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saccharin (noun), saccharine (adjective)

sack avoid in the sense of dismiss except in headlines (and never say axed or fired in this context)

sacrilegious (from sacrilege; not sacreligious)

Saddam Hussein Saddam after first mention; if required in full: Saddam Hussein al-Majid al-Tikriti. Accused with him are Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, Taha Yassin Ramadan, Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Abdullah Kazim Ruwayyid, Mizhar Abdullah Ruwayyid (son of the latter), Ali Dayim Ali and Mohammed Azawi Ali. Members of the Iraq special tribunal include Rizgar Mohammed Amin, presiding judge, and Raid Juhi. Saddam's lawyer is Khalil Dulaimi (not al-Dulaimi), and his UK-based defence co-ordinator is Abdel-Haq al-Ani. See also War in Iraq

Sadler's Wells

said prefer the construction Mr Brown said rather than said Mr Brown. See writes

Sainsbury the formal style is J Sainsbury (no point), especially in business stories, but Sainsbury's is permissible in general news stories. See initials

Saint is nearly always abbreviated to St

St Albans

St Andrews, the town and university in Fife

St Bride's, Fleet Street (not St Brides')

St Catharine's College, Cambridge, but St Catherine's College, Oxford. See Oxford, Cambridge, Catherine

St David's, Pembrokeshire, for the city, Cathedral and St David's Head, but the Bishop of St Davids does not take the apostrophe

St John's, Smith Square (use comma)

St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh

St Helens, Merseyside

St James's Palace. See Court of ...

St John Ambulance Brigade/Association

St John's, Newfoundland, but Saint John, New Brunswick

St John's Wood, London

St Katharine Docks, but St Katharine's Yacht Haven

St Martin-in-the-Fields

St Martins College of Art and Design. See Central St Martins

St Neot, Cornwall, but St Neots, Cambridgeshire

St Paul's Cathedral

St Stephen's Green, Dublin (not Stephen's Green)

St Thomas' Hospital, London

Saint-Saëns, the composer

saké Japanese rice wine. Use accent to avoid confusion with sake

saleroom (one word)

Salonika, rather than Thessaloniki. See foreign place names

salutary (not salutory)

Salvadorean (not -ian)

Sam-7 missiles

Sanaa, capital of Yemen (not Sana'a, Sana etc)

sanatorium, sanatoriums (plural) (not sanitorium)

sandpit (one word)

SANE, the schizophrenia charity, wishes to be known thus, caps rather than normal style of u/lc

Santer, Jacques former President of the European Commission, is from Luxembourg, so call him Mr, not M. See foreign appellations

sarin (as in nerve gas), l/c

Sars the viral respiratory complaint is severe acute respiratory syndrome (l/c), Sars on subsequent mention and in headlines. Cf Aids

sat is the past tense and the past participle of "to sit". Never write that somebody "was sat" in his car, her living room etc; write "was seated" or "was sitting"

Satan, Satanism (initial caps), but satanic

sat-nav l/c and hyphen for acceptable abbreviation for satellite navigation system

SATs (standard assessment tasks) have been replaced by national curriculum tests. These are set at Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 (for children aged 7, 11 and 14, respectively). The term SATs is not used formally by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, but continues to be used informally by parents, teachers and politicians. As appropriate, the phrase "national curriculum tests, known as SATs", may be employed. In headings, do not use SATs, except in the formal, historical context; suggested alternatives are tests, school tests, national tests, curriculum tests

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

Saudi must never be used as short form for the country, Saudi Arabia. Confine its use to the adjectival, eg, Saudi Royal Family

Savile Row, Savile Club. See London clubs

Savile, Jimmy; Sir James in formal context only

Saville Theatre

saw, as in a date "which saw" some event ("...the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, which saw French land sold..."). Days/months/years/incidents cannot "see" anything; please choose an elegant alternative construction

SBS Special Boat Service (not Squadron)

Sca Fell, Scafell Pike are two separate mountains in the Lake District. Scafell Pike, at 978m (3,209ft), is the highest in England

Scalextric (not Scalectrix)

Scandinavia (never Scandanavia)

Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Scardino, Dame Marjorie (she has dual British-US nationality)

scarify take care; its meaning is to cut into, to cut skin from; its colloquial meaning of to terrify should be avoided wherever possible

scars do not heal (even metaphorically); wounds heal, scars remain

Schadenfreude (cap, italic) means the malicious enjoyment of another's misfortunes; do not misuse

Schiphol airport, Amsterdam

schizophrenic never use as a term of abuse and avoid as a metaphor. See medical terms, SANE

Schleswig-Holstein

Schoenberg, Arnold

schools cap when full title is given (if in doubt, consult the Independent Schools Year Book or the state sector equivalent, the Education Year Book); nowadays use the classifications of independent, state, grant-maintained, comprehensive, grammar, secondary modern (rarely), etc, rather than public, private etc (except in historical context). See headmaster

schoolchildren (one word), schoolgirl, schoolboy, schooldays, schoolmaster, schoolmistress and schoolteacher (rarely); but school-leaver

School Curriculum and Assessment Authority no longer exists; it has been replaced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)

Schwarzenegger, Arnold the Governor of California. On subsequent mentions of his title, the governor (l/c), as in mayor and Ken Livingstone. Similarly for US states, capitalise specific title mention of John Doe, Lieutenant-Governor of Hawaii, l/c thereafter. See Governor

Schweitzer, Albert

scientific measures write out first time with abbreviations in parentheses, shorten thereafter. The abbreviation takes no point and no “s” in the plural, eg, 14km, not 14kms. Some basic international units and their abbreviations are: metre (m); gram (g); litre (l); ampere (A); volt (V); watt (W); note also kilowatt-hour (kWh). Only abbreviate mile to m in mph and mpg; and gallon to g in mpg (otherwise gal). Beware of using m for million or for miles in any scientific context when it might be taken for metres. See metric, weights

scientific names when employing the Latin terminology, we must use the internationally accepted convention of initial cap on the first (generic) word, then l/c for the second (specific); eg, Homo sapiens, Branta canadensis (Canada goose) etc. For all but the most common we should also italicise

Scilly, Isles of do not use Scilly Isles; note spelling of St Mary's and Tresco

Scope is the new name for the former Spastics Society

Scotch, the whisky not to be used as a substitute for the adjectives Scottish and Scots. But note Scotch broth, Scotch mist, Scotch egg and Scotch terrier; also note Scots pine

scot-free without harm, loss or penalty

Scottish National Party (SNP) now cap Nationalists in the Scottish party context, but l/c nationalists in the wider sense

Scottish place names never say, eg, Motherwell, Scotland; instead say Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. Take care with new names under local government reorganisation; regions such as Central, Grampian and Strathclyde should now be referred to only in their historical context or if they persist in official titles such as Strathclyde Police or the University of Strathclyde. Permissible too to refer informally to the Central belt (between Edinburgh and Glasgow).

The same principle about counties applies to Wales and Northern Ireland; give the county unless the town or city is big enough or well-enough known for the county to be unnecessary

Scottish Parliament members are abbreviated MSPs; AMs for the Welsh Assembly; MLAs for Northern Ireland Assembly. Cap A for Assembly at second mention in Wales and Northern Ireland; cap P for Parliament in Scotland (where, NB, First Minister, not Secretary)

ScottishPower

Scott Thomas, Kristin (no hyphen)

Scouts no longer called Boy Scouts. See Guides

Scrabble (initial cap)

scrapheap (one word)

scratchcard (one word), as smartcard, swipecard

Scripture(s) cap as in Holy Scripture, but scriptural (l/c). See Christian terms

scriptwriter

sculptures in italic. With photographs of sculptures always give the sculptor's name. See Arts special section

seabed, seabird, seahorse, seagull, seasick (no hyphens); but note also sea lion, sea shanty, sea snake, sea urchin etc

seasonal, but unseasonable (not unseasonal). Note also seasonal affective disorder (l/c), abbreviated to SAD

seasons always l/c when unattached, ie, spring, summer, autumn, winter; but Winter Olympics etc. Note also summertime, wintertime, springtime, but British Summer Time (BST), and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). See times

seatbelt

second-hand (hyphenated)

