siujamo
e10bcfa734
docs(british-english): remove redundant guidance line The "Follow these rules consistently throughout a document." line added no real directive beyond what the rule sections already convey, and the "a document" framing was too narrow for outputs like commit messages and code comments. @
193 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
193 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
name: british-english
|
||
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.
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
# British English
|
||
|
||
Conventions for writing in British English, as distinct from American English.
|
||
|
||
## Spelling
|
||
|
||
### -ise not -ize
|
||
Use -ise endings (the dominant British convention outside Oxford University Press):
|
||
|
||
organise, realise, recognise, apologise, specialise, summarise, emphasise, authorise, categorise, prioritise, criticise, customise, finalise, minimise, optimise, standardise, sympathise, visualise
|
||
|
||
**Exception:** -yse is always British (never -yze): analyse, paralyse, breathalyse, catalyse
|
||
|
||
### -our not -or
|
||
colour, favour, honour, humour, labour, behaviour, neighbour, glamour, odour, rigour, valour, flavour, harbour, vapour, savour, endeavour
|
||
|
||
### -re not -er
|
||
centre, fibre, theatre, metre, litre, lustre, sombre, sabre, calibre, manoeuvre, spectre, reconnoitre
|
||
|
||
### -ence/-ence not -ense
|
||
defence, offence, pretence, licence (noun) / license (verb), practice (noun) / practise (verb)
|
||
|
||
**Remember:** noun = c, verb = s. "The doctor's **practice**. She **practises** medicine. A driving **licence**. You are **licensed** to drive."
|
||
|
||
### -ogue not -og
|
||
catalogue, dialogue, monologue, analogue, prologue, epilogue, travelogue
|
||
|
||
### Doubled consonants
|
||
British doubles the final consonant before suffixes regardless of stress:
|
||
|
||
travelled, travelling, traveller, cancelled, cancelling, modelled, modelling, labelled, labelling, counselled, counselling, marvellous, signalling, worshipped, jewellery, fulfilled, skilful, wilful, enrol, instalment
|
||
|
||
### Programme vs program
|
||
- **programme** = broadcast, event, plan, schedule
|
||
- **program** = computer software only
|
||
|
||
### Other British spellings
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
## Punctuation
|
||
|
||
### Quotation marks
|
||
- **Single quotes** for primary quotations: 'like this'
|
||
- **Double quotes** for quotes within quotes: 'He said "hello" and left'
|
||
|
||
### Logical punctuation
|
||
Place commas and full stops **outside** quotation marks unless they are part of the quoted material:
|
||
|
||
- The minister called the proposal 'absurd'.
|
||
- She asked, 'What time is it?' (question mark is part of the quote)
|
||
- 'I shall return,' he said. (comma is part of the quoted speech)
|
||
|
||
### Oxford comma
|
||
Optional in British English. Generally **omit** unless needed to prevent ambiguity:
|
||
|
||
- "red, white and blue" (standard)
|
||
- "my parents, the Queen, and the Prime Minister" (needed to avoid implying your parents are the Queen and PM)
|
||
|
||
### Dashes
|
||
Use spaced en dashes for parenthetical statements:
|
||
- "The policy – introduced last year – has been revised." (note the spaces around the en dash)
|
||
|
||
## Vocabulary
|
||
|
||
| British | American |
|
||
|---|---|
|
||
| boot | trunk |
|
||
| bonnet | hood |
|
||
| windscreen | windshield |
|
||
| lorry | truck |
|
||
| petrol | gas/gasoline |
|
||
| motorway | freeway/highway |
|
||
| pavement | sidewalk |
|
||
| car park | parking lot |
|
||
| number plate | license plate |
|
||
| flat | apartment |
|
||
| ground floor | first floor |
|
||
| first floor | second floor |
|
||
| lift | elevator |
|
||
| torch | flashlight |
|
||
| wardrobe | closet |
