Style Guide

abbreviations/acronyms: not full points between letters: LBD, not L.B.D

accents: on words now accepted as English, only use when they make a difference to the
pronunciation. Eg: café, cliché, lamé. But: decor, chateau, feted. Capped-up letters and
words don’t have accents

active: always preferable over passive. Eg: gold is a key trend for autumn, not: one of the key
trends for autumn is gold

address style: 35 North Wharf Road, London W2 1NW

addressing the customer: the customer is ‘you’; M&S is ‘we’

adverbs: do not use hyphen after adverbs ending ly. Eg: beautifully crafted, not beautifully-
crafted; artfully designed, not artfully-designed

adviser, not advisor

affect (verb), effect (noun): pearl-effect cuff, leather-effect trousers, while: don’t let it affect
you; the effect of the change was that it affected many people

aging, anti-aging

a-ha!

AKA

Alfresco, not al fresco

Alice band

A-line

A-list

all right: is right; alright is not all right

an/a: use an before a silent h: an hour, an honourable, an heir. But: a hotel, a hit, a happy-
go-lucky attitude

antioxidant

American English: don’t use; we use British English words and spellings. So: colour, centre,
fibre, metre, flavour; also: realise, organise, recognise, customise (not ize)

amid, not amidst

among, not amongst

ampersands: OK for company/brand names, M&S category names, headlines/titles, cross-

heads/sub-heads and CTAs; avoid elsewhere, including: sells/intros, body copy, longer text

any more, not anymore

apostrophes: used to indicate missing letters (can’t) or a possessive (Poppy’s bracelet,
women’s, men’s kids’). The possessive for words ending in s have an apostrophe and don’t
carry another s (Jones’, not Jones’s). Note: two weeks’ time, one month’s notice. But: two
years old (though two-year-old). On the website, apostrophes, as well as quotation marks,
should appear curly, not straight; beware of this when writing copy in Excel, which uses
straight apostrophes and quotation marks

app

appliqué: floral-appliqué clutch

April Fools’ Day

around: about or approximately are preferable

around/round: looking around; it’s driving me round the bend

art movements: cap up first letter of each word. Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque, Pop
Art, Surrealism, Romanticism

autumn, not fall – and no capital A

Babygro (™); generic alternative: babygrow

balaclava

bank holiday

BBQ OK for category names and CTAs; sells, intros and longer copy should be: barbecue

baroque: flamboyant/extravagant ornamentation. But Baroque: decorative style popular in

Europe from late 16th century to early 18th century

basque

batik

bestselling, bestseller

bias, bias-cut

bite-sized

blend, not mix: wool-blend, silk-blend

blond: adjective and male noun; blonde female noun: the woman is a blonde, because she
has blond hair; the man has blond hair and is a blond

body care, not bodycare

bold words: punctuation after word should also be in bold. Eg: in a Q&A feature: Caroline:
not Caroline:

both: rarely necessary – avoid

bouclé
bow tie

brackets (or parentheses): use sparingly as they can make text look cluttered. Use round
brackets (like these); for copy added to speech, use square brackets [like these]

British English, not American English words and spellings. So: colour, centre, fibre, metre,
flavour; also: realise, organise, recognise, customise (not ize)

brownie points

brussels sprouts

bullet points: space after bullet; full point at end of each bullet

buttonholes

buzzword

calf leather

cameraphone

camisole, camisole top

camomile

can not/cannot: you can not buy this dress if you don’t want to. But: you cannot miss out on
this dress

capital letters: in headlines, strap lines, sub-heads, cross-heads, etc – only the first letter of
the first word is capped up. All other words – except names – should be lower-case (i.e.
sentence case). The exceptions are brand, category and product names

cappuccino

cardie, not cardi or cardy

Caribbean

Carryall

casual wear

centimetres: abbreviation is cm, not cms

cha-cha-cha: dance; not cha-cha

chain-link bracelet/cuff

champagne: Champagne when talking about the region; champagne when referring to the
drink. Ditto wines: I travelled to Burgundy to pick up some burgundies

chatroom, chatshow

check in, check out, check-in, checkout: I’m off to check in (verb) at the check-in (noun);
check out (verb) this gorgeous new-season print; take your goods to the checkout
cherry-pick: overused/cliché; avoid

chock-a-block

cinched: cinched waist, not cinched-in waist (but nipped-in waist)

