Telegraph style book: Ss
Saakashvili, Mikheil
safe haven is a tautology
Sainsbury's
Saint Laurent, Yves
Saint-Saëns, Camille (note umlaut)
St Andrews (Scotland); St Andrew's (Birmingham City stadium)
St Bartholomew's Hospital: May be shortened to Barts but never St Barts or St Bart's
St James's Palace
St John Ambulance
St John's wort
St Thomas' Hospital
Sana'a: The capital of Yemen
Santa: We prefer Father Christmas
Sarkozy, Nicolas
Satan: Cap S but satanic is lower case
satnav
Sats: Not Sats tests
Savile: For Lord, Row, Club, Jimmy, Saville Theatre and Inquiry
Scalextric
Schiffer, Claudia
schoolboy, schoolgirl: But school-leaver
Schumacher, Michael
Schwarzenegger, Arnold
Scorsese, Martin
Scotch: Used for whisky, pies, pines, mists and wool shops. Scots or Scottish preferred in other contexts
Scots Porage Oats: Prisoners do porridge
Scott Thomas, Kristin
Scouts: Not Boy Scouts.
Scout leaders: Not Scoutmasters
Sea Lords: They used to work at the Admiralty
seasons: Are all lower case: spring, summer, autumn, winter
seasonable: Appropriate for the time of year, opportune. Its opposite us unseasonable for weather that is unexpected
seasonal: Occurring regularly at a particular season (see spring).
Sebag Montefiore, Simon. His wife is Santa Montefiore
second home owners (three words)
Seinfeld, Jerry
Selfridges
selfie: Not 'selfie'
senior and junior: After American names should be Sr and Jr
Services. The Services takes the cap S, servicemen/women do not
sewerage/sewage: Sewerage is the pipes, sewage the stuff
Sharia law is a tautology: Islamic law is not
shear: Something is shorn off, or shears off: it never sheers off
sheikh, sheikhdom
Shepherd's Bush
shih-tzu
Shia: Not Shi'ite
ship: Uses 'she' as a pronoun: 'The Princess Louise is a ship. She is a beautiful ship'
Sikora, Karol: Cancer expert
Sikorsky (helicopters), Sikorski (Polish politician)
silicon: The element from which chips are made: silicone is a sealant and is used to make cooking utensils
Sindy doll
Sinn Fein: No accents
ski, skier, skied, skiing
Sky News, Sky Sports
smelt: Not smelled
Snowdonia: Not Eryri. Snowdon: Not Yr Wyddfa
somebody, someone
Sotheby's: With apostrophe
sound bite
Speaker of the House of Commons: Always capped.
specialty: The specific discipline of a doctor
speciality: Something that is particular to a certain person, business or institution
spelt not spelled
Spielberg, Steven
spilt: Not spilled
spin doctor: Best used only ironically, ditto the verb to spin in this context
spoilt: But despoiled
spokesman: Not spokeswoman, spokesperson
stadiums: not stadia
Starmer, Sir Keir: Not Kier
Start-up
state: Lower case except when part of a title (State President, Council of State, but state-owned)
stationary: not moving
stationery: writing paper
stiletto: The plural is stilettos
Stratford upon Avon
strike: Not strike action
strangle: If someone has been strangled they are dead; if they are alive they have been throttled. However, there is a criminal offence of strangulation in which the victim is living
suicide: Do not say 'commit suicide', but that a person took their own life. The coroner records a verdict of suicide.
sun: Cap only in (rare) references to it as a star. The sun is out, our sun is one of many suns, the distance between the Sun and Alpha Major is...
Sunni
swap: Preferred to swop
swashbuckler: Not a daredevil but a swaggering bully
swath: Noun, a strip
swathe: The verb
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BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Memorial in Mundesley for crew killed in 1941 submarine collision
Sixteen crew members who died when a submarine sank in an accident more than 80 years ago will be commemorated. On the evening of the 19 July 1941, the HMS Umpire was travelling to Scotland as part of a convoy, but it became separated after an engine failure and collided with a trawler near Blakeney in the 84th anniversary of its sinking, a memorial is due to be unveiled at All Saints Church in Mundesley, Tom Herman, from the Submariners Association, told BBC Radio Norfolk: "The boat would have been at a steep bow angle. The water would have been rushing in. It would have been absolutely terrifying." The HMS Umpire, which measured 197ft (60m) long, had a crew of 33 and was heading north to Scotland as part of a convoy because of the risk of attacks by German the submarine suffered engine failure and an escort was detached to stay with it. "Not surprising, a brand new boat often had some difficulties and they began to fall behind the convoy," Cdr Herman a southbound convoy approached, HMS Umpire became separated from its escort. While it tried to get out the way, its "fate was sealed" when the bow of an armed trawler, the Peter Hendricks, collided with the submarine. "She began to sink immediately. The four on the bridge, the captain, the navigator and two lookouts were thrown into the sea, and the rest of the boat sank very quickly in about 60ft (18m) of water," Cdr Herman added. 'Company from shipmates' The body of Sub Lt Stephen Godden, who was 25 at the time of the incident, is buried in the graveyard of All Saints Church. Cdr Herman said: "The Norfolk branch of the Submariners Association felt that Godden, the navigator - who washed ashore at Mundesley and is buried there - should have some company from the rest of his shipmates."The wreck of HMS Umpire lies on the seabed, designated under the Protection of the Military Remains Act 1986, where it continues to be visited by divers. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
'I have hundreds of bats in my house - and I can't do a thing about it'
A woman has been forced to sleep in her car after discovering hundreds of bats roosting in her home - and being told there is nothing she can do to remove them. Anne-Marie Murchie says she is "living in fear every day" after discovering a colony of more than 500 of the protected animals in the walls and roof of her house in Aberdeen. She first heard flapping noises in the walls and later discovered a bat hiding in her toilet roll holder. She has since found more in the living room and kitchen. The NatureScot agency says it cannot remove bats from homes and has advised Ms Murchie that the animals will leave of their own accord at the end of the "maternity season" in August or September. That has been of no comfort to Ms Murchie, who says her anxiety is "through the roof" from the sound of the bats' constant movement. She told BBC Scotland News: "They're above the spotlights in the kitchen and they've popped them out a few times as well. "I'm scared to come in the house. Sometimes I actually sleep outside in