Dail
is the lower house of the Irish Parliament. Do not use in headlines or summaries, but it should always be referred to by name at least once - with initial cap. A Member of the Irish Parliament should not be referred to as an "MP", but as a member of parliament, parliamentary deputy, deputy or even TD - so long as it is clear from the context that this is the Irish abbreviation for member of the house ("Teacht Dala").
Dakar/Dhaka
Dakar is the capital of Senegal; not to be confused with the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.
Dalai Lama
ie with initial caps.
damage
Phrases such as "damage worth millions" are meaningless. Say damage put at, or damage estimated at, or similar.
daring
Do not use in the context of a crime or military action, as it suggests admiration.
dashcam
one word 鈥� also helmetcam and similar constructions.
data
Strictly a plural - but follow common usage and treat it as a singular, taking a singular verb (eg: Data was collected across the country).
dates
Put the date before the month, without suffix (eg: 12 April). There is no added comma for the year (eg: 12 April 2003), but there should be one if the day of the week is included (eg: Saturday, 12 April).
Avoid the 12/04/2012 formulation, as this will be understood in the US as 4 December. And one exception to the general rule: in a US context, spell out the Fourth of July.
days
Our readers live in various time zones, so avoid references to "yesterday", "this morning", "today", "tonight", "tomorrow" etc. Instead, days should be referred to by name (eg: Voting begins on Monday). Do not follow the American custom of omitting the preposition (eg: "Voting begins Monday").
When writing about events that have happened or are due to happen on the day a story appears, avoid putting the day of the week in the top four pars. If some indication of timescale is needed, use another form of words such as "within hours", "shortly" or "earlier". If there is a potential for confusion, include the day lower down the story (although the date stamp should mean this is unnecessary in most cases).
Dax
(Frankfurt鈥檚 main stock market index) ie initial cap only.
D-Day
(6 June 1944) ie hyphenated - with two caps.
dead on arrival
is a term to be avoided. It鈥檚 ambulance service jargon, being the term used in duty logs, where it often appears as "DOA". The implication that the individual died en route to hospital is often false.
death row
ie lower case.
decades
Use digits, without apostrophes (eg: 1960s or the 60s; Henry Hyde is now in his mid-40s). The exception is where an adjective is attached - in which case, the decade is written with an apostrophe (eg the Swinging 鈥�60s).
decimate
is a word liable to create misunderstanding. Strictly, it means "to destroy one-tenth of something" - but it鈥檚 commonly used to mean "destroy a large part of". Best avoided.
defence
is our usual spelling, even with job titles which in their original form use US spelling (eg: the US Defence Secretary John Wayne - and not "Defense Secretary"). Follow the American spelling of the department if using its full name (eg: the US Department of Defense), but use UK spelling for an abbreviated form eg: the US defence department. This is often preferable, in order to avoid spelling the same word in two ways in the same story.
Delhi
Do not refer to it as "New Delhi", which is only one part of the Indian capital.
Democratic Party
is the correct name for the US political party, not the "Democrat Party". But party members may be called "Democrats".
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
(responsible for business and enterprise support, higher and further education, promoting scientific research). Department may be abbreviated at second reference to BEIS (ie all caps, no gaps).You can also refer to the business department (no caps)
Headed by the business secretary who may, according to context, be referred to as energy secretary, or industrial-strategy secretary (titles capped up if accompanied by name).
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Department may be abbreviated at second reference to DCMS (ie all caps, no gaps).
Headed by the culture secretary (title capped up if accompanied by name).
Department for Education
(responsible for education and children鈥檚 services). No initial caps if referred to as "the education department").
Department may be abbreviated at second reference to DfE (no gaps).
Headed by the education secretary (title capped up if accompanied by name).
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
may be shortened to Defra (ie initial cap only). No caps for the environment department.
Headed by the environment secretary (title capped up if accompanied by name).
Department for International Trade
Department may be abbreviated at second reference to DIT (ie all caps, no gaps).
Headed by the international-trade secretary (title capped up if accompanied by name).
Department for Transport
Department may be abbreviated at second reference to DfT (ie no gaps).
Headed by the transport secretary (title capped up if accompanied by name).
Department for Work and Pensions
Headed by the work and pensions secretary, who, according to context, may be referred to as the pensions secretary (capped up if accompanied by name). Department may be abbreviated at second reference to DWP (ie all caps). No caps for the work department or the pensions department.