clichés: avoid, particularly the latest/trendiest

Coca-Cola, Coke: brand names; generic term is cola

collectible, not collectable

collector’s item

colons: don’t cap up word after a colon. Eg: how to wear it: layer up with…

colour-block, as in colour-block top, colour-block bag

complement/compliment/complimentary: complement (complete) this casual-luxe dress

with classic white pumps. Team this curve-enhancing poppy-red cocktail dress with
glamorous accessories and wait for the compliments (praise); Carla was given a
complimentary (free) dress

contemporary: means of the same period; often confused with modern

coordinate

coordinate adjectives: adjectives that separately modify a noun. Each adjective is separated
by a comma or ‘and’. Eg: a versatile, super-chic tote. The order of the adjectives can be
switched around, so it could also read: a super-chic, versatile tote

court shoes: courts is enough

cover-up

crew-neck jumper

cross-body bag

crowdsourcing

cumulative adjectives: build up meaning from word to word as they get closer to the noun.
The order of cumulative adjectives cannot be changed without destroying meaning. No
commas/and between adjectives. Generally follow this order of arrangement: opinion
(good, beautiful), size, age, length or shape, colour, material/fabric, purpose. Eg: a gorgeous
red cashmere jumper. Try to avoid long strings of cumulative adjectives, which can become
confusing

currently: now is preferable

cutout

dad or Dad? What’s Dad’s favourite colour? But: I’ll ask my dad

dancefloor
dangling participles: watch sentence structure. Eg: a sculpted dress with a low V-neck, the
black panels create a sleek silhouette. The first part of the sentence doesn’t relate to the
second half

dashes: use dashes in pairs for parenthesis; only one pair per sentence or it can get
confusing. Alternatively at the end of a sentence for emphasis. Eg: say hello to your new-
season carryall – gorgeous! We use the en dash (–), not hyphen (-) or em dash (—). Watch
this when writing copy in Excel

dates: day month year – no commas; don’t abbreviate. So: 20 December 2013

daytime, daylong: but night-time, month-long, year-long

day to night: this versatile dress will see you through from day to night. But: these glossy
courts are all day-to-night glamour

déjà vu

decades: Sixties, Seventies (note that the first letter is capped up); not 60s or 1960s;
definitely not 1960’s, which is grammatically incorrect

diamanté

dictionary: use chambers.co.uk. If multiple spellings, use first

direct speech: anything added (explanations, missing words) should be in square brackets

doll’s house

dos and don’ts

double-breasted

double-faced

double-up

doughnuts

downtown

dreamed, not dreamt

earmuffs

earned, not earnt

Earth, but moon and sun

eco-friendly, eco-home, eco-system

ellipsis: ... no spaces between full points; space at the end of ellipsis and next copy

email

empire waist
en masse

en route

en suite

espadrille

espresso, not expresso

etc: no full point

every day (adverb meaning often), everyday (adjective meaning ordinary): I wear eyeliner
every day; an everyday dress

exclamation marks: rarely necessary; use sparingly

eye cream

Eyeliner

eye pencil

eyeshadow

fabrics: bouclé, cashmere-blend, cotton-jacquard, crepe, crepe de chine, jacquard, lace-

appliquéd, merino wool, satin-appliquéd, silk-crepe, silk-macramé silk-organza, silk-tulle,
silk-satin, stretch-cotton, stretch-jersey, wool-blend

Fairtrade

fairytale

family-sized, fun-sized

famous/famously: unnecessary; avoid. If you need to say someone is famous, they probably
aren’t

Fashion Week, as in London, Paris, Milan, New York

fast-track

Father’s Day

faux fur, faux leather, faux suede

feelgood factor

fewer/less: fewer is smaller in number, as in fewer friends on Facebook; less means smaller
in quantity, as in less money

film-maker, but film star

first, second – spell out up to ninth, then 10th, 11th, 50th, 100th

fit and flare, not fit & flare; fit-and-flare dress

five-star, not 5-star

flashmob

flatscreen TV

flip-flops

flower varieties: see: www.flower-dictionary.com/list.html

fluoro

focus, focused, focusing (one s)

foodhall

foodie

foolproof

foreign words or phrases: de rigueur, du jour (overused so best avoided), avant-garde, ad

hoc, en route, bona fide, café. For words not commonly used/that need explanation, put in
brackets

for ever (for always), forever (continually): you’ll treasure this for ever; she is taking forever
to make up her mind