Second World War, not World War II/Two etc

Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, or MI6) takes caps. See Security Service (MI5)

Secret Service in the US protects the President and Vice-President. As a colloquial phrase in the UK it must be l/c, but prefer (to avoid confusion) to use Secret Intelligence Service (MI6 or SIS)

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nato

Securities and Exchange Commission, the US regulator; do not use &. Write SEC after first mention

Securities and Investments Board (SIB) , replaced in October 1997 by the Financial Services Authority (FSA)

Security Service (MI5) takes caps; but l/c for the security services in non-specific use. See Secret Intelligence Service

see-saw (hyphenate)

seize (never sieze)

select committees and parliamentary committees capped at first mention, or when full title is given, eg, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee; thereafter, the select committee, or the committee. See Politics special section

Selfridges

sellers' pack for home sales (not seller's). Also known in the trade as home information packs, abbreviated to Hips

sell-off, sell-out (but see buyout)

Sellotape is a trade name; otherwise, use sticky tape or adhesive tape

semiconductor

Semtex (cap)

Senate (US); Senator Edward Kennedy, then the senator; alternatively, Mr Kennedy, the Massachusetts senator. Note caps in titles of Senate Majority Leader, House Minority Leader etc

senior abbreviate to Sr (not Snr) in the American context, eg, Henry Ramstein Sr; see junior. Avoid the cliché senior executive when you mean executive - nine times out of ten the adjective is redundant (as major)

Senior Salaries Review Body (caps) has replaced the Top Salaries Review Body

septic tanks (never sceptic)

septuagenarian

Serb for the people but Serbian can be used (sparingly) as an adjective

Serbia and Montenegro the loose confederation formed (February 2003) from the remainder of the former Republic of Yugoslavia

Serious Fraud Office (SFO), but fraud squad. See Flying Squad

Serious Organised Crime Agency — UK-wide squad combining responsibilities of the National Criminal Intelligence Service, National Crime Squad, Home Office responsibilities for organised immigration crime and Customs and Excise intelligence responsibilities in tackling serious drug trafficking

Serjeant at Arms

Serps spell out at first mention as state earnings related pension scheme (Serps)

serve in a warship (but on a merchant ship), and serve in (not on) a submarine, even though subs are boats, not ships. Important to make this distinction; readers complain every time we get it wrong. See Armed Forces special section

Services, the (cap); or the Armed Services or the Armed Forces; also cap Service when used adjectivally as in a Service family (where meaning might otherwise be ambiguous); but l/c serviceman, servicewoman

Session, Court of the supreme Scottish court (not Sessions). See Courts special section

setback (noun); but to set back

sett, as with badgers

set-up try to find a synonym such as arrangement, organisation, structure, system etc

sewage is the waste matter; sewerage for the disposal system

Sex and the City the TV show (not Sex in the City)

sexism always be aware of sensitivities and be careful to avoid giving offence to women. It is often difficult to draw the line between sexism and political correctness

sex offenders register (l/c, no apostrophe)

Shadow use of the titles may be applied to the main opposition party and the Liberal Democrats, for example, the Shadow Chancellor, the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Chancellor. Cap in all cases, ie, Shadow Cabinet, Shadow Environment Secretary, Shadow Chief Whip, a Shadow spokesman. See Politics special section

Shah, Eddy (not Eddie)

shake-out, shake-up (but see buyout)

Shakespeare titles as Henry IV (Part One) to avoid use of two sets of Roman numerals. And NB Shakespearean (not -ian)

shall, should keep up the vigorous defence of these against the encroaching will and would. Good practice is that shall and should go with the first person singular and plural (I shall, we shall), will and would with the others (he will, they will). Shall with second and third persons singular and plural has a slightly more emphatic meaning than will

shambles take care not to overwork this strong word, which means a slaughterhouse and, by extension, a scene of carnage

Shankill Road, Belfast (not Shankhill). See Ireland

shanks's pony (l/c)

Shangri-La

shantytown (one word)

SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe (all caps)

share a joke banned in captions on photographs showing people laughing

share shop(s) (l/c)

