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each, every(one) although singular, there is a growing tendency to use them with plural pronouns, as the plural is increasingly becoming a way of saying he or she, or his or her. Hence, “everyone has what they want”, “each of us has our secrets”, but “everyone has secrets”

EADS the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company

Earhart, Amelia (the 1930s aviator)

earlier this word is often redundant, because the tense of the verb says it all; similarly later

Earls Court (no apostrophe)

early hours avoid the phrase “in the early hours of the morning”; say simply “the early hours” or, better, “early yesterday/today”

earned NEVER earnt, which is a formation not recognised by reputable dictionaries

earring (no hyphen)

Earth cap in planetary or astronomical sense, eg, "The greatest show on Earth"; but not in phrases such as “down to earth”. The same rule applies to Moon and Sun.

See solar system , Universe

earthquake can abbreviate to quake in headings. See Richter scale

east, eastern etc for when to cap in geographical context, see compass points

East End, West End of London; also East, West, North, South, Central, Inner London. See London.

Note that the East End is confined to four postal districts: E1 (Whitechapel, Stepney, Mile End), E2 (Bethnal Green, Shoreditch), E3 (Bow, Bromley-by-Bow),

E14 Poplar, Millwall, Isle of Dogs

EastEnders (the TV soap opera)

Easter Day (not Easter Sunday) is the Sunday between Good Friday and Easter Monday. Also note that the Saturday before Easter Day is Holy Saturday (not Easter Saturday, which is the Saturday after Easter) or Easter Eve

Eastern Europe, but eastern Germany for what was East Germany before reunification. See Germany

easygoing one word

easyJet note also bmi, bmibaby, flybe, Jet2, MyTravelLite

ebitda earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation; where possible spell out at first mention

e-book

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC must NOT be used as an abbreviation for the European Commission in text or headlines. EC remains the short form ONLY of the European Community, although in almost all contexts now, EU is preferred. See European Commission

Eccleston, Christopher the actor

Ecclestone, Bernie the Formula One president and CEO

E. coli (italics in text, but roman and no point in headlines); in full, Escherichia coli. Note the O157 strain (letter O, not a zero)

e-commerce (as e-mail)

ecofriendly, ecoregion, ecospecies, ecosphere, ecosystem, ecoterrorist, ecotourist, ecotype (no hyphen), but eco-hotel, eco-town, eco-warrior

Ecstasy (cap) the drug

Ecuadorean (not -ian)

ecumenical, not oecumenical (but respect titles). See Churches special section

editor cap first mention of editors of well-known leading publications, such as the Editor of The Times, Editor of the Daily Mirror, Editor of the Yorkshire Post, Editor of The Spectator; subsequent mentions, revert to l/c. Similarly, Editor-in-Chief. Note that deputy editors and below retain l/c. See correspondents, job titles, newspapers

education action zones (EAZs), l/c in general context but cap specifics, eg, Barnsley Education Action Zone. Similar style to local education authorities (LEAs)

educationist (not educationalist)

, eg, no points, but use a comma before and after. See , ie,

Egypt note Taba, Nuweiba and Ras al-Sultan, the resorts popular with Israelis where there were explosions in 2004

Eid al-Adha literally the festival of sacrifice, marking the end of the annual pilgrimage, the haj, to Mecca. Write Eid al-Adha in full at first mention, not simply Eid

Eid al-Fitr literally the festival of fast-breaking, marking the end of the fast of Ramadan. Write Eid al-Fitr in full at first mention, not simply Eid

Eire do not use except in historical context. See Ireland

eisteddfod l/c except when naming a particular one in full, eg, the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen; plural eisteddfodau

either takes a singular verb when both subjects are embraced: “Either is good enough.” See neither

ElBaradei, Mohamed Egyptian official; from 1997 Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dr ElBaradei at second mention

elbowroom (one word), similarly headroom, legroom

elderly, aged, old be sensitive in the use of these words. As a guide, do not use for people under 65 and be aware that there are many over this age for whom "elderly" is not an appropriate adjective. A consensus is building for the term "older people"

-elect hyphenate, l/c, as in "the President-elect of the United States" in the period between the election and the inauguration

Electoral College cap in US election context

electrocardiographs are machines for measuring heart function; electrocardiograms are the tracings made by them

electrocute means to kill by electric shock, not "merely" to suffer an electric shock

Elgin Marbles, and subsequent mentions the Marbles (cap)

elicit means to evoke, bring to light, or draw out; never confuse with illicit (unlawful, forbidden)

