APPENDIX - STYLE GUIDE

Aim

The aim of this unit is to demonstrate the purpose and role of a style guide and the need
to be consistent.

Objectives

After studying this unit you should be able to:

1. Recognise the need for, and role of, a style guide.

2. List the type of information contained in a style guide.
3. Find your way around a style guide.
4. Know when you should consult the style guide.

Study Approach

This is a practical unit and you should relate everything in it to your own workplace. The
approach you adopt will depend on whether your own organisation has a formal up-to-
date style guide.

The following approach is recommended:

1. Read through your publications Style Guide, noting the main headings and the
information you consider important

2. If your newspaper does not have a style guide, find out from colleagues the style
adopted by your newspaper/publication and build your own Style Guide
accordingly

3. Continually update the style guide as you learn about your own house style so
that it remains a useful reference guide.

Suggested time

Study time: 2 hours

Self-assessment tasks: 1 hours

Total: 4 hours
SELF-ASSESSMENT TASKS

Using the style guide provided by your publisher, answer the following questions:

1. You are covering a magistrates' court and you wish to quote the presiding
magistrate whose name is Robert Browning. How would you refer to him?

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

2. You are covering an inquest. How do you refer to the coroner (Dr Paul Marsh)?

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

3. Shown on court lists at your local crown court as sitting in court today is Judge
David Tucker. How would you refer to him?

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

4. Similarly, how would you refer to Mr Recorder Bruce Park?

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

5. You have a story which concerns the armed forces. You must refer to Major
General Thomas Potts, Squadron Leader Peter Day and Chief Petty Officer
Michael Brown. How do you do this?

6. You are covering a story which concerns the emergency services. You must refer
to Detective Constable Brian Page and Divisional Officer (fire) Douglas Marks.
How do you do this?

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

7. How do you refer initially and later on in a copy to different clergymen at an

ecumenical event? The list of ministers is as follows:

Justin Welby (Archbishop of Canterbury Church of England)

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

Dr Richard Chartres (Church of England Bishop London)

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

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 Michael Campbell (Roman Catholic Bishop Lancaster)
a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

Thomas Snow (the local minister United Reformed Church)

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

8. You are covering a Crown Court. The accused is called Raymond Barrett aged 24
of Blake Street, London. How do you refer to him?

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

9. You are covering a garden party given at the home of the Duke of London whose
family name is Fitzalan. His wife Anne and daughter Margaret are also present.
How do you refer to all three, initially and subsequently in your copy?

Duke of London
a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

Anne Fitzalan
a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

Margaret Fitzalan
a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

10. You are covering London Borough Council and you wish to refer to the following in
copy. How would you do so?

The Mayor (John Roberts)

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

Councillor Mrs Mary Jones Labour

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

The Chief Executive William Evans

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

The Chairman of the Housing Committee (Peter Dennis)

a. initially?
b. throughout the story?

11. You have a story in which 12 people have been involved in a car accident and two
were killed. How would you write these figures in copy?

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12. Which of the following have capitals in copy?

a. glass fibre
b. aspro
c. thermos
d. aspirin
e. fibreglass
f. tarmac
g. brussels sprouts
h. brazil nut
i. London district council
j. roman catholic
k. tuesday

13. Which is correct?

a. London District Council is to decide...or

b. London District Council are to decide...

c. the government is to decide...or

d. the government are to decide...

e. London police is holding a suspect...or

f. London police are holding a suspect...

14. Which of these words need hyphens?

a. cooperative
b. granddaughter
c. reselect
d. recharge
e. readvertise
f. remit
g. refuse
h. redesign
i. unbearable
j. undress

15. How would you write the following in copy?

a. One pound twenty five pence

b. one and a half million pounds
c. five o'clock in the morning and quarter past twelve (lunch-time)
d. a ten year old school boy, girl aged fifteen
e. seventy five pence

16. How would you abbreviate the following?

a. British Broadcasting Corporation

b. National Union of Seamen
c. Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
d. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
e. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries

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 f. Royal Air Force
g. Member of Parliament
h. Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service

17. Substitute a simpler word for the following:

a. as a result of
b. conflagration
c. filled to capacity
d. in spite of the fact that
e. was a witness of
f. during the course of
g. owing to the fact that
h. in short supply
i. discontinue
j. adjacent to
k. collapsed and died
l. inform
m. definite decision
n. proceed
o. in the region of
p. stated
q. pay tribute to
r. sufficient
s. with regard to

18. Below are some commonly misspelt words. Correct those which are incorrect.

a. accessable
b. advisable
c. concertoes
d. noticeable
e. tangable
f. torpedoes

19. Below are words which often cause problems. Correct those which are misused
or misspelt.

a. gorilla (war)
b. practise (noun as in practise game)
c. caster (oil)
d. bale (from jail or cricket)
e. complement (praise)
f. borne (carried)
g. hanger (for coats)
h. loath (dislike)
i. sewerage (waste)

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20. Here is some copy which is, according to the A-Z Newspaper Style guide,
incorrect.

