feat: add skill british-english
Adds a British English writing-conventions skill covering -ise/-our/-re/-ence/-ogue spellings, doubled-l verb forms, programme vs program, punctuation (single quotes, logical punctuation, spaced en dashes, Oxford comma), vocabulary, dates/times, grammar (collective nouns, shall/will, prepositions, present perfect), measurements and currency. Polishes a few entries on second pass: doubled-l wording, mediaeval note, en-dash example, and 'informal' label.
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name: british-english
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description: Apply British English spelling and grammar as a global default whenever a project does not explicitly declare its language in CLAUDE.md or AGENT.md. Invoke when creating or editing files, writing commit messages, generating documentation, or producing any user-facing text in a project that has no project-level language override. Covers -ise endings, -our/-re/-ogue spellings, doubled-l verb forms, noun/verb pairs such as practise/license, and other British–American differences.
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# British English
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Conventions for writing in British English, as distinct from American English. Follow these rules consistently throughout a document.
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## Spelling
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### -ise not -ize
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Use -ise endings (the dominant British convention outside Oxford University Press):
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organise, realise, recognise, apologise, specialise, summarise, emphasise, authorise, categorise, prioritise, criticise, customise, finalise, minimise, optimise, standardise, sympathise, visualise
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**Exception:** -yse is always British (never -yze): analyse, paralyse, breathalyse, catalyse
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### -our not -or
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colour, favour, honour, humour, labour, behaviour, neighbour, glamour, odour, rigour, valour, flavour, harbour, vapour, savour, endeavour
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### -re not -er
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centre, fibre, theatre, metre, litre, lustre, sombre, sabre, calibre, manoeuvre, spectre, reconnoitre
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### -ence/-ence not -ense
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defence, offence, pretence, licence (noun) / license (verb), practice (noun) / practise (verb)
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**Remember:** noun = c, verb = s. "The doctor's **practice**. She **practises** medicine. A driving **licence**. You are **licensed** to drive."
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### -ogue not -og
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catalogue, dialogue, monologue, analogue, prologue, epilogue, travelogue
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### Doubled consonants
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British doubles the final consonant before suffixes regardless of stress:
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travelled, travelling, traveller, cancelled, cancelling, modelled, modelling, labelled, labelling, counselled, counselling, marvellous, signalling, worshipped, jewellery, fulfilled, skilful, wilful, enrol, instalment
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### Programme vs program
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- **programme** = broadcast, event, plan, schedule
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- **program** = computer software only
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### Other British spellings
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aluminium, aeroplane, grey, tyre, mould, plough, sulphur, pyjamas, cheque (bank), draught (beer/air), kerb (road edge), storey (of a building), sceptic, artefact, mediaeval (older British form; medieval is now standard in modern usage), annexe (noun), furore
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## Punctuation
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### Quotation marks
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- **Single quotes** for primary quotations: 'like this'
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- **Double quotes** for quotes within quotes: 'He said "hello" and left'
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### Logical punctuation
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Place commas and full stops **outside** quotation marks unless they are part of the quoted material:
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- The minister called the proposal 'absurd'.
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- She asked, 'What time is it?' (question mark is part of the quote)
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- 'I shall return,' he said. (comma is part of the quoted speech)
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### Oxford comma
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Optional in British English. Generally **omit** unless needed to prevent ambiguity:
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- "red, white and blue" (standard)
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- "my parents, the Queen, and the Prime Minister" (needed to avoid implying your parents are the Queen and PM)
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### Dashes
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Use spaced en dashes for parenthetical statements:
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- "The policy – introduced last year – has been revised." (note the spaces around the en dash)
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## Vocabulary
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| British | American |
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| boot | trunk |
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| bonnet | hood |
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| windscreen | windshield |
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| lorry | truck |
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| petrol | gas/gasoline |
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| motorway | freeway/highway |
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| pavement | sidewalk |
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| car park | parking lot |
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| number plate | license plate |
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| flat | apartment |
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| ground floor | first floor |
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| first floor | second floor |
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| lift | elevator |
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| torch | flashlight |
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| wardrobe | closet |
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| cooker | stove |
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| bin | trash can |
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| rubbish | garbage/trash |
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| garden | yard |
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| post | mail |
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| postbox | mailbox |
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| postcode | zip code |
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| mobile (phone) | cell phone |
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| maths | math |
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| full stop | period |
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| university | college (informal) |
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| term | semester |
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| head teacher | principal |
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| marks | grades |
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| revision | review (studying) |
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| biscuit | cookie |
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| crisps | potato chips |
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| chips | French fries |
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| aubergine | eggplant |
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| courgette | zucchini |
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| coriander | cilantro |
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| sweets | candy |
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| fizzy drink | soda |
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| takeaway | takeout |
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| queue | line |
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| holiday | vacation |
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| fortnight | two weeks |
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| chemist | drugstore |
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| shop | store |
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| bill | check (restaurant) |
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| nappy | diaper |
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| dummy | pacifier |
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| autumn | fall |
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| aluminium | aluminum |
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| tyre | tire |
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| grey | gray |
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## Dates and Times
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- **Day-Month-Year:** 15 March 2026 or 15/03/2026
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- No comma between month and year
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- 24-hour clock in formal writing: 14:30
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- 12-hour clock with lowercase: 2.30pm (note: full stop not colon, no space before am/pm)
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## Grammar
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### Collective nouns as plural
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When emphasising the individuals in a group, use plural verbs:
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- "The government **are** divided on this issue."
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- "The team **are** playing well."
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- "The committee **have** decided."
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Singular is also acceptable when the group acts as a unit: "The company **is** based in London."
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### Got not gotten
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- "I've **got** a new car." (possession — standard British)
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- "She's **got** better at it." (become — standard British)
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- Never use "gotten" — it's American.
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### Shall vs will
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- **Shall** for first-person offers and suggestions: "Shall I open the window?" "Shall we go?"
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- **Will** for simple future: "I will be there at three."
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- In formal/legal writing, "shall" indicates obligation (though "must" is increasingly preferred).
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### Past participles — irregular forms preferred
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learnt, dreamt, burnt, spoilt, smelt, spelt, knelt, leant (not learned, dreamed, burned, etc. — though both accepted)
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### Prepositions
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- "at the weekend" (not "on the weekend")
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- "in hospital" (not "in the hospital")
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- "at university" (not "in college")
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- "different from" or "different to" (not "different than")
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- "fill in a form" (not "fill out")
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- "write to someone" (not "write someone")
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### Present perfect for recent events
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- "I've just eaten." (not "I just ate.")
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- "Have you seen it?" (not "Did you see it?" — for recent events)
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### Needn't
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"You needn't worry." is standard British alongside "You don't need to worry."
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## Measurements
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Metric is official, but imperial persists in specific contexts:
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- **Miles** for road distances and speed (mph)
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- **Feet and inches** for human height
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- **Stones and pounds** for body weight (1 stone = 14 pounds)
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- **Pints** for beer, cider, and milk
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- **Celsius** for temperature
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- **Kilograms** for other weights
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- **Litres** for fuel (but miles per gallon for economy)
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- **A4 paper** (210 x 297mm), not Letter size
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## Currency
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- Pound sign before the figure: £50, £1,200
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- Pence with p: 50p
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- No space between symbol and number
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- "Per cent" as two words when spelled out; % symbol with no space: 10%
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## Authoritative Sources
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- New Oxford Style Manual (Oxford University Press)
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- Guardian and Observer Style Guide
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- Cambridge Guide to English Usage
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- Fowler's Modern English Usage
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- GOV.UK Style Guide
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