Editorial Style Guide

Mott MacDonald editorial style
guide
Punctuation, spelling and grammar – how to keep
it clear and consistent
13 February 2020
Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald House
8-10 Sydenham Road
Croydon CR0 2EE
United Kingdom
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mottmac.com
Mott MacDonald editorial style

guide BDS 1
Mott MacDonald
A
Punctuation, spelling and grammar – how to keep

it clear and consistent
13 February 2020
Mott MacDonald Limited. Registered in

England and Wales no. 1243967.
Registered office: Mott MacDonald House,
8-10 Sydenham Road, Croydon CR0 2EE,
United Kingdom
Mott MacDonald | Mott MacDonald editorial style guide
Punctuation, spelling and grammar – how to keep it clear and consistent
Issue and Revision Record
Revision Date Originator Checker Approver Description

1 20 June Debbie David Andrew
2017 Williams Porteous/ Mylius
Rakesh
Ramchurn
Document reference: BDS | 1 | A
Information class: Standard
This document is issued for the party which commissioned it and for specific purposes connected with the above-
captioned project only. It should not be relied upon by any other party or used for any other purpose.
We accept no responsibility for the consequences of this document being relied upon by any other party, or being
used for any other purpose, or containing any error or omission which is due to an error or omission in data supplied
to us by other parties.
This document contains confidential information and proprietary intellectual property. It should not be shown to other
parties without consent from us and from the party which commissioned it.
This report has been prepared solely for use by the party which commissioned it (the ‘Client’) in connection with the captioned project. It should not be used for any other purpose. No person other than the Client or any party who has expressly agreed terms of reliance with us (the ‘Recipient(s)’) may rely on the content, information or any views expressed in the report. We accept no duty of care, responsibility or liability to any other recipient of this document. This report is confidential and contains proprietary intellectual property.
No representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is made and no responsibility or liability is accepted by us to any party other than the Client or any Recipient(s), as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this report. For the avoidance of doubt this report does not in any way purport to include any legal, insurance or financial advice or opinion.
We disclaim all and any liability whether arising in tort or contract or otherwise which it might otherwise have to any party other than the Client or the Recipient(s), in respect of this report, or any information attributed to it.
We accept no responsibility for any error or omission in the report which is due to an error or omission in data, information or statements supplied to us by other parties including the client (‘Data’). We have not independently verified such Data and have assumed it to be accurate, complete, reliable and current as of the date of such information.
Forecasts presented in this document were prepared using Data and the report is dependent or based on Data. Inevitably, some of the assumptions used to develop the forecasts will not be realised and unanticipated events and circumstances may occur. Consequently Mott MacDonald does not guarantee or warrant the conclusions contained in the report as there are likely to be differences between the forecasts and the actual results and those differences may be material. While we consider that the information and opinions given in this report are sound all parties mus t rely on their own skill and judgement when making use of it.
Under no circumstances may this report or any extract or summary thereof be used in connection with any public or private sec urities offering including any related memorandum or prospectus for any securities offering or stock exchange listing or announcement.
BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

Contents
Executive summary 1
1 Abbreviations and acronyms 2

1.1 Ampersands 2
1.2 Business entities 2
1.3 Common terminology 2
1.4 Names 2
1.5 Open punctuation 2
1.6 Organisations 3
1.7 Plurals of abbreviations 3
1.8 Units and divisions 3
1.9 Units of measurement 3
2 Numbers and dates 4

2.1 Numbers 4
2.2 Dates 5
3 Upper and lower case 6

3.1 Upper case 6
3.2 Lower case 6
4 Plural and singular 8
5 Hyphens 9
5.1 Hyphen, en dash and em dash 9
5.2 Hyphenated and unhyphenated examples 9
6 Bullet points 12
7 Punctuation 13
7.1 Apostrophes 13
7.2 Commas 13
7.3 Quotations and quotation marks 13
8 Miscellaneous 15
8.1 Commonly confused words 15
8.2 Things to avoid 15
8.3 Place names 15