Using the style guide for reference, go through these passages correcting errors and
putting them into style. Although some of the copy should be rewritten, at this stage
simply correct the style.

20 people were injured when a bus left the motorway at Middlehampton today.
Firemen used cutting equipment to release people trapped in the wreckage and the
road was closed 4 hours.

In charge at the scene was Div Off Ron Woods, from Middlehampton fire brigade.

He said it was raining when the accident happened and as a result of this, the
conditions were made worse for firemen and casualties.

Chief Inspector Andrew Wren said traffic had to be diverted around smaller roads. All
the injured people were taken to St. Mary's Hospital, Middlehampton. No names have
yet been released.

A garden party, held to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund, at the home of
the Duke of London, raised two and a half thousand pounds.

Duke Richard and his wife Caroline, presented prizes in the raffle. Among the guests
were Adml Benjamin Court RN; and Linden mayor, Mr Vincent Black.

Bouquets were presented to duchess Caroline and her daughter Mary Fitzalan, who
made the draw.

200 people attended the event.

Linden district council last night voted to turn the high street into a pedestrian precinct.

The vote was thirty-to-five in favour of the scheme. Chairman of the Council, Mr
Reginald Drake, said it was a plan which was long overdue in the town.

But labour coun. Doris Black said; this will do nothing but harm the local traders. None
of them want it - we should have asked them first'.

Cllr Drake, Conservative, said shopping would be easier in a precinct and this would
attract more, not less, trade.

21. Apostrophe exercise

The possessive case denotes the owner or possessor, e.g. uncle's bicycle,
ladies' hat, children's toys

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 The possessive case of nouns is formed by adding s to the singular, e.g. the
boy's ball, the child's toys, the man's hat

If the plural ends in s the apostrophe s () must be added, e.g. the boys' ball

If the plural does not end in s then the apostrophe s (s) must be added, e.g.
the children's toys, the men's hats

With abstract nouns ending in ss or ce, the apostrophe only is added. These
are usually found in such phrases as: for goodness' sake, for conscience' sake

The apostrophe goes on the last word of compound nouns, e.g. he lives at his
father-in-law's house

Paul Jones's birthday, but the Joness house

Insert apostrophes where appropriate in the passage below

All citizens, from Jack Joness brother or the Joneses grandpa to MPs, should take an
interest in their childrens education. They shouldnt ignore the need for a teachers
skills to be tuned into the twenty-first century. A boys knowledge and girls knowledge
needs to be broad - everything from the mechanics of the phone to the hunt for the flu
vaccine, and a knowledge of the workings of Cds and Tvs. Thats as important as an
understanding of the relevance of St. Jamess Church. So its vital the Department of
Education takes a close look at its handling of teachers training to improve schooling
for the under-16s. Its important, too, for the further education college to determine
whether its programme for mens and womens needs, as well as older boys and girls
needs, is adequate.

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SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO SELF-ASSESSMENT TASKS (amend as necessary with
your own publications style guide)

1. a. Initially Presiding magistrate, Robert Browning

b. Thereafter Mr Browning

2. a. Initially The Portsmouth coroner, Paul Marsh

b. Thereafter the coroner or Dr Marsh

3. a. Initially Judge David Tucker

b. Thereafter the judge
4. a. Initially The Recorder Bruce Park
b. Thereafter the recorder

5. Maj Gen Thomas Potts

Sqn Ldr Peter Day
CPO Michael Brown

6. a. Initially Detective Constable Brian Page and Divisional Officer

Douglas Marks
b. Thereafter DC or Mr Page, Do or Mr Marks

7. a. Initially The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin

Welby
b. Thereafter the archbishop

a. Initially The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Dr Richard Chartres

b. Thereafter Dr Chartres or the bishop

a. Initially The Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster, the Rt Rev