fragrance: preferable to perfume

full stops: on sells, blocks of copy

full-time

geographical locations: distinct areas are capped up (East Anglia, West Country, Black
Country); areas defined by compass points lower-case: the south-east, north London, the
south of France

glamorous, not glamourous

goats’ cheese, not goat’s cheese

gold: in carats, so: 18-carat gold

gold-plated

goody bag, but goodies

graffiti

grandad, but granddaughter

half-term

grown-up

H
ha ha

haircare

hair-slide

Halloween

halterneck

handcrafted

handmade

hand-picked

HD, HDTV, DVD, DVDs

headdress or head piece (though not hairpiece, unless you mean wig)

headlines, banners, straps, flashes: only cap up first letter of first word

head to toe: head-to-toe style. But: she wore white from head to toe

heatwave

heaven

highball glasses

hip-hop

hippy

hi-tech

hoard/horde: a hoard of treasure; hordes of people

hobnob: as in rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous

home grown (or home-grown before the noun it describes)

homemade

homepage

homewares

hoodie

hotspot

hot-water bottle

hourglass

hyphens: hyphenate two or more adjectives before a noun that act as one idea. Eg: top-rate
restaurant, much-loved actor. (When they act separately, use and or a comma. Eg: slim,
adjustable straps.) When the modifying words come after the noun, the hyphen isn’t usually
used, so: the well-known actress. But: the actress is well known

ice-cream

iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTunes

initials: no spaces or full points between them (BBC, LBD)

insure: against risk; ensure – make certain

internet: also net, web, world wide web

into/in to: I went into the room; I went in to get my bag

invitation (noun), invite (verb)

iridescent: one r

-ise, not -ize, so: organise, realise, recognise

its, it’s: its is the possessive form of it, so: the cat drank its milk. It’s is the shortened version
of it is, so: it’s the festive season

jacquard

jargon: avoid. Copy should be clear, concise, friendly, accessible and informative

jewellery

jokey, not joky

jumpsuit

journalese/slang: use slang sparingly to have an effect

keyring

khaki

kickstart

km/h, not kph

knockout (noun), knock out (verb): she was knocked out but the knockout cocktail dress

knowhow

ladylike

laid-back
lambswool

lamp shade

laptop

laser-cut

last, past: the last issue of Your M&S magazine implies its extinction. Last year, in 2013,
means 2012; if you mean over the 12 months up to the time of writing, use the past year.
Ditto the past month, past week, past 10 years

learned, not learnt

life-size

lightbulb

lighthearted

lightweight

limited-edition

lists: in alphabetical order

little black dress or LBD

lovable, not loveable

lunchtime

luxurious, luxuriant: luxurious means indulgently pleasurable, expensive and opulent;

luxuriant means exuberant, profuse, ornate, fanciful

mac or mackintosh

macramé

makeover

make-up

Mary Janes

matt, not matte

maxi dress (no hyphen)

meal times

measurements: metric – mm, cm, metres (write in full to avoid confusion with million), sqm,
km, g, kg, km/h. In terms of sizing, metric, then imperial, so: 132cm/52”

menswear
mike: abbreviation for microphone

miniskirt

mix: use blend for item descriptions wool-blend

more than: preferable to over, so: there were more than 50 jumpers to choose from, but:
she was over 18

Mother’s Day

multimedia

multimillion

mum, Mum: your mum will love this dress; the flowers cheered Mum up

must-have

myriad: use as an adjective – there were myriad fans at the concert; or as a noun: there was
a myriad of fans at the concert. The former is preferable

Myspace, not MySpace

nail care

new-season: new-season tote; new-season collections. But: usher in the new season

New Year, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve

No 1, ie the best

no one, not no-one

numbers: in body copy and sells/intros, numbers one to nine are written in full; numerals for
10 and above. Exceptions include offers such as: 3 for 2, headlines and CTAs. Commas in
numbers above 1,000