8.4 Standard spellings and usage 16

8.5 Visual identity 16
9 Glossary of abbreviations and acronyms 17

Mott MacDonald | Mott MacDonald editorial style guide 1
Executive summary
Ensuring we write in a clear, consistent and engaging way is not just a 'nice to have', it makes a
direct impact on the success of our business.
This is an A-Z guide on how to use abbreviations, acronyms, commas and quotations and
everything in-between. It provides guidance on the details of communication that help us to
write clearly and consistently.
But our writing is much more than how we dot our i’s and cross our t’s. It also includes what we
say and how we say it.
We have three tone of voice principles which guide the style in which we write and the words we
use – or how we say what we say:
● Human – we recognise the impact of our projects on individuals, families and communities;
we show empathy with the way our clients and communities feel about challenges and
opportunities; we’re accessible and use a conversational style of writing
● Independent of mind – we are comfortable projecting our point of view to the world, we talk
about wider issues and show leadership and expertise
● Connecting and confident – we have the confidence to get to the point; we explain
complex ideas and information quickly, simply and with authority; we picture who we are
writing for and prioritise what they most need to hear
Our brand proposition, Opening opportunities with connected thinking, is our point of difference
and sits at the heart of what we say. At our best, we make connections. We solve problems,
finding new ways forward that others can’t. We build relationships in which our advice is hugely
valuable. When we write, we should find ways to share ‘how’ we make a difference and achieve
great outcomes, not just what we do and why.
Together, our proposition, tone of voice and style guide are powerful tools for expressing who
we are, and help us to stand out from our competitors in bids, create compelling case studies,
persuasive presentations, engaging emails and attention-grabbing flyers.
Find more guidance and practical tips for our tone of voice and how to write in the
Mott MacDonald way here
For items not covered by this guide, refer to the Oxford English Dictionary. (In North America,
refer to the American Heritage Dictionary). Do not rely on the Microsoft spelling and grammar
check.

1 Abbreviations and acronyms
1.1 Ampersands
● Write in full terms such as mechanical and electrical, operation and maintenance, but use ‘&’
in abbreviations: mechanical and electrical (M&E), operation and maintenance (O&M).
● An ampersand may be used for clarity in lists: responsible for the operation & maintenance
and mechanical & electrical sections.
● Use ampersands in company names: Harris & Sutherland, Marks & Spencer; company
names may be written in full in CVs when it is the company’s own policy to do so.
1.2 Business entities

● Do not use Ltd, PLC etc in publications unless absolutely essential eg Heathrow Airport Ltd
as the operator of Heathrow Airport.
1.3 Common terminology

● Spell out at first mention with abbreviation in brackets if term is repeated – you may know
what the abbreviation stands for but it may not be clear to the reader. Although we use upper
case for the abbreviation, when writing in full only use initial capital letters for official
organisation names or product titles. Examples:
– Department for International Development (DFID)
– Private Finance Initiative (PFI)
– building information modelling (BIM)
– design and build (D&B)
● For more, see list of abbreviations, section 9 of this guide.

● Exceptions are: km/h, IT, USA, UK which are so well known they can be written as
abbreviations without explanation.
1.4 Names
● Never abbreviate Mott MacDonald eg to MM or Motts, always write in full.
● Always write Road, Street, Boulevard and Avenue in full: Sydenham Road not Sydenham
Rd.
1.5 Open punctuation

● Use open punctuation – do not include full stops in or after abbreviations: BSI, eg, ie; or in
names: Mr, Mrs Dr (unless in North America, where Mr. Mrs. Dr. is the norm).

1.6 Organisations
● For organisations, include an explanation of functions, for example: construction industry
research body CIRIA; US and European military alliance NATO.
1.7 Plurals of abbreviations
● Simply add a lower case ‘s’, for example: PFIs (not PFI’s or PFIS), CVs (not CV’s or CVS).
1.8 Units and divisions

● Write company unit and division names in full for first use without ampersands, use
abbreviations in brackets: Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Buildings and South East
(BSE).
● Use lower case for office, eg the Southampton office.
1.9 Units of measurement

● When abbreviating ‘million’ use a capital M – £10M carbon capture initiative (no space
between number and unit of measurement).
● When abbreviating ‘billion’ use lower case bn – 3.3bn litres.
● When abbreviating metres use lower case m – a 40m long tunnel.
● When abbreviating kilometres use km not kms – the 75km canal.
● When abbreviating hectares use ha – a 120ha superyacht marina, but, we calculated the
future population density per hectare.

