore further, see British and American terms.

 

Source: Oxford Dictionaries (2013)

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