Eliot, T(homas) S(tearns), usually known as T.S. Eliot; also George Eliot (real name Mary Ann Evans)

elite (roman, no accent)

elk see moose

e-mail but note E-Stamp, a registered trademark; note e-commerce

Emap (not EMAP; the l/c emap version is simply a logo)

embarkation (not embarcation). You embark in (not on) a ship. See Armed Forces special section

embarrass(ment); but note the French embarras de choix, embarras de richesses

embassy same style as for Ambassador, eg, the French Embassy in Rome, thereafter the embassy

émigré (two accents)

Emin, Tracey (not Tracy)

éminence grise (accent)

Emmies (plural of the Emmy awards). See arts awards

emphasise no longer any preference for this to stress in phrases such as “he emphasised the importance”, “she emphasised that the ruling was final”. See stress

empire cap as in British or Roman Empire; similarly, cap emperor when specific, eg, Emperor Claudius

Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT; note singular Appeal, despite evidence to the contrary on its website) is part of the High Court and should be referred to in full at first mention, then the appeal tribunal (not simply the tribunal). It is not the same as an employment tribunal, which replaced the old industrial tribunal, and which can be referred to as the tribunal at second mention. See next entry

employment tribunals have replaced industrial tribunals

EMS European Monetary System

EMU economic and monetary union (in Europe). See ERM

encyclopaedia (not the American encyclopedia)

endgame one word. See gambit

energy measured in watt-hours etc, whereas power is measured in watts, megawatts etc, eg, a 60W light bulb. Beware confusing energy and power. See megawatts, power

England, English beware of these when the meaning is Britain, British and vice versa

England and Wales Cricket Board, which replaced the TCCB, is abbreviated as ECB, but do not shorten to England/English Cricket Board. See Sports and Cricket special sections

engineers restrict use to white-collar workers with engineering qualifications; do not use with reference to mechanics, manufacturing workers, platelayers etc

enormity does NOT mean great size; it means quality or character of being outrageous, or extreme wickedness or serious error. Do not misuse. For great size, use immensity

en route (not italics)

ensconce spelt with two "cees" (not ensconse), derived from a sconce, a small protective fortification

ensign the White Ensign is the ensign of the Royal Navy and the Royal Yacht Squadron; the Red Ensign is the British Merchant Navy's flag; the Blue Ensign is flown by Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels and by certain yacht clubs. There is no such thing as the Royal Ensign; however, the Royal Standard will fly from one of the Queen's homes when she is there. See Royal Standard

en suite (two words, no hyphen, no itals, both as adverb and adjective)

ensure means to make certain; you insure against risk; you assure your life. The verb ensure usually needs “that” after it if accompanied by a following verb (eg, “he tried to ensure that the policy was adopted”); but omit “that” if followed by a noun (eg, “he tried to ensure its success”)

enthral

Environment Agency (caps)

Épernay (accent) the champagne (the wine, l/c) town in Champagne (cap, the region). See wines

epicentre the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake or underground nuclear explosion

Epley manoeuvre used to treat benign positional vertigo

eponymous means "giving its name to..." so "Hamlet, the eponymous Prince" (ie, giving his name to the play) is correct; "Hamlet, the eponymous play", is wrong

Equality and Human Rights Commission incorporated in October 2007 the Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission

Equator (cap), but equatorial in general sense

Eriksson, Sven-Göran (the former England football head coach, not manager); note hyphen and accent

ERM exchange-rate mechanism (in European contexts); a part of the wider concept of EMU

escalate, escalation avoid these clichés; use rise, grow or soar

escapers NEVER escapees

Eskimo is widely regarded as a derogatory term. Use Inuit instead, except in occasional historical contexts. Note Inuit is the singular and plural noun

Establishment cap in sense of the perceived leaders of society; but l/c as in the medical establishment, the legal establishment, when the sense is more restricted; also l/c in the context of the establishment of the Church

Eta (not ETA), the Basque separatist organisation. Note also Basque Country (initial caps)

Eucharist (cap). See Christian terms

euro the European single currency takes l/c (as franc, pound, mark, peseta etc). See currencies

eurocheques, eurobonds (l/c, no hyphen)

euroland (l/c), vernacular term for European single currency area; also eurozone

Europa League see Uefa

Europe Western, Eastern, Central, Northern, Southern (all caps). Europe includes the British Isles, so do not use the name as equivalent to the Continent. Britain does not export to Europe, but to the rest of Europe

European Commission, Commissioners cap the Commission throughout as a noun, but l/c when adjectival, eg, a commission ruling (the same rule as for Government/government); cap the commissioner only when referring to a specific person (eg, Mario Monti, the Competition Commissioner; thereafter, the commissioner). The President of the European Commission is capped throughout (as with all foreign Presidents)

European constitution l/c until such a document becomes enshrined in law. See constitution

European courts take great care not to confuse EU and non-EU institutions. See under International courts in the Courts special section

European Economic Area (EEA), the European tariff-free zone, comprises all the members of the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Other EU-EEA areas of co-operation include education, research, environment, consumer policy and tourism.