Sharia means Islamic law; never use the tautology Sharia law

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egyptian resort in Sinai

sheikh (not shaikh)

shell suit (two words); but see tracksuit

Shepherds Bush

Sher, (Sir) Antony

Sherborne alumni of the Dorset public school are Shirburnians

sheriff (never sherrif)

Shetland or the Shetland Islands, not the Shetlands. See Orkney

Shia, not Shiite or any such variation; write Shia Muslims (as opposed to Sunni Muslims)

ships italicise the HMS when first mention of warship, eg, HMS Sheffield. Ships should generally be treated as feminine; thus she and her rather than it and its. See warships, boat, serve in

ships' tonnage for passenger ships, give gross tonnage in tonnes (rather than tons); for cargo ships, deadweight tonnage. It is simply wrong to say that "the QM2 weighs 150,000 tonnes" (in fact, she actually displaces [ie, weighs] around 82,000 tonnes). But it is possible to say, using the gross tonnage: "the QM2 is a 150,000-tonne ship" or "the 150,000-tonne QM2". Check with Lloyd's Register

shock avoid in headlines unless in the electric context; in text, use the word as little as possible and never as a modifier, shock revelations etc (unless the context is ironic)

shock waves (two words), but use sparingly as a metaphor as it is becoming a cliché

shoo-in (not shoe-in), if you have to use this American phrase

shoot-out (hyphen), as in penalty shoot-out; but avoid in the sense of gunfight

shopkeeper, shopowner, shopfront, shoplift etc; but shop assistant and shop steward

shortlist (one word as noun or verb)

short-lived, short-sighted

showbusiness (one word); showbiz is an acceptable abbreviation in quotes and informal context

showcase avoid using as a verb. Use display or exhibit instead

showjumping one word except when it appears in a title such as the British Show Jumping Association, or is part of the name of an event that uses it as two words; similarly, showjumper

shrink, shrank (past tense), shrunk (or shrunken), past participle. See sink

Shroud of Turin (caps), or the Turin Shroud; subsequently, the shroud (l/c)

Siamese cats, twins; for Siam use Thailand except in historical context (adjective Thai)

Sichuan (not Szechuan, Setzuan, Szechwan or any other variant). See Chinese names

sickbed, as deathbed

side-effects

siege (never seige)

Siena only one “n”

sign language NOT deaf-and-dumb language

Silicon Valley, silicon chips, but silicone implants (for breasts etc)

silk barristers take silk and become silks (all l/c). See Courts special section

Sim card the subscriber identity module card in a mobile phone

Simon's Town, South Africa (not Simonstown). See South Africa

sin-bin (use hyphen)

Sindy doll (not Cindy)

singalong

singeing (from singe), to distinguish it from singing

sink, sank the past participle is sunk, the adjective sunken

siphon (not syphon)

Sistine Chapel (NOT Cistine)

sitcom (no hyphen) permissible abbreviation for situation comedy

sit-in

situation avoid wherever possible; such phrases as crisis situation, ongoing situation and no-win situation are banned unless a direct quote positively demands them

Six Nations Championship (rugby), no longer the Five Nations Championship (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy). See Sports special section

sizeable

ski, skier, skied, skiing

skulduggery

slam-door trains (hyphen)

Slavic must not be used; the noun and adjective are Slav

slay is a biblical word, not to be used in headlines for kill or murder

slimline (one word)

Slovak for the people and language, Slovakian for the general adjective. See Czech Republic, Croat, Croatian

smart aleck (not Alec)

smartcard (one word), as scratchcard, swipecard

smelt (not smelled)

smidgin

Smillie, Carol (not Smiley)

Smith, W H (no points). See companies, initials

Smithsonian Institution, in Washington (never Institute); can be shortened to the Smithsonian

snarl-up do not use as a synonym of traffic jam, confusion etc

sniffer dogs, tracker dogs avoid these clichés wherever possible; usually dogs is sufficient, but if the context is unclear, say police dogs

snowball, snowbound, snowdrift, snowfall, snowman etc

Soane's the museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields is the Sir John Soane's Museum

soap opera normally use rather than just soap, though the latter may have its place in less formal pieces, as in the Diary or reviews

social chapter (l/c, as it is an informal title)