the car. I'm just petrified. "The noise is horrendous, it's like running water. But I think it's all the wings going together, like flapping. "It never stops. They get louder at about five or six at night and then when they come in at five in the morning. But they're constantly making noise. I wonder if they sleep." The bats colonising Ms Murchie's home are soprano pipistrelles, which are among the most common and widespread of British bat species. They are known to form colonies well in excess of 200 adult animals - plus their offspring. NatureScot said these bats are usually seasonal visitors to houses and are present for four or five months of the year. They form maternity colonies in May and June and leave in August and early September, once the young bats are independent. NatureScot's bat workers can collect information and advise homeowners on problems they have with the animals. But it says they "cannot carry out any works to your building or exclude/take away the bats". The agency's Kevin Giles told BBC Scotland News: ''With regard to what you can do with them, actually nothing, because they are a protected species under European protection laws and Scottish and UK laws. "So the bats themselves can't be touched, nor can the roosts.'' Ms Murchie first became concerned about a constant noise in her house a few months ago and believed it must be down to a wasps' nest. But a pest control officer told her it was actually bats after looking at doorbell camera footage and seeing them outside. "We found out they were protected so we went through the proper channels and called Nature Scotland," Ms Murchie said. "They then came out with thermal cameras and that gave them an idea of how many bats there are and all the entry points in the house. "It was about 500 bats at least and about 200 to 300 babies. But now we've found another site so they're coming back next week to see how many are there. "It's absolutely awful. I actually moved out because I couldn't bear to live in the house. You can't come in or out at certain times because there's hundreds of them." Ms Murchie returned to her house after a few weeks in the hope that the bats had left. "I thought, they're definitely not in the house," she said "but then I got up one night and went to the loo. "Half asleep, I grabbed the toilet roll holder and one came out and held on to my hand. I just flipped." She added: "I phoned Nature Scotland and they came straight out. She (the bat expert) took her outside and put it back up beside the roost so she could go back up to her home." Ms Murchie, who is a taxi driver, says she now spends as much time as possible working in her car to get away from the sights, sounds and smells in her house. "The smell comes through the fan. It's like a musty, dirty smell. "It's sad that you can't do anything about it in your own home. "I feel like the rules should change a bit. Surely someone can come in that's licensed and take them away to somewhere humanely?" Licence to seal NatureScot has told Ms Murchie an officer will return to her house next week to update the situation. She said: "Once they've checked that the bats are gone, I can get a special licence and it's confirmation that I can seal up all the potential entry points. So that when they come back next year they won't be able to get in." NatureScot says people affected can call its Bats in Houses helpline on 01463 725 165 or email batsinhouses@ Anyone who finds a grounded bat in their property can also call either the Bat Conservation Trust Bat Helpline (0345 1300 228) or the SSPCA Animal Helpline (03000 999 999) for advice on how to best handle and remove the bat.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Birmingham road where four-year-old girl died to be pedestrianised
The parents of a four-year-old girl who was killed after being hit by a car have welcomed a commitment to pedestrianise a section of the road where she Yahia was knocked down in April 2024 on Upper Highgate Street, Birmingham, as she walked home from Eid celebrations with her mother and three died at the scene, despite the efforts of paramedics. Two other people were hurt, including Mayar's mother Sara father Babiker Yahia said: "We have felt there has been a slow reaction to all these problems but it is changing for the better." He added: "The driving attitude in Birmingham is completely different from the rest of the country and everybody knows. Why is this? That's the question they must answer."Following a local road safety campaign, led by the family, Birmingham City Council said it would fund a pedestrianisation will prevent traffic from accessing a section of Upper Highgate Street near New Hope Community BBC understands preparations to start the work are already under way. Hundreds of people, including members of the Sudanese community around the UK, attended the four-year-old's burial last year, leaving her family amazed by the outpouring of support they received."We are so grateful for the love we have been shown, especially from the children's school", said Ms Salih, who has recovered from serious leg injuries sustained in the collision."We are always talking amongst parents about road safety for our kids, and what we must do next. We don't feel comfortable because the road is busy across from the play park." While showing us Mayar's school books and photographs, Ms Salih said she was desperately trying to keep her daughter's memory alive and she regularly shared stories of her with her three other children."She was so kind and loved her friends. She was always asking me 'how can I help Mum?' To cook, to clean. She was a good girl."In July 2024, people gathered for a minute's silence in Highgate and young children made banners and pictures as the road was temporarily closed campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham joined them to call for urgent road safety measures amid a roads emergency being declared in the city. Mr Yahia hopes that the pedestrianised area in Upper Highgate Street may come to be known locally as Mayar's Square."She was a lovely, clever girl and everyone in the area knew of Mayar, she was so friendly with people", Mr Yahia City Council said it was working with the family and local community to "provide a fitting tribute to Mayar by creating a safer, more pleasant environment for everyone".Meanwhile, a man is due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on 30 Tavener, 23, of no fixed address, has been charged with causing Mayar's death by careless driving, causing death while driving uninsured and two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