2 Numbers and dates
2.1 Numbers
● Use figures for 10 and over and in conjunction with units of measurement except at the start
of sentences and for adjacent numbers: Forty four bridges were...., twelve 400mm diameter
pipes. Consider restructuring sentences to avoid number clashes, eg 12 pipes of 400mm
diameter (do not use ‘number’, eg 12 number 400mm diameter pipes/12 No 400mm
diameter pipes).
● The above rule also applies to ordinal numbers: the second trial, the 39th pile.
● Don’t insert commas in four figures sums, eg 1000, but use commas for five figures and
above, eg 10,000.
● Numbers and fractions in two parts should use space not hyphen when written in full: thirty
five, three fifths.
● Make sure ‘th’, ‘st’ etc are not superscript, eg 13th session, 21st century.
● Do not include a space between the figure and unit: 13kN, 14m, 200kV.
● Barrels per day is abbreviated to BPD – for example, 20,000 barrels per day (BPD) at first
mention, thereafter 20,000 BPD.
● Always use figures with percentages: 2%, not two per cent.
● Express simple fractions in words (two thirds), otherwise use decimals to two places only
and never drop zero before a decimal point (7.25, 0.06).
● Costs should be expressed as £15M, £1.2bn; use £10,000 when space permits rather than
£10k (note that we define a billion as 1000M).
● Note use of tonne (metric, equal to 1000kg) and ton (imperial, equal to 2240 pounds or
1016.05kg).
● Currencies: express as US$250M, €5000, but when expressing an approximate value use,
for example, multimillion pound, thousands of euros.
● Use metric units as a preference: 10ha, 15kN/m² and 3m³, 5km². (Imperial units in North
America unless metric is the norm).
● Express in largest appropriate unit unless the level of precision needed by the context
dictates otherwise: 0.6m x 0.35m rather than 600mm x 350mm – examples: drains were
generally designed for 0.6m and 1m depths; tolerances demanded a flange depth of 605mm.
● State temperatures as ºC: 50ºC.
● Spell out litres to avoid confusion with the figure 1: 7 litres not 7l, unless forming part of a
phrase that makes I clear that ‘l’ is a unit, eg 7l/sec.
● Watch out for apostrophes: a century’s track record, five years’ experience (see Punctuation
section).
● As storeys and stars are not units of measurement they should be written in full: three five-
storey buildings, three four-star hotels.
● Telephone conventions should be consistent with the Mott MacDonald letterhead templates,
found in Word under MM TOOLS. (Note regional variations).

2.2 Dates
● Months and days should not be abbreviated, except in tables; express in form
29 March 2017. (Note the convention in North America is month/day/year).
● Do not use apostrophes in decades, use: 1960s, 1820s.
● In editorial text, express ‘from’ and ‘to’ in dates, either 2006-2007 (using the short hyphen
between the dates), but July 2009 to September 2012 – Note exception in company dates in
the headings in Master CVs which are expressed as 2006 – 2007 (using the long en dash
with a space either side of the en dash).

3 Upper and lower case
3.1 Upper case

● Use upper case only for proper names, official project titles and titles relating to specific
individuals: Mott MacDonald, Government of Malaysia, Building Schools for the Future,
Kuala Lumpur Monorail.
● Use upper case for places: River Thames, the City of London, Dartford Tunnel, the South
Pole.
● Use upper case if the word is a defined term in a contract and has a contractual meaning or
definition, otherwise use lower case.
● Points of the compass are lower case unless they form part of a proper name (eg an
administrative unit or a distinct regional entity) – South Africa, Northern Ireland, the West,
projects undertaken in the South East but southern Africa, northern France, I travel south at
the weekends.
● Use upper case for months of the year, days of the week and special occasion days:
Christmas, Easter, New Year’s Eve (but in the new year).
● Use upper case for brand names: Kleenex, Mars, Hoover – however, use the correct noun or
verb rather than a trademark name eg use photocopy not xerox.
● Look out for names incorporating capitals mid word – eg GlaxoSmithKline – check if unsure.
● In titles and headlines use sentence case, ie initial cap only.
3.2 Lower case

● Aim to use capitals as little as possible in body text – only where essential.
● Use lower case for job titles: managing director, chairman, project manager.
● Use lower case for project process steps and diagram labels. Use upper case only where a
word is a defined term in a contract and has a contractual meaning or definition.
● Use lower case for company activities, sectors and disciplines – design and construction
supervision, mechanical and electrical engineering, project management, the contract, water
industry, lender’s engineer.
● Use lower case for types of system when not a title: Bangkok’s new metro, London’s airport.
● Use lower case for government policy, a government official, Malaysia’s government, UK
government.
● Use lower case when office holders are referred to by their office – the president of the
United States; only use upper case when they are referred to by name: President Trump.
● Use lower case for north, south, east and west, except when they’re part of a name or
recognised region – travelling south west (compass direction), but projects in the South West
(administrative region).
● When spelling out abbreviations, avoid capitals wherever possible: design and construct not
Design and Construct; building information modelling not Building Information Modelling; if
the abbreviation is commonly known in the context of the editorial, spell out in brackets
afterwards, if not spell out first with the abbreviation in brackets – see Abbreviations and
acronyms section.

● Use lower case after a colon or semicolon unless the word following the colon or semicolon
is a proper noun, or the start of a sentence as in reported speech.
● Use lower case for seasons – spring, summer, autumn, winter.