Social Democratic and Labour Party (the SDLP, in Northern Ireland)

socialism, socialist for when to cap, see communism, communist

soirée (use acute accent)

solar system l/c. See Earth, Universe

Solent, the (l/c the); but The Needles

solicitor-advocate takes a hyphen

Solicitor-General (hyphen, as Attorney-General); similarly Solicitor-General for Scotland

Solicitors Complaints Bureau (no apostrophes) has been replaced by the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors

Solti, Sir Georg (not George)

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr no longer use Alexander. See Russian names

sorcerer (not -or)

SOS

Sotheby's

soundbite

south, southeast, southern etc; for when to cap, see compass points

South, Southern (cap in US contexts)

South Africa never use the abbreviation SA, even in headlines. The capital is Pretoria, which has the embassies (branches sometimes in Cape Town when Parliament is sitting) and government ministries. The legislature meets in Cape Town, and the Appeal Court sits in Bloemfontein. Pretoria can be referred to as the seat of government. Each of the new South African provinces has its own capital.

Say the Eastern/Western/Northern Cape (caps); note also KwaZulu/Natal and Simon's Town. Take care; several provinces have been renamed since the apartheid era, eg, Mpumalanga (formerly Eastern Transvaal); Free State (formerly Orange Free State); Gauteng (formerly Transvaal).

Say southern Africa when referring to Africa south of the Congo and Zambezi rivers

South Asia encompasses Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

South-East Asia comprises the ten Asean states — Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Avoid calling Burma Myanmar (except occasionally in direct quotes). See Asean

South of France

Southern Ocean (caps)

southerner, l/c as northerner

Sovereign, the (cap). See monarch, Royal Family

Soviet Union NEVER refer to the Soviets for the people or the Government, even in the historical context. The phrase is an Americanism often with disparaging overtones; a soviet is a committee, not a person. Refer instead to the Soviet people or the Soviet Government in historical context. See Russia, USSR

space avoid the phrase outer space. See Earth, Moon, Sun, Universe

Spanish The Times seeks to render Spanish words correctly with their accents.

The most common accent is the stress or emphasis mark over an otherwise weak or indeterminate vowel, for example, Málaga, Verón.

The mark, which indicates which syllable to emphasise, is an integral part of the spelling. Words ending in -an, -en, -in, -on and -un frequently have the terminal syllable emphasised, thus: Hernán, Belén (Bethlehem), Clarín (Argentine newspaper), Perón (the 20th-century Argentine leader), atún (tuna).

Many names and words ending in a vowel and -z attract an emphasis on the penultimate (otherwise weak) vowel, eg, Hernández. Note that once an accented word is put into a longer word, eg, peronista (a follower of Perón), the accent may be lost or move because the emphasis shifts to a stronger vowel (in this case, the i).

The next most common accent is the tilde, giving the "nya" sound in words such as España, Coto de Doñana (the nature reserve in southern Spain).

As el, la, los and las are the masculine and feminine singular and plural definite articles, respectively, try not to write, for example, "the El País Madrid daily newspaper reported… ", but rather "El País, the Madrid daily newspaper, reported…"

In Spanish some combinations of letters must not be broken at a line-end: rr, ll, ch.

A selected list of names: Adolfo; Álava (Basque regional capital); Alemán; Almería; Álvaro; Andalusia (use the English rather than Spanish Andalucía form); Andrés; Ángel; Atlético Madrid; Ávila (birthplace of St Teresa); Aznar, José María (the former Spanish Prime Minister); Barcelona (football club, nickname Barça); Bernabéu (stadium of Real Madrid); Cádiz; Carlos; Católico; César; Chávez; Clarín (Argentine newspaper); Colón, Cristóbal (Columbus, Christopher); Domingo, Plácido (the opera singer); Coto de Doñana (nature reserve in southern Spain); Córdoba; Cortés, Hernán; Dalí, Salvador; Dióscoro; Domingo; El País, Madrid daily newspaper; Felipe; Galadí; García; Gaudí; Gloria; Hernán; Hernández; Inés; Isabel; Jerez (the sherry town); Jiménez; Joaquín; José; Juan; Luis; Málaga; María; marqués (marquis); Méndez; Miñón; Montt, Efraín Ríos (Guatemalan politician); Perón, Juan Domingo (the 20th-century Argentine leader); his wife (María) Eva (Duarte) de Perón, known as Evita; político; Rafael; Real Madrid; Rodríguez; Rubén; Simón; Suárez; Tomás; Valencia; Verón, Juan Sebastián; Zapatero, José Luis Rodríguez (the Spanish Prime Minister)

