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

Special sections

Armed Forces Arts Churches Courts Politics Sport Titles

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 amalgamated, from the autumn of 1997, 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

qi prefer to chi for the vital energy in oriental medicine, martial arts etc believed to circulate around the body in currents

QinetiQ

Qom not Qum, Iranian city

quad bike

quadriplegia, quadriplegic (not quadra-)

Quadrophenia by The Who

Quai d'Orsay location of and metonym or variant for the French Foreign Ministry on the Left Bank (south bank) of the Seine. See French names

qualified majority voting l/c; may be abbreviated subsequently to QMV

quality press 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

quarterback

quarterdeck

quarter sessions, like assizes, no longer function, having been replaced by the Crown Court. See Courts special section

quasi- normally hyphenate, as in quasi-judicial, quasi-stellar

Quebecker a native or inhabitant of the province of Quebec; Québecois, likewise but especially French-speaking

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 Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps on subsequent mentions, abbreviate as QARANC or write the corps

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (no commas); at first mention 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, University of and Oxford, University of); 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 no apostrophe; 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

Quetzalcoatl the god of the Aztecs and Toltecs represented as a feathered serpent

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

quincunx

Quintana Roo

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

Quorn cap, trademark

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 not to be used for works of art.

See inverted commas, italics.

See also punctuation marks 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. A variety of Bible translations are available here

qwerty l/c for the arrangement of the standard English language keyboard

Last edited: February 09, 2009