A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
F
fahrenheit
68F etc, use in brackets after celsius figure
far, farther, farthest
of distances, otherwise further, furthest
far east
but Middle East
fascism, fascist
fatality
use death
father of two
etc, not father-of-two
faze
disconcert phase a stage
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation, no need to spell out
fed up with
not fed up of
feelgood factor
fete
no accent
fewer/less
fewer means smaller in number, eg fewer coins; less means smaller in quantity, eg less money
fiance
male fiancee female; but note divorcee is both male and female
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)
finalise, finalised
avoid, use complete, completed or finish, finished
financial years
2004-05, etc
fine-tooth comb
firefighter
not fireman
firing line
the people who do the firing; if they are aiming at you, you are in the line of fire not “in the firing line”
firm
strictly a partnership without limited liability, such as solicitors or accountants, but may be used in place of company in headlines
first
second, third spell out up to ninth, then 10th, 21st, millionth
firstly, secondly
prefer first, second, etc
first-hand
first world war
flammable
means the same as inflammable; the negative is non-flammable
flaunt/flout
to flaunt is to make a display of something, as in flaunting wealth; to flout is to show disregard for something, as in flouting the seatbelt law
fledgling
not fledgeling
flounder/founder
to flounder is to perform a task badly, like someone stuck in mud; founder means fail: a business might be foundering because its bosses are floundering
fluky
not flukey
flyer
not flier
focus, focused, focusing
fogey
not fogy
following
prefer after, eg Mansfield Town went to pieces after their Cup exit
forbear
abstain forebear ancestor
foreign names
The French (or French origin) le or de, the Italian di and the Dutch van are all lc when the name is full out: eg Graeme le Saux, Roberto di Matteo, Pierre van Hooijdonk; but Le Saux, Di Matteo, Van Hooijdonk when written without forenames
foreign placenames
Style for foreign placenames evolves with common usage. Many names have become part of the English language (Geneva). Opt for locally used names, with these main exceptions: Archangel, Basle, Berne, Brittany, Cologne, Dunkirk, Florence, Fribourg, Genoa, Gothenburg, Hanover, Kiev, Lombardy, Milan, Munich, Naples, Normandy, Nuremberg, Padua, Piedmont, Rome, Sardinia, Seville, Sicily, Syracuse, Turin, Tuscany, Venice, Zurich
foreign words and phrases
Italicise, with roman translation in brackets, if it really is a foreign word or phrase and not an anglicised one, in which case it is roman with no accents (exception: exposé).
forensic
belonging to the courts; does not mean scientific
forego
go before forgo go without
forever
continually: he is forever changing his mind for ever for always: I will love you for ever
formula
plural formulas, but formulae in scientific context
formula one
motor racing
fortuitous
by chance, accidental; not by good fortune, lucky
fractions
two-thirds, three-quarters, etc, but two and a half
french fries, french kiss, french letter, french polish, french window
freudian slip
frontbench, frontline, frontrunner
fuel
overused as a verb
fuel card
two words
fulfil, fulfilling, fulfilment
fundraiser, fundraising
68F etc, use in brackets after celsius figure
far, farther, farthest
of distances, otherwise further, furthest
far east
but Middle East
fascism, fascist
fatality
use death
father of two
etc, not father-of-two
faze
disconcert phase a stage
FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation, no need to spell out
fed up with
not fed up of
feelgood factor
fete
no accent
fewer/less
fewer means smaller in number, eg fewer coins; less means smaller in quantity, eg less money
fiance
male fiancee female; but note divorcee is both male and female
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)
finalise, finalised
avoid, use complete, completed or finish, finished
financial years
2004-05, etc
fine-tooth comb
firefighter
not fireman
firing line
the people who do the firing; if they are aiming at you, you are in the line of fire not “in the firing line”
firm
strictly a partnership without limited liability, such as solicitors or accountants, but may be used in place of company in headlines
first
second, third spell out up to ninth, then 10th, 21st, millionth
firstly, secondly
prefer first, second, etc
first-hand
first world war
flammable
means the same as inflammable; the negative is non-flammable
flaunt/flout
to flaunt is to make a display of something, as in flaunting wealth; to flout is to show disregard for something, as in flouting the seatbelt law
fledgling
not fledgeling
flounder/founder
to flounder is to perform a task badly, like someone stuck in mud; founder means fail: a business might be foundering because its bosses are floundering
fluky
not flukey
flyer
not flier
focus, focused, focusing
fogey
not fogy
following
prefer after, eg Mansfield Town went to pieces after their Cup exit
forbear
abstain forebear ancestor
foreign names
The French (or French origin) le or de, the Italian di and the Dutch van are all lc when the name is full out: eg Graeme le Saux, Roberto di Matteo, Pierre van Hooijdonk; but Le Saux, Di Matteo, Van Hooijdonk when written without forenames
foreign placenames
Style for foreign placenames evolves with common usage. Many names have become part of the English language (Geneva). Opt for locally used names, with these main exceptions: Archangel, Basle, Berne, Brittany, Cologne, Dunkirk, Florence, Fribourg, Genoa, Gothenburg, Hanover, Kiev, Lombardy, Milan, Munich, Naples, Normandy, Nuremberg, Padua, Piedmont, Rome, Sardinia, Seville, Sicily, Syracuse, Turin, Tuscany, Venice, Zurich
foreign words and phrases
Italicise, with roman translation in brackets, if it really is a foreign word or phrase and not an anglicised one, in which case it is roman with no accents (exception: exposé).
forensic
belonging to the courts; does not mean scientific
forego
go before forgo go without
forever
continually: he is forever changing his mind for ever for always: I will love you for ever
formula
plural formulas, but formulae in scientific context
formula one
motor racing
fortuitous
by chance, accidental; not by good fortune, lucky
fractions
two-thirds, three-quarters, etc, but two and a half
french fries, french kiss, french letter, french polish, french window
freudian slip
frontbench, frontline, frontrunner
fuel
overused as a verb
fuel card
two words
fulfil, fulfilling, fulfilment
fundraiser, fundraising