Spanish regions use the Anglicised forms such as Andalusia (not Andalucìa); Catalonia (not Cataluña), Navarre (not Navarra), Majorca (not Mallorca), Minorca (not Menorca) etc

spastic never use figuratively or as a term of abuse. See medical terms, Scope

Speaker always cap in parliamentary context

Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park (not Speaker's)

Special Branch (caps, but no the). See branch

special forces in the UK or US, generically l/c. But cap, eg, 5th Special Forces Group in US for specific units. See War on Terror

species both singular and plural in plant and animal sense. See scientific names

spellcheck, spellchecker (l/c, no hyphens) — but use with extreme care

spelt (not spelled); note misspelt

spiders are NOT insects, although like insects they are arthropods

Spielberg, Steven

spiky not spikey

spilt not spilled

spin, spun do not use span as past tense

spin-doctor (hyphen). See Politics special section

Spiritualism, Spiritualist

split infinitives are banned, except in famous quotes such as “to boldly go where no man...” or in limited emphatic constructions such as “I want to live — to really live”

spoilt (not spoiled); but despoiled

spokesman, spokeswoman avoid where possible, eg, “the ministry said” rather than “a ministry spokesman said”. Official is a useful alternative. Never use spokesperson. See chairman

spongy not spongey

sports clubs for when to use singular or plural, see teams

sportsmen, sportswomen omit the Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms etc unless they are in news reports (eg, court hearings) in a specifically non-sporting context. See appellations

spots one word for blackspot, hotspot, troublespot, etc

sprang is the past tense of the verb to spring, eg, “she sprang into action”; sprung is the past participle, eg, “the wind has sprung up”

sprightly (NOT spritely)

spring-clean (hyphen)

squads in police context, usually l/c, but see Flying Squad; also note Royal and Diplomatic Protection Squad

Sri Lanka do not use Ceylon for the country except in historical context. But Ceylon tea etc

SSSI, site of special scientific interest (l/c)

Stability and Growth Pact (in the EU), can be shortened to the Stability Pact (keep caps)

stadium plural stadiums. See referendum

stained glass, but a stained-glass window (hyphen)

Stalinist, Stalinism. See communism

stanch (verb), as “to stanch a flow of blood”; staunch is an adjective meaning loyal or firm

stand-off (noun, hyphen), but standby (noun, no hyphen)

stand-up not acceptable as an abbrevation for stand-up comedian/comic, stand-up act

Stansted airport (never Stanstead). See airports

stargazers, stargazing

Star Trek (two words, italic)

Start I, II, III etc (not Start 1, 2, 3), strategic arms reduction talks

State cap (sparingly) in context of the State as a wide concept, but not in the welfare state, or used adjectivally such as state benefits

stationary (not moving), stationery (writing materials)

Stationery Office, The (TSO abbreviated); no longer HMSO

stations l/c in Euston station, Waterloo station, Birmingham New Street station, but where possible, simply Euston, Waterloo etc. See airports

statistic(s) do not use as a fancy word for figure(s) or number(s). Note that the Central Statistical Office has been replaced by the Office for National Statistics (not of). See National Statistics

status quo in roman, but the less familiar status quo ante in italics

statute book

stay home avoid this Americanism; say “stay at home”

Stealth bomber

Steel, Sir David the Presiding Officer (initial caps) of the Scottish Parliament prefers to be known as Sir David Steel in this context. In other contexts, continue to call him Lord Steel of Aikwood (first mention), Lord Steel thereafter

steelworks, steelworker etc

stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, but step-family, step-parents