4 Plural and singular
● All companies, institutions, organisations, partnerships etc – except the police – are singular:
Mott MacDonald was appointed lead consultant, the Group is expanding, the company plans
to invest, the UK government is consulting Commonwealth countries, but the police have the
responsibility…
note: pronoun is always which never who
It may be preferable to reword a phrase eg accountancy firm Arthur Anderson is… (rather
than using accountants Arthur Andersen is…
● Words such as number, series, each, none, are all singular, note: ‘a number of reasons is’
makes grammatical sense but sounds much better as ‘several reasons are’
● Note use of: our expertise covers
● Team – singular; the team is
● Staff – plural – the staff are
● Data – singular – please ensure that all required data is captured

5 Hyphens
5.1 Hyphen, en dash and em dash

● Note the difference typographically between a hyphen (-) and an en dash (–). Use the en
dash rather than the little used em dash (––). Hyphens are used to connect parts of
compound words such as day-to-day, state-of-the-art. The en dash is used to indicate
parenthesis: Mott MacDonald was responsible for co-ordinating the project – helped by a 50-
strong management team – up to completion and final handover.
5.2 Hyphenated and unhyphenated examples

● Our style is to use hyphenation only where necessary to link phrases – such as state-of-the-
art – and where common usage hasn’t made them obsolete. Otherwise we either join words
eg socioeconomic, multidisciplinary, or show as separate words. If in any doubt consult a
dictionary – we recommend the Oxford English Dictionary – if still not clear, leave
unhyphenated. Be consistent.
● Use hyphens with short and common adverbs, eg much-loved design, well-established
principle.
● Use hyphens when the compound comes before the noun, eg a well-oiled machine, but omit
when the compound comes after the noun: the machine was well oiled.
● Use hyphens in compound adjectives describing ages and lengths of time and for clarity, eg
a 70-year-old bridge, a three-year agreement, an eight-month contract.
● Use a hyphen in words where there are two instances of the same vowel together eg co-
ordinate, re-entry but reuse.
Table 1:
Hyphenated examples
A-level
best-in-class training programmes
co-operate
co-ordinate
cross-industry
cross-sector
day-to-day
eco-city
full-time
in-depth
in-house
large-scale (adjective)
lay-by
mid-June (but midday)
one-size-fits-all approach
out-turn
part-time

Hyphenated examples
post-contract
post-tensioned
pre-contract
roll-on/roll-off
site-based
site-wide
state-of-the-art
turn-off (as a noun)
UK-based
up-to-date (an up-to-date report) – but note: the report is up to date
whole-life costing
world-class
● Do not use hyphens after adverbs ending in ‘ly’, eg a constantly evolving strategy,
genetically modified food.
● Do not use hyphens with compound adjectives, where the meaning is clear and
unambiguous without: financial services sector.
Table 2:
Unhyphenated examples
air conditioning
bypass
cut and cover
design and build
email
handover
high speed railway
hydroelectric
hydropower
lifecycle
loadbearing
mainline
mixed use
multidisciplinary
multinational
multipurpose
multisector
multiskilled
multistorey
offshore
ongoing
online
onshore
precast (concrete)
pretensioned (concrete)

Unhyphenated examples
south east
subconsultant
subcontractor
testbed
top class
worldwide
● Some words may be hyphenated or unhyphenated according to meaning:
Table 3:
Hyphenated examples Unhyphenated examples
First-hand (adjective: first-hand experience) At first hand (directly or from personal experience: we
observed the process at first hand)
Cutting-edge (adjective: cutting-edge technology) Cutting edge (noun: at the cutting edge of molecular
biology)
Fast-track (verb: the department voted to fast-track the Fast track (noun: a career in the fast track of the Civil
stadium plan) Service)
Leading-edge (leading-edge research) Leading edge (operating at the leading edge)
Long-term and short-term (adjective: long-term Long term and short term (long period of time: plans in
objectives, short-term plans) the long term)
Real-time (adjective: real-time improvements) Real time (noun: in real time)
Short-list (verb: we will short-list candidates) Short list (noun: he is on the short list for the job)
Re-sign (sign again: the chairman re-signed the Resign (give up/leave: the chairman resigned)
contract), if possible, use another word, eg renew
● Note also off site (taking the materials off site) and offsite (offsite fabrication),
on site (working on site) and onsite (onsite facilities).