|
||
| cooker | stove |
|
||
| bin | trash can |
|
||
| rubbish | garbage/trash |
|
||
| garden | yard |
|
||
| post | mail |
|
||
| postbox | mailbox |
|
||
| postcode | zip code |
|
||
| mobile (phone) | cell phone |
|
||
| maths | math |
|
||
| full stop | period |
|
||
| university | college (informal) |
|
||
| term | semester |
|
||
| head teacher | principal |
|
||
| marks | grades |
|
||
| revision | review (studying) |
|
||
| biscuit | cookie |
|
||
| crisps | potato chips |
|
||
| chips | French fries |
|
||
| aubergine | eggplant |
|
||
| courgette | zucchini |
|
||
| coriander | cilantro |
|
||
| sweets | candy |
|
||
| fizzy drink | soda |
|
||
| takeaway | takeout |
|
||
| queue | line |
|
||
| holiday | vacation |
|
||
| fortnight | two weeks |
|
||
| chemist | drugstore |
|
||
| shop | store |
|
||
| bill | check (restaurant) |
|
||
| nappy | diaper |
|
||
| dummy | pacifier |
|
||
| autumn | fall |
|
||
| aluminium | aluminum |
|
||
| tyre | tire |
|
||
| grey | gray |
|
||
|
||
## Dates and Times
|
||
|
||
- **Day-Month-Year:** 15 March 2026 or 15/03/2026
|
||
- No comma between month and year
|
||
- 24-hour clock in formal writing: 14:30
|
||
- 12-hour clock with lowercase: 2.30pm (note: full stop not colon, no space before am/pm)
|
||
|
||
## Grammar
|
||
|
||
### Collective nouns as plural
|
||
When emphasising the individuals in a group, use plural verbs:
|
||
- "The government **are** divided on this issue."
|
||
- "The team **are** playing well."
|
||
- "The committee **have** decided."
|
||
|
||
Singular is also acceptable when the group acts as a unit: "The company **is** based in London."
|
||
|
||
### Got not gotten
|
||
- "I've **got** a new car." (possession — standard British)
|
||
- "She's **got** better at it." (become — standard British)
|
||
- Never use "gotten" — it's American.
|
||
|
||
### Shall vs will
|
||
- **Shall** for first-person offers and suggestions: "Shall I open the window?" "Shall we go?"
|
||
- **Will** for simple future: "I will be there at three."
|
||
- In formal/legal writing, "shall" indicates obligation (though "must" is increasingly preferred).
|
||
|
||
### Past participles — irregular forms preferred
|
||
learnt, dreamt, burnt, spoilt, smelt, spelt, knelt, leant (not learned, dreamed, burned, etc. — though both accepted)
|
||
|
||
### Prepositions
|
||
- "at the weekend" (not "on the weekend")
|
||
- "in hospital" (not "in the hospital")
|
||
- "at university" (not "in college")
|
||
- "different from" or "different to" (not "different than")
|
||
- "fill in a form" (not "fill out")
|
||
- "write to someone" (not "write someone")
|
||
|
||
### Present perfect for recent events
|
||
- "I've just eaten." (not "I just ate.")
|
||
- "Have you seen it?" (not "Did you see it?" — for recent events)
|
||
|
||
### Needn't
|
||
"You needn't worry." is standard British alongside "You don't need to worry."
|
||
|
||
## Measurements
|
||
|
||
Metric is official, but imperial persists in specific contexts:
|
||
- **Miles** for road distances and speed (mph)
|
||
- **Feet and inches** for human height
|
||
- **Stones and pounds** for body weight (1 stone = 14 pounds)
|
||
- **Pints** for beer, cider, and milk
|
||
- **Celsius** for temperature
|
||
- **Kilograms** for other weights
|
||
- **Litres** for fuel (but miles per gallon for economy)
|
||
- **A4 paper** (210 x 297mm), not Letter size
|
||
|
||
## Currency
|
||
- Pound sign before the figure: £50, £1,200
|
||
- Pence with p: 50p
|
||
- No space between symbol and number
|
||
- "Per cent" as two words when spelled out; % symbol with no space: 10%
|
||
|
||
## Authoritative Sources
|
||
|
||
- New Oxford Style Manual (Oxford University Press)
|
||
- Guardian and Observer Style Guide
|
||
- Cambridge Guide to English Usage
|
||
- Fowler's Modern English Usage
|
||
- GOV.UK Style Guide |