European Parliament, Members (cap) of the European Parliament (MEPs), or Euro MPs

European Union (EU), European Community (EC) the first is the preferred phrase except where the context is trade. If we have to use the Union, it should be capped throughout, but wherever possible use EU. Use Common Market and EEC (the European Economic Community) only in historical context

Eurosceptic (not hyphenated), and similarly Europhobia, Europhiles. Write Eurosceptic with capital E for anti-European in general sense, eurosceptic (l/c e) for those who oppose the euro (single currency)

Eurotunnel (one word) is the company that owns and operates the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar operates the passenger trains that run through the tunnel. Note that Eurotunnel trains carry cars, coaches and lorries through the tunnel between Folkestone and Calais only; they run a shuttle service and although the logo of Le Shuttle still appears on their locomotives, their formal name is Eurotunnel trains. See Channel Tunnel

Eurovision Song Contest caps. See nul points

euthanasia no need to quote mercy killing as its synonym. Note the assisted dying (l/c) Bill as a shorthand for the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, introduced by Lord Joffe. The organisation Dying in Dignity was formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. If used in a direct quote, prefer euthanase (to euthanise) but otherwise avoid this verb

evangelical(s) keep l/c in general church contexts except when part of an official title such as the Evangelical Alliance

evensong (l/c). See matins, Christian terms

eventuate avoid this ghastly word; use happen instead

ever is rarely - nay, hardly ever - necessary; avoid phrases such as best-ever, fastest-ever, and say simply best and fastest, qualifying (where appropriate) with yet. See first, superlatives, universal claims

ex- prefer former in most contexts, as in former Yugoslavia, though ex-serviceman is unavoidable and ex- is fine for headlines

examinations 11-plus, 7-plus etc; also A levels, but A-level results etc (hyphenate only when adjectival); also AS levels, A2s. Abbreviate to exam only in headlines. GCSE, the General Certificate of Secondary Education, need not normally be spelt out. See A level, GCSE, SATs

Excel the Microsoft spreadsheet software

ExCeL centre conference and exhibition venue in the London Docklands

excepting do not use when except or except for is possible

exclamation marks nearly always unnecessary!!!!!

exclusive avoid with story or interview. The phrase “in an interview with The Times” is sufficient

excoriating the word that may be required when coruscating is written. See coruscating , malapropism

ex dividend (not ex-dividend) in financial contexts

execution take care; as with assassination, do not use as a synonym of any killing or murder. On occasion, the phrase "summary killing" may be appropriate. Legally, an execution is a judicial killing after due process of law

Executive cap in the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland contexts when used as a noun meaning the Government; but l/c when adjectival (same style as for Government, Assembly, Commission etc)

exhibitions titles of art exhibitions in italics. See Arts special section

existing use present wherever possible as an alternative

Exocet (cap)

ex parte l/c, roman, no hyphen

expatriate (noun, verb or adjective - not ex-patriate and NEVER expatriot)

expert if someone is, eg, a lawyer, then avoid writing the imprecise "legal expert"; on the other hand, a phrase such as "an expert on constitutional law" could be appropriate and precise

Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) (note Credits plural). See departments of state and government offices

extinct means, of an animal or plant species, having no living representative; having died out. Biologists do talk of local extinctions, ie, when a species has died out in a particular habitat, and we can follow that usage, eg, "The creature is extinct in Britain." In the UK context, the smallest area specified would normally be a county. More generally, extinction means the total elimination of a species worldwide, eg, the dodo

extramarital (no hyphen); similarly, extramural, extracurricular, extrasensory etc

exuberant (never exhuberant), but exhilarate, exhort etc

eye of a storm do not refer tautologically to “the calm in the eye of the storm”; also note that the eye, as a quiet area, is a singularly inappropriate metaphor for a focus of high activity or frenetic action. See hurricane

eye to eye no hyphens adverbially, as in "seeing eye to eye"; but hyphenate eye-to-eye adjectivally

eyeing

eyewitness use witness instead wherever possible (except in direct quotes)

Last edited: July 23, 2009