6 Bullet points
● Bulleted lists can help break up the text and draw attention to a number of equally weighted
points.
● Bullets should be aligned at the left margin and each point should start with an initial capital
letter. Ideally bullet points should be short without a full stop at the end.
We seek views from our customers on:

– How well we understand and respond to their needs
– Our approach to safety
– Value for money
● When bulleted points follow on from a colon as if they were part of the same sentence, read
through the entire sentence to make sure that it makes grammatical sense. Make sure each
bulleted pointed uses the same form of verb. Check that the sentence still works if you attach
any of the bulleted points to the stem. For example, use:
Responsibilities included:
– Organising travel
– Arranging advertising
Do not use:
Responsibilities included:
– organise travel
– Responsible for arranging advertising
● If bullet points need to be longer and act as separate sentences, make sure that there is a
full stop at the end of each sentence.
● The style of bullet points should be consistent – either all full sentences or subordinate
clauses, not a mixture of the two.

7 Punctuation
7.1 Apostrophes
● A possessive apostrophe is placed at the end of a noun to indicate ownership – it replaces
‘of’ in a sentence, eg ‘the company’s rule’ means the rule of the company.
● If the noun is singular, add ’s (the project manager’s role, one year’s experience).
● If the noun is plural and ends in ‘s’, just add the apostrophe (five years’ experience).
● When a name ends in ‘s’ (eg James) and you would sound an additional ‘s’ when saying,
then add the ’s when writing (James’s photos).
● If the noun is plural and doesn’t end in ‘s’ add ’s (the children’s hospital).
● Note the difference between the school’s rules (one school) and the schools’ rules (two or
more schools).
● Personal pronouns – yours, theirs, its, hers, ours – never need an apostrophe.
● Note the difference between it’s (short for it is – it’s time to reconsider) and its (of or
belonging to it – I can see its logical consequence).
● An apostrophe is placed after the second name when the possession belongs to two people
who are mentioned in the same sentence: Jane and Peter’s presentation.
● Note official use of apostrophes in places names, eg Earls Court (the area) but Earl’s Court
underground station (use reliable internet sources to check).
● Use an apostrophe in a university degree when writing in full: a master’s degree, bachelor’s
degree.
7.2 Commas
● Commas show how you are structuring a statement, so they ease the way for the reader. In
many cases they can make a crucial difference to the message:
Let's eat, Grandma (suggesting Grandma comes to eat)
Let’s eat Grandma (suggesting we eat Grandma)
7.3 Quotations and quotation marks

● Please note the difference between the curly quotes used for apostrophes (’), single
quotation marks (‘…’), double quotation marks (“…”), and the straight quotes used for inch (")
or foot marks ('). For inch or footmarks, insert using insert>symbols in Word. Use metric
forms as a preference (we are a metric company and imperial measurements should only be
used in the US or in industries where they are still the norm).
● In direct speech (when we write the actual words that are spoken) use double quotation
marks “Communication and innovation…are vital,” says Ian, “especially when…aspects.”
● Only use single quotes where absolutely necessary – eg The report uses the term ‘gross
revenue’ to indicate turnover.
● If you quote within speech, use single quotation marks within double: “I find the
government’s ‘nanny state’ attitude really irritating,” he said.

● Do not use quotation marks for indirect or reported speech: he asked me how to use the
computer.
● We adopt the US style of putting the quotation marks outside the punctuation, irrespective of
where in the sentence the quote starts and finishes.
● If the quote continues from one paragraph to the next there are no closing quote marks at
the end of the first paragraph but the second paragraph starts with opening quote marks.
● Brackets and full stops – if the information within the bracket is a sentence in its own right,
the full stop is inside the bracket, but if a bracket merely comes at the end of a sentence, the
full stop is outside.

8 Miscellaneous
8.1 Commonly confused words
Table 4: Note the following
Advice (noun) Advise (verb)

Affect (influence) Effect (to cause something to take place)
Assure (guarantee, promise) Ensure (make certain)
Insure (protect against risk or loss)
Average (typical or normal amount, result obtained by Median (middle point, occurring halfway between
adding numbers or quantities in a set and dividing the extremes or limits)
total by the number of members in the set)
Complement (complete amount) Compliment (expression of praise)
Continual (occurring without interruption, recurring Continuous (without end)
frequently)
Dependent (adjective) Dependant (noun)
Licence (noun) License (verb)
Practical (concerned with everyday matters, involving Practicable (capable of being done, usable)
experience or actual use)
Practice (noun) Practise (verb)
Principal (main, senior) Principle (rule)
Program (computer) Programme (schedule)
Sewerage (the pipes) Sewage (the stuff in the pipes)
Unique (the only one of a particular type) Unusual (uncommon)
Viable (able to be put into practice) Feasible (able to be done)
8.2 Things to avoid

● Avoid split infinitives where possible: ‘to extensively test’ should be ‘to test extensively’.
● Avoid clichés and exaggerations; also avoid unique.
● Avoid incorrect use of verb/noun when referring to experience – use ‘we have experience of’,
‘we are experienced in’.
● Avoid starting every paragraph with ‘The…’ or ‘We…’– suggests tedium for the readers
before they start.
● Avoid too many subordinate clauses – sentences with more than 35-40 words are difficult to
follow.
8.3 Place names

● The golden rule is to use the most commonly used version, which is generally the English
form – eg Munich, Rome – rather than the name in the local language, eg München, Roma.
If in doubt, check the Oxford English Dictionary or an atlas or gazetteer for the best-known
version internationally.