Occasionwear (use partywear at Christmas)

offbeat

OK, not okay

old fashioned on its own, but old-fashioned glamour. Ditto old-school elegance

on and to: run together when closely linked, so: she jumped onto the bus. But separate
them when the sense of the sentence makes the on or of closer to the preceding or
proceeding word, so: they leaped on to the next pub

one-shoulder dress, top, etc

on trend: this dress is bang on trend. But: this on-trend dress

oversized

over-the-knee boots

palate (roof of mouth); palette (on which you mix paints; colour palette); pallet (wooden
frame)

panama hat

panelled, panelling

parka

passive: avoid. Be direct. So: Susie loves red. Not red is a colour Susie loves

password

peek-a-boo: sheer fabrics, cutout details. Eg: peek-a-boo dress

per cent in longer copy; % when referring to deals

perfume: fragrance is preferable

per una: all lower case

photoshoot, photocopy, but photo frame, photo opportunity and photo-finish

pick-me-up

pillbox

pinstriped

placename

plexiglass, not Plexiglas (™)

plurals: CDs, DVDs (no apostrophe)

polka-dot

polo neck

pore/pour: Sam pored over the glossy magazine; would you pour me a glass of wine, please?

pouffe

practice (noun), practise (verb)

prêt-à-porter

prices: £69.50; £69, not £69.00

product descriptions: cap up first letter of all words

program: computer, otherwise programme

pros and cons

pull quotes: use quote marks if direct speech

purchase/buy: make a purchase; buy a jumper

PVC

pyjamas

quotation marks: double throughout, including pull quotes; single for quotes within a quote

raincoat

R&B

reign, rein: long may she reign, purple reigns this autumn. But: rein in your spending

reversible

rock’n’roll: one word, with curly apostrophes

rollercoaster

ruched, ruching

satnav

Savile Row

savvy: cliché – avoid

seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter (lower-case); autumn/winter, not A/W

second hand: on a watch, but second-hand clothes

semicolon: when a full stop is too much but a comma isn’t enough. Eg: some catwalk shows
were fabulous; others weren’t

sentences: keep simple and short; avoid overly long sentences and lots of sub-clauses

shoe boots

shoes: plural, even if you can only see one shoe. Eg: these suede courts; not this suede court

shoo-in, not shoe-in

show-stopping

slang: use sparingly to have an effect and question if our customers will understand it

Siena: Tuscan city; Sienna Miller

skilful, not skillful

skin care

smokey, not smoky

sparks (lower case s when referring to points), Sparks card (upper case S when referring to
card or the scheme)

spicy, not spicey

sportswear

stationary, stationery: stationary is still; stationery is paper, envelopes, invitations

stilettos: avoid; use heels instead

stretch-knit, stretch-leather

suncare

sun cream

sun-lounger

sunscreen

supermodel

Swarovski crystal (no hyphen)

ta-da

tautology: saying the same thing twice. Eg: In my opinion, I think that; 10am in the morning;
forward planning; it was completely and totally unanimous

teacup, teabag, teaspoon

telephone numbers: 0845 609 0200 (from overseas 0044 1144 5213 17; not + sign), 020
8718 8777, 0800 235600, 01423 456333

telltale (not tell-tale)

tenses: use present where possible. So: says over said; meet over met and so on. Eg: we
catch up with Helen Mirren to talk films, Fashion Week and autumn trends. Reporting events
is in past tense. Eg: the catwalks were awash with bold, colourful blooms, as seen at Stella
McCartney, Mary Katrantzou and Erdem

that, which: that defines, which informs. So: this is the jumper that Tammy bought. But: this
jumper, which Tammy bought, is a celebrity favourite

tie-dye

till rather than til or ’til

time: two o’clock, 11 o’clock, 11.30am, 3pm

titles: don’t cap up job titles. Eg: US Vogue’s creative director, Grace Coddington

trench coat

T-shirt

turtleneck

Twitter, tweet, tweeting, twittering

two-tone

uber: no umlaut – but overused, so avoid

umm-ed and ahh-ed

up to date, but up-to-date style

Valentine’s Day

very – overused and rarely necessary; avoid

VIPs – lower-case ‘s’ always; never VIPS

vitamins A, B, C

V-neck

versus: use vs, as in check vs floral

washout (noun), wash out (verb)

website

wellbeing

well-known

which, that: which informs, that defines. So: this is the jumper that Tammy bought. But: this
jumper, which Tammy bought, is a celebrity favourite

while, not whilst

whisky, not whiskey

whizz, not whiz

Wi-Fi (™)

wines: should be lower-case whether grape variety (chardonnay, merlot) or region

(bordeaux, burgundy)

wintry
wishlist

womenswear

workwear

world wide web

wow factor: overused; try to avoid. Correct usage: this dress has serious wow factor. But:
these wow-factor heels

wrap-around

wrap-effect

wrought-metal bracelet

Xmas: avoid; Christmas is preferable

yo-yo

zeitgeist

zigzag, zigzagging