Department of Health and Social Care
may be abbreviated at second reference to the DHSC or the health department (ie with no caps).
Headed by the health secretary (title capped up if accompanied by name).
dependant/dependent
The noun is dependant (eg: Mr Smith told the court he had 14 dependants). The adjective is dependent (eg: Mr Smith told the court he was heavily dependent on drugs).
deprecate/depreciate
Deprecate means "to express disapproval of". Do not confuse with depreciate, which means "to diminish in value".
Derry
The city and county are Londonderry. The city should be given the full name at first reference, but Derry can be used later. The local council is Derry City Council.
deterrent
To talk about a "nuclear deterrent" implies acceptance of the doctrine of deterrence, which not all do. Referring to a "nuclear weapons programme" might be a suitable alternative.
Diamond Jubilee
As in Elizabeth II鈥檚. Capped up.
different
Say different from (rather than "different to" or "different than").
direct quotes
Pick only the best lines for direct quotation; anything else should be converted into indirect speech. Eliminate superfluous conversational devices (eg: "to be honest with you", "what I want to say is"). Make sure the meaning is clear - if not, leave it out.
Avoid exposing a speaker to ridicule by bringing his/her grammatical/linguistic incompetence to a wider audience. A combination of indirect speech and omission should solve the problem.
Punctuation: with complete sentences, the closing quotation marks go after the full stop. With a single word or phrase, the quotation marks go before the full stop. Where part of a quote has been omitted, use triple dots with a space after the last dot (eg: The quality of mercy is not strained鈥� it is twice blest.)
director general
(of the 大象传媒) ie two words, no hyphen, no caps.
disabilities/illnesses
We should be careful about the language we use when referring to disabled people. The same applies for mentally disabled people. Where possible, be guided by the preference of the contributor.
Remember, 鈥�disabled鈥� is a description not a group of people. 鈥淭he disabled鈥� implies a homogeneous group not individuals.
Disabled people do not always want to be solely identified by their disability but there is some debate about whether it is appropriate to talk about 鈥減eople with disabilities鈥� 鈥� with critics of the phrase saying, for example, they have been disabled by society鈥檚 failure to cater for them.
Do not refer to someone being "wheelchair-bound" or "confined to a wheelchair", since wheelchairs provide mobility - not confinement. Instead, write about a person who uses a wheelchair or who is in a wheelchair or a wheelchair user.
When referring specifically to an individual or group鈥檚 medical or health condition, 鈥�impairment鈥� is relatively neutral, while 鈥渟uffers鈥� or 鈥渁fflicted鈥� can have negative connotations. Many disabled people do not see their impairment in negative terms.
鈥淐ondition鈥� is more commonly used to describe a medical condition. Say 鈥�living with鈥�, 鈥�was diagnosed鈥�, or 鈥�丑补蝉鈥�鈥�.
鈥淚nvalid鈥�, 鈥渉andicapped鈥�, 鈥渃ripple鈥� and 鈥渄eformed鈥� should not be used, nor 鈥渕entally handicapped鈥�, 鈥渕entally defective鈥�, 鈥渞etarded鈥� or 鈥渟ubnormal.鈥� Consider instead 鈥�a person who has a learning disability鈥�.
Avoid describing people as "mute". "Unable to speak" is a suitable alternative.
"Spastic" is a term that is not acceptable. Speak of people with cerebral palsy. "Handicap" and "cripple" are also not acceptable.
We do not speak of "epileptics" or "epilepsy sufferers". Instead, say people with epilepsy. The use of the term "fit" for an epileptic incident is increasingly seen as outdated and can be offensive. The preferred word is seizure, though attack can also be acceptable. However, if a speaker uses fit in a direct quote that's OK.
Avoid using the word "leper" when describing someone with leprosy. It carries very negative connotations, suggesting an outcast or pariah. There will inevitably be occasions when someone says he/she was "treated like a leper". This is acceptable provided it is in direct quotes.
In reporting stories about albinism, we should recognise that it might not be a familiar term to everyone. People with albinism or albino people would be our preference, with "albinos" only to be used in headlines.