8.4 Standard spellings and usage
Table 5: use the following spellings

Correct spelling Do not use
advisor adviser
inquiry enquiry
masterplan master plan
stormwater storm water
wastewater waste water
windfarm wind farm
● Outside North America, Group standard spellings are UK English: –ise not –ize in words like
stabilise, optimise, organisation.
● Use among and while (not amongst and whilst – these are old fashioned).
● Use storey (plural storeys) to describe buildings – multistorey car park, three storeys below
ground (or use floor/floors, or level/levels, instead). Note, a story is a good read in UK
English.
● Note use of focus, focused and focusing (with single ‘s’), benefit, benefited and benefiting
(with single ‘t’).
● Compare usage: ‘consist of’/’comprise’ – the team consisted of five members, the library
comprised 500,000 books (comprise never takes ‘of’).
8.5 Visual identity

● See Our brand identity: Compass >>Marketing >>Our brand identity.
● All text should be left aligned.
● We use one space not two after a full stop at the end of a sentence.
● Oblique lines – no space before or after the oblique: highways/railways.
● Mott MacDonald templates can be found in Word under MM TOOLS.

9 Glossary of abbreviations and acronyms
Table 6:
Acronym Description
AIP Approval in principle
(i)PRSP (interim) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
AAI Accelerating access initiative to HIV care
ACA Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
ACAS Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service
ACB Automatic circuit board
ACCA Associate of the Chartered Association of Certified
Accountants
ACD Automated call distribution
ACE Area civil engineer
ACHAP African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships
ACIO Assistant chief inspecting officer (railways)
ACMR Advisory Committee on Medical Research
ACOP Approved Code of Practice
ACWP Actual cost of work performed
ADB Asian Development Bank
ADC Acquisition, design and construct (ie contract)
ADI Acceptable daily intake (toxicology)
ADMS Atmospheric dispersion modelling system
AD&R Asset development and renewal
AEE Assessment on effects on the environment
AEM Area environmental manager
AFD Automatic fire detection
AfDB African Development Bank
AFFF Aqueous film forming foam (used in fire extinguishers)
AGL Airfield ground lighting
AHBC Automatic half barrier crossing
AHBLC Automatic half barrier level crossing
AHPSR Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research
AHU Air handling unit
AIDS Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
AIM Asset information management
ALARP As low as reasonably practicable
ALO Architectural liaison officer
ALRMS Access level crossing risk management system
AMP Asset Management Plan
ANC Ante-Natal Care
AQL Acceptable quality level
ARI Average recurrence interval
ARM Availability, reliability and maintainability
ASU Air separation unit
ATO Automatic train operation

Acronym Description
ATOC Association of Train Operation Companies
ATP Automatic train protection
ATPM Automatic Train Protection Manual
AVI Automatic vehicle identification
AWS Automatic warning system
AWWA American Water Works Association
BAC Biological activated carbon (water treatment)
BAF Biological aerated filter (wastewater treatment)
BAFF Biological aerated flooded filter (wastewater treatment)
BAP Biodiversity Action Plan
BAT Best available technique
BBS Bar bending schedule
BCWS Budgeted cost of work scheduled
BIM Building information modelling
BIMBO Buy-in management buyout
BNR Biological nutrient removal
BOD Biochemical oxygen demand
BOOT Build-own-operate-transfer
BOQ Bill of quantities
BOT Build-operate-transfer (basis)
BREEAM Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment
Method
BSF Building Schools for the Future (Programme)
BTF Biological trickling filter
C&I Control and instrumentation
CAD Computer aided design
Capex Capital expenditure investment
CAR Corrective action request
CBOs Community-based organisations
CCGT Combined cycle gas turbine
CCHP Combined cooling heat and power
CDM Construction Design and Management regulations
CDM-C Construction Design and Management Co-ordinator
CDMF Common data management facility
CEMP Construction environmental management plan
CFD Computational fluid dynamics
CHP Combined heat and power
CITES Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora
CIWEM Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
(UK)
CNG Compressed natural gas
COD Chemical oxygen demand (water chemistry)
COMAH Control of Major Accident Hazards
COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
COSS Controller of site safety
CPO Compulsory purchase order
CSP Concentrated solar power