Stephenson, George (trains), Robert (bridges); Stevenson, Robert Louis, Adlai

Stetson (initial cap)

still avoid writing the tautologous "still continues", "still remains" etc

Stilton (initial cap)

Stock Exchange caps for London and the New York Stock Exchange, l/c for all others; note l/c for the stock market

stony (not stoney)

storey (of a building); plural storeys

storm clouds two words, but try to avoid cliché of "gathering storm clouds"

storyteller, storytelling

straight be sparing in the use of this word to mean heterosexual. See gay

straight-faced, but straightforward

Strait of Hormuz (not Straits), Strait of Gibraltar, Strait of Dover

straitjacket

strait-laced; in dire straits

Stratford-upon-Avon except in the parliamentary constituency, which is Stratford-on-Avon

stratum plural strata

Streisand, Barbra

stress prefer emphasise as in “he emphasised the importance”

stricture means adverse criticism or censure, not constraint. Take care

strippagram

stylebook one word, as with guidebook, textbook etc (but style guide)

sub- like multi-, the hyphen here is often a question of what looks better. A random sample gives us subdivision, sublet, subnormal, subsection, substandard, subtext, subcontract(or); in contrast, sub-committee, sub-editor, sub-postmaster, sub-post office etc. See hyphens, multi-

Subbuteo

sub-continent, the (l/c) for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

subjects, academic use l/c for most subjects studied at school or university, eg, “she was reading modern history with philosophy”; but where a proper name is involved, the cap is retained, eg, “he got a first in English literature and German after he dropped Latin in his second year”; and always cap Classics and PPE (short for philosophy, politics and economics). But note, eg, Professor of History when the phrase accompanies a name. See Professor, university posts

sub-let (as in property)

sub-machinegun. See machinegun

submarine always a boat, not a ship, See boat, ships, serve in

subplot, subtext, subtitle

subpoena, subpoenas, subpoenaing, subpoenaed

sub-Saharan Africa

subsequently prefer afterwards or later, and never say subsequent to when the meaning is after

subtropical (one word). See Tropics

such as do not confuse with like. See like

Sudan not the Sudan (except occasionally in historical context)

sudden oak death caused by a fungus, Phytophthora ramorum

suffragan lower case. See Churches section

suffragette l/c, double f, double t; Emmeline Pankhurst; her daughters Dame Christabel Pankhurst and Sylvia Pankhurst

suing (not sueing), from to sue

summit avoid calling every high-level meeting a summit. Restrict its use to meetings of heads of government

summon the verb is to summon, the noun a summons (plural summonses). A person is summoned to appear before a tribunal etc; but a person in receipt of a specific summons can be said to have been summonsed

Sun. See Earth, Moon and Universe

sunbathing, sunburn, sunglasses, suntan etc but sun-care (products etc)

Super Bowl (as in American football)

supercasino one word

superhighway (as in information superhighway); similarly, superconductor

superjumbo (one word), the new Airbus Industrie A3XX

superlatives beware of calling any person, event or thing the first, the biggest, the best etc without firm evidence that this is correct. Also, never say first-ever, best-ever etc. See ever, first, universal claims

supersede (never supercede)

supersonic (of speeds); for waves use ultrasonic

super-union hyphen

supervisor (NOT superviser)

supine means lying face-up. See prone

Supreme Court (US)

Surinam (not Suriname)

surprising (not suprising)

suspenseful do not use this abomination

Sussex always specify whether a place is in East Sussex or West Sussex, two separate counties

swansong (one word)

swap (not swop) do not use unless a mutual exchange is involved and never for organ transplants

swaths, not swathes (as in “cutting swaths through”); swathes to be used only as bandages

swatting (flies), swotting (study)

swearword (not hyphenated)

sweet pea not sweetpea (unless referring to Popeye's adopted daughter; in which case, initial cap)

swingeing (as in cuts), to distinguish it from swinging

Swinging London, Swinging Sixties (caps)

swipecard, as scratchcard, smartcard

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, does not take “the”. See Arts special section

sync prefer to synch, as in the phrase "out of sync"

synod l/c on its own, but General Synod (caps). See Churches special section

synthesizer (musical), but synthesise (chemical etc)