Rather than 鈥渕idget鈥�, 鈥渄warf鈥� or 鈥渄warves鈥�, the preferred terms are usually 鈥�restricted growth鈥� or the medical term 鈥�dwarfism鈥� if used in the right context - for example, 鈥�someone who has dwarfism鈥� or 鈥�someone who has a form of dwarfism鈥�.
Avoid using the terms 鈥渂attle鈥� and 鈥渇ight鈥� when referring to someone seeking to overcome an illness or disease such as cancer, unless they themselves use it.
See also mental health
disc/disk
CDs and DVDs are discs, and someone may suffer a slipped disc; but for the computer storage devices we use a disk (eg hard disk, floppy disk).
discharge
People are not "released" from hospital - they are discharged (or sent home, allowed home etc).
disclose
Use with care. It implies that what is being said is true.
discreet/discrete
Not to be confused: discreet means "careful" or "tactful"; discrete means "distinct and separate".
disinterested
means "impartial" (eg: a tennis umpire is a disinterested onlooker). Do not confuse with "uninterested".
Disney
The original theme park in California is Disneyland. There is also Walt Disney World in Florida. The European one is now Disneyland Paris (no comma), although the company that owns it retains the name, Euro Disney.
dispatches
Is our preferred spelling, as opposed to despatches. In Parliament, ministers lean on the dispatch box ie without caps.
dissociate
ie not "disassociate".
distances
In most cases, use both imperial and metric measures. UK and US stories should usually put miles first, followed immediately by a conversion to km inside brackets. Similarly, yds / ft / in should be followed by a metric conversion (eg: The US president has travelled more than 2,000 miles (3,200km); Officials in Norwich have defended the introduction of a double yellow line measuring just 45in (1.14m). But don鈥檛 be too literal in the conversion of an approximate figure, as in The lifeboat picked up the man about 200m (656ft) from the shore.
In non-UK/US stories, metric should usually come first - with a bracketed conversion to imperial (eg: Police in France say the floods reached a peak of 5.3m (17ft 8in); At least five fugitives from English justice are living along a 10km (6.2 mile) stretch of the Spanish coast.) Sometimes, logic will dictate that metric should come first (eg: Train speeds on the British side of the Channel Tunnel compare badly with French top speeds of 300km/h (186.4mph).
The words "metre", "kilometre" etc are not written out in full, even at first reference; use the abbreviations m, km, etc - with no space and no "s" in the plural.
DA notice
Defence Advisory Notice (formerly D notice) - an official request to withhold a news item for reasons of national security.
Doctor
Use the title Dr (always abbreviated) - but only when it is relevant. Surgeons should be referred to as Mr/Mrs/Ms.
dogs
In general, lower case unless the name refers to a country eg: German shepherd, great Dane, Afghan hound, rottweiler, labrador, Portuguese water dog, pekinese, Irish wolfhound, poodle, spaniel, dachshund. XL bully
Dominica/Dominican Republic
are different places. Dominica is a Caribbean island; the Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
dotcom
ie no caps, all one word.
Dow Jones
(index of the share prices of the 30 leading US companies) ie initial caps. Full title: Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Downing Street is an acceptable synonym for a government spokesman (eg: Downing Street says... ). You can also use No 10 ie initial cap, but not 鈥淣umber Ten鈥�.
Down鈥檚 syndrome
cap "D", lower case "s".
down under
colloquialism referring to Australia & New Zealand) ie lower case.
draconian
means "excessively harsh" only with reference to laws. Do not use in any other context.
drink-driving
The legal alcohol limit for drivers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is: 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath; 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.
In Scotland, the limits are 50 milligrams, 22 micrograms and 67 milligrams.
The limit in most other European nations is lower.
drugs
When referring to seizures of illegal drugs,say drugs with a street value of鈥� (and not "drugs worth鈥�")
Duchess of York
Say the Duchess of York at first reference; then the duchess (lower case). Do not call her "Fergie".
due to
means "caused by", and should be used in conjunction with a noun, not a verb: eg His frustration was due to their inefficiency (and not "He was frustrated due to their inefficiency").
Duma
(the lower house of parliament in Russia) ie always capped up.
Dutch names
In genuinely Dutch names, it is Van with an initial cap if only the surname is given (eg The painting was by Van Gogh). But it is lower case if you use the whole name (eg The museum is dedicated to Vincent van Gogh). This may vary with anglicised or US derivatives, where an individual might have chosen to retain the capitalised Van in all circumstances.