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Qantas (not Quantas)

qat rather than kat or khat, the hypnotic drug

, QC, MP, commas each side when used after name

QCA the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; should be spelt out at first mention. It is an amalgamation (from autumn 1997) of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications and the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority

QE2 normally spell out Queen Elizabeth 2 at first mention, thereafter QE2 or simply the ship. Do not describe her as a liner (say cruise ship). See liner.

Qom (not Qum), Iranian city

quadriplegia, quadriplegic (not quadra-)

quality press prefer broadsheet. See broadsheet

quango (short for quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation), no need to spell out or to quote

quantum leap avoid this cliché wherever possible

quarter sessions, like assizes, no longer function, having been replaced by the Crown Court

Quebeckers, rather than Québecois

Queen, the note the Queen's Speech (to Parliament), caps; also the Queen's Birthday Honours. NB, the Queen is not "introduced" to people; people are introduced, or (even more correctly) presented, to the Queen. See Royal Family, New Year Honours

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (no commas); at first mention now write the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, thereafter the Queen Mother

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London (not QE2 or any other variant)

Queens, New York

Queensberry, Marquess of, and Queensberry Rules

Queen's Club

Queens' College, Cambridge, but The Queen's College, Oxford (see Cambridge and Oxford); Queen's University Belfast (but in formal contexts, The Queen's University of Belfast) — and either form can be shortened to Queen's Belfast

Queens Park Rangers (thereafter QPR)

queueing (with middle “e”)

questionnaire

Question Time, Prime Minister's Questions (caps), but questions (l/c) to the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary etc. See Politics special section

quicker never use as an adverb — always say more quickly. Quicker must be confined to adjectival comparison, eg, “he started at a quicker pace”

quid pro quo (not italic)

quiz show, as chat show, game show, talk show etc (no hyphen)

quotation marks (inverted commas) remember, single quotes in headlines, straps and standfirsts; double quotes in captions. The only other use for single inverted commas is quotations within quotations. Avoid inverted commas in sentences where they are clearly unnecessary, eg, He described the attack as “outrageous”. Quotation marks are no longer to be used for works of art. See inverted commas, italics. See also punctuation (paragraph c) for when punctuation goes inside or outside quotation marks

quotes direct quotes should be corrected only to remove the solecisms and other errors that occur in speech but look silly in print. Always take care that quotes are correctly attributed; and especially that literary or biblical quotations are 100 per cent accurate