Michael Campbell
b. Thereafter the bishop

a. Initially The Rev Thomas Snow

b. Thereafter Mr. Snow

8. a. Initially Raymond Barrett, 24, of Blake Street, London

b. Thereafter Barrett

9. a. Initially The Duke and Duchess of London

b. Thereafter the duke and the duchess

a. Initially Lady Margaret Fitzalan

b. Thereafter Lady Margaret

10. a. Initially The Mayor, Cllr John Roberts

b. Thereafter the mayor

a. Initially Cllr Mary Jones (Lab)

b. Thereafter Mrs Jones

a. Initially William Evans, chief executive

b. Thereafter chief executive or Mr Evans

a. Initially the chairman of the housing committee, Cllr Peter

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 Dennis (Con)
b. Thereafter Mr Dennis
11. 12 and two

12. lower case glass fibre

capital Aspro
capital Thermos
lower case aspirin
capital Fibreglass
capital Tarmac
lower case brussels sprouts
lower case brazil nut
capital London District Council

13. a. London District Council is to decide

c. the government is to decide
f. London police are holding a suspect

14. co-operative

15. a. 1.25
b. 1.5m
c. 5am 12.15pm
d. 10-year-old schoolboy, girl aged 15
e. 75p

16. a. BBC
b. NUS
c. ASLEF
d. NATO
e. Opec
f. RAF
g. MP
h. Acas

17. a. because
b. fire
c. full
d. although
e. saw
f. during
g. because
h. scarce
i. stop
j. near
k. died
l. tell
m. decision
n. go
o. about
p. said
q. praise
r. enough
s. about

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18. a. accessible
c. concertos
e. tangible

19. a. guerrilla
b. practice
c. castor
d. bail
e. compliment
f. loathe
g. sewage

20. Twenty people were injured when a bus left the motorway at Middlehampton
today.

Firemen used cutting equipment to release people trapped in the wreckage and
the road was closed for four hours.

Divisional Officer Ron Woods, from Middlehampton fire brigade was in charge at
the scene.
He said it was raining when the accident happened and as a result of this, the
conditions were made worse for firemen and casualties.

Chf Insp Andrew Wren said traffic had to be diverted around smaller roads. All
the injured people were taken to St. Mary's Hospital, Middlehampton. No names
have yet been released.

(NB. Twenty is written in full even though it is greater than ten because it starts a
sentence, four in full because it is fewer than ten.)

A garden party, held to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund, at the
home of the Duke of London, raised 2,500.

The Duke and Duchess presented prizes in the raffle. Among the guests were
Admiral Benjamin Court, and the Mayor of Linden, Cllr Vincent Black.

Bouquets were presented to the Duchess and her daughter, Lady Mary Fitzalan,
who made the draw.

Two hundred people attended the event.

________________________________________________________________

Linden District Council last night voted to turn the High Street into a pedestrian
precinct.

The vote was 30 - 5 in favour of the scheme. The chairman of the council, Cllr
Reginald Drake (Con), said it was a plan which was long overdue in the town.

But Cllr Doris Black (Lab) said "This will do nothing but harm to the local traders.
None of them want it we should have asked them first."

Mr Drake said shopping would be easier in a precinct and this would attract
more, not less, trade.

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 (NB: The vote is a statistic and is therefore shown in figures. The style for using
quotation marks is covered in the Writing for Newspapers unit. Use colon,
double inverted commas, begin the quote with a capital letter and end with
double inverted commas outside the punctuation mark. In the final par, Mr is
used because it is the second mention. Do not refer to his political party since
this has been covered earlier in the story.)

21. Key to apostrophe exercise

All citizens, from Jack Jones's brother or the Joneses' grandpa to MPs, should
take an interest in their children's education. They shouldn't ignore the need for
a teacher's skills to be tuned into the 21st century. A boy's knowledge and a
girl's knowledge needs to be broad everything from the mechanics of the
phone to the hunt for the flu vaccine, and a knowledge of the workings of CDs
and TVs. That's as important as an understanding of the relevance of St
James's Church. So it's vital the Department of Education takes a close look at
its handling of teachers' training to improve schooling for the under-16s. It's
important, too, for the further education college to determine whether its
programme for men's and women's needs, as well as older boys' and older girls'
needs, is adequate.

National Council for the Training of Journalists

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