Acronym Description
CSO Combined sewer overflow
CSOs Civil society organisations
CWS Cold water supply
D&B Design and build
DAF Dissolved air flotation (water and wastewater treatment)
D&B Design and build
DBFM Design, build, finance and maintain
DBFO Design-build-finance-operate
D&C Design and construct
DDA Disciplinary Discrimination Act
DEMU Diesel electric multiple unit
DEWA Dubai Electricity & Water Authority
DFID Department for International Development
DFR Detailed feasibility report
DMA District metered area
DMRB Design Manual for Roads and Bridges
DNO Distribution network operator
DOO Driver only operation
DOO(NP) Driver only operation (non-passenger)
DOO(P) Driver only operation (passenger)
DQM Data quality manager
DSE Display screen equipment
DSF Demand side financing
DWI Drinking Water Inspectorate (UK)
DWSNZ Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand
DWT Deadweight tonnage
EA Environment Agency (UK)
EAC Extended arm contract
EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
EBS Emergency Bypass Switch (on rolling stock)
EE&CS Electrical engineering and control systems
EERA Escape, evacuation and rescue analysis
EFA Education For All
EfW Energy from waste
EIA Environmental impact assessment
EIB European Investment Bank
EIS Environmental impact statement
ELV Extra low voltage
EMC Electromagnetic compatibility
EMI Electromagnetic interference
EMP Environmental management plan
EMU Electrical multiple unit
EPBTM Earth pressure balance tunnelling machine
EPC Engineering, procurement and construction
EPCM Engineering, procurement and construction management
EPP Emergency preparedness plan
E&P Electrification and plant

Acronym Description
ES Environmental statement
ESD Emergency shutdown
ESMS Engineering safety management system
ESR Emergency speed restriction
ESSD Electrostatic sensitive device
EVM Earned value management
FAC Final acceptance certificate
FAT Factory acceptance test
FE Finite element
FEED Front end engineering design
FEH Flood Estimation Handbook
FERA Fire and explosion risk assessment
FFT Functional fault tree
FGD Flue gas desulphurisation
FMEA Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
FMECA Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis
FOC Freight operating company/
Fibre optic cable
FPS Floating production system
FPSO Floating, production, storage and offloading
FRS Functional requirements specification/
Financial Reporting Standard
FTA Fault tree analysis
GA General arrangement
GF Gross floor area
GIS Geographic information system
GRP Glass reinforced plastic
GT Gas turbine
GWI Groundwater infiltration
HR Habitats Regulations assessment
HRSG Heat recovery steam generator
H&S Health and safety
HV High voltage
HVAC Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
HWS Hot water supply
ICE Institution of Civil Engineers (UK)
IFC International Finance Corporation
IFI(s) International financial institution(s)
I/I or I&I Inflow and infiltration
IMechE Institution of Mechanical Engineers
IPC Integrated pollution control
IPP Independent power project/Independent power producer
IRSE Institution of Railway Signal Engineers
ITN Invitation to negotiate
ITT Invitation to tender
IWA International Water Association
KPI Key performance indicators

Acronym Description
KSA Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
LAN Local area network
LE Lenders’ engineer(ing)
LEA Local education authority
LEAP Local environment agency plan
LLW Low level waste
LNG Liquefied natural gas
LPG Liquid petroleum gas
LRT Light rail transit
LSHTM London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
LSTK Lump sum turnkey
LTP Local transport plan
LTSA Long-term service agreement
LUL London Underground Limited
LV Low voltage
LX Level crossing
M&E Mechanical and electrical/monitoring and evaluation
MAC Managing agent contractor
MBR Membrane bioreactor
MBBR Moving bed bioreactor
MCB Manually controlled barrier (of level crossing)
MCL Maximum contaminant level (water quality standards
MDG Millennium Development Goal
MDP Medium density polyethylene (pressure pipe material)
MEP Mechanical, electrical and plumbing/
Mechanical, electrical and public health
Monitoring and evaluation plan
MF Membrane filtration
MIS Management information system
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
MPV Multipurpose vehicle
MRT Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
MSF Multi-stage flash (desalination)
MTO Material take-off
MTR Mass Transit Railway (Hong Kong)
MV Medium voltage
NEC New engineering contract
NGO Non-government organisation
NOC No-objection certificate
NPC Net present cost
NPV Net present value
NSIP Nationally significant infrastructure project
NTS National transmission system
O&M Operation and maintenance
OBC Outline business case
OCGT Open cycle gas turbine
OHL Overhead line

Acronym Description
OHLE Overhead line equipment
OLE Overhead line engineer
Opex Operating expenditure
OPS Outline project specification
PBT Profit before tax
P&C Points and crossings
PCN Project Concept Note
PCT Primary Care Trust
PE Population equivalent (wastewater treatment)
P&E Plant and equipment
PFD Process flow diagram
PFI Private Finance Initiative
PHC Primary health care
P&ID Piping and instrumentation diagrams
P&L Profit and loss
PM Project manager
PMC Project management consultant
PMU Project management unit
PPC Pollution prevention and control
PPE Personal protective equipment
PPP Public private partnership
PPR Project progress report
PRV Pressure reducing valve (water distribution)
PTS Personal track safety
PV Photovoltaic
P-Way Permanent way
QA Quality assurance
QS Quantity surveyor/surveying
R&D Research and development
RAMS Reliability, availability, maintainability and safety
RAS Return activated sludge
RBC Rotating Biological Contactor (wastewater treatment)
RC Reinforced concrete
RCC Roller-compacted concrete
RE Resident engineer
RFP Request for proposal
RFQ Request for quotation
RGF Rapid gravity filter
RIBA Royal Institute of British Architects
RICS Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
RO Reverse osmosis
RTS Rapid transit system
RTU Remote terminal unit
SA Sustainability appraisal
SAC Special Area of Conservation
SAF Submerged aerated filter
SAT Site acceptance test

Acronym Description
SBR Sequencing batch reactor (wastewater treatment)
S&C Switches and crossings
SCL Sprayed concrete lined
SCW Safety critical work
SEA Strategic environmental assessment
SEESA South Eastern Electricity Substation Alliance
SEMP Systems engineering management plan
SEN Special educational needs
SEPA Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
SFA Step free access
SGT Supergrid transformer
SIL Safety integrity level
SLA Service level agreement
SME Small and medium enterprises
SMS Safety management system
SPA Special protection areas
SPV Special purpose vehicle
SQE Safety, quality and environment
SR Service reservoir (water distribution)
SSIC Solid state interlocking controller
SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest
S&T Signalling and telecommunications
S&TE Signalling and telecommunications engineer
STW Sewage treatment works
SUDS Sustainable urban drainage systems
SUF System upgrade facilities
SVP Safety verification plan
SWAps Sector-wide approaches
SWOT (Analysis of) strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
SWRO Seawater reverse osmosis
TA Transport assessment/
Technical assistance
TBM Tunnel boring machine
TMS Traffic management system
TOC Train operating companies
ToR Terms of Reference
TP Total phosphorous
TPWS Train protection warning system
TQ Technical query
TSI Technical specifications for interoperability (railways)
TSR Temporary speed restriction (railways)
TWO Transport and Works Order
UIDO Unsatisfactory intermittent discharge from overflows
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UTMC Urban traffic management and control
VFA Volatile fatty acid (wastewater chemistry)
VHF Very high frequency

Acronym Description
VM Value management
VMS Variable message sign
WASH Water, sanitation and hygiene
WFD Water Framework Directive
WFP Water filtration plant
WRZ Water resource zone
WTW Water treatment works
WWTW Wastewater treatment works

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Mott MacDonald editorial style

T +44 (0)20 8774 2000

Mott MacDonald editorial style

Punctuation, spelling and grammar – how to keep

Mott MacDonald Limited. Registered in

Issue and Revision Record

Revision Date Originator Checker Approver Description

Document reference: BDS | 1 | A

Information class: Standard

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

1 Abbreviations and acronyms 2

2 Numbers and dates 4

3 Upper and lower case 6

4 Plural and singular 8

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

8.4 Standard spellings and usage 16

9 Glossary of abbreviations and acronyms 17

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

1 Abbreviations and acronyms

1.2 Business entities

1.3 Common terminology

● For more, see list of abbreviations, section 9 of this guide.

1.5 Open punctuation

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

1.7 Plurals of abbreviations

1.8 Units and divisions

1.9 Units of measurement

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

2 Numbers and dates

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

3 Upper and lower case

3.1 Upper case

3.2 Lower case

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

4 Plural and singular

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

5.1 Hyphen, en dash and em dash

5.2 Hyphenated and unhyphenated examples

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

● Some words may be hyphenated or unhyphenated according to meaning:

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

We seek views from our customers on:

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

7.3 Quotations and quotation marks

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

8.1 Commonly confused words

Table 4: Note the following

Advice (noun) Advise (verb)

8.2 Things to avoid

8.3 Place names

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

8.4 Standard spellings and usage

Table 5: use the following spellings

8.5 Visual identity

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

9 Glossary of abbreviations and acronyms

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020

BDS | 1 | A | 13 February 2020