ie
should be written without punctuation.
IED
Or improvised explosive device. This is military jargon and we should say bomb or, where appropriate, roadside bomb. But avoid "makeshift" or "home-made" bomb, as it is usually tautologous. However, if someone refers in a quote to an IED then we should explain what they are.
iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTunes
ie lower case "i", followed by capital, except at the start of a sentence, where it should be IMac, IPhone etc.
IMF
(International Monetary Fund) ie all caps, no punctuation. Acceptable in headlines, but spell it out at first text reference.
impeachment
In the US, impeachment involves the House of Representatives charging a high officer (eg the president) with grave offences. The Senate sits in judgement. Note that Richard Nixon was not impeached - his presidency ended when he resigned; Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, but was acquitted by the Senate. Donald Trump was impeached but acquitted by the Senate twice, for abuse of power, obstruction of Congress and incitement of insurrection.
imply/infer
These are not interchangeable. You imply something to someone else. You infer something from what someone else says.
impostor
ie ending "or" rather than "er".
index
The plural for stock markets etc is indexes. Use "indices" only in a mathematical/scientific context.
Indian foreign minister
India鈥檚 foreign minister is officially called the external affairs minister. (The foreign secretary in Delhi is a civil servant.)
Indian subcontinent
is a phrase to be avoided - it offends both Pakistan and Bangladesh. According to context, call it the Asian subcontinent or just the subcontinent.
indict
The word charge is preferable, although indict is an alternative in US court cases.
Indigenous
Indigenous Australians or First Nations Australians describe both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Use 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� (initial cap) as an adjective rather than a noun, eg Indigenous vote. Many people prefer to be identified by their specific group (eg a Yorta Yorta woman, a Wiradjuri man). Try to follow this preferred description, particularly at second reference. Aboriginal (initial cap) is also acceptable, but excludes Torres Strait Islander people and culture.
infinitives
The infinitive form of a verb (eg: "to go") is usually best without a word in the middle (eg: "to boldly go"). But there is no ban on split infinitives. Use them when they are the best way of saying what is to be said.
inflation
Inflation is a measurement to describe the rate at which prices in an economy are rising. If prices are falling, it鈥檚 called deflation.
In the UK there are two measures for inflation. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measures the year-on-year change of consumer prices based on a basket of goods and services purchased by most households, but excludes the cost of mortgage interest rates. The CPI is the basis of the Bank of England鈥檚 official inflation target and is an internationally standardised measure which allows us to compare the UK鈥檚 inflation rate with that of other EU countries.
The Retail Prices Index, or RPI, is based on the same basket of goods and services, plus mortgages.
We should normally mention both rates.
Inflation is a rate - so has to be attached to a period of time (eg: The annual inflation rate rose sharply last month). And remember that even if the inflation rate falls prices are still going up (unless the rate is negative) - just at a slower rate.
inflection
is our preferred spelling (and not "inflexion").
infrared
ie one word, no hyphen.
innocent
All people killed or injured while not committing a crime are innocent. Do not talk about "innocent victims" since this implies other victims are somehow guilty.
Inns of Court
All take initial caps: Gray鈥檚 Inn, the Inner Temple, Lincoln鈥檚 Inn and Middle Temple. (The Inns of Court are the four legal societies having the exclusive right of admitting people to the English Bar.)
inquests
A coroner records a verdict - whereas a jury returns one, although it is now likely an inquest will end in a 鈥渇inding of fact鈥� or a 鈥渃onclusion鈥�.
inquiry
Use "inquiry" rather than "enquiry" in all senses. But where it is a proper name - National Rail Enquiries - use the organisation鈥檚 spelling.
International Court of Justice
One of the principal bodies of the United Nations - often referred to as the World Court. Its objective is the peaceful settlement of disputes between states. It sits in The Hague.
International Space Station/ISS
Lower case if used generically (eg: There will be dozens of international space stations by the end of the century). But initial caps for the one built in orbit as part of a 16-nation project, since that is its official title (eg: Scientists say the International Space Station is months behind schedule).
Inuit
is the correct name for native people inhabiting the Arctic region from Greenland to Eastern Siberia. Do not use "Eskimo", which is widely regarded as offensive. A member of the Inuit people is an Inuk.
IRA
(The Irish Republican Army). The Provisional IRA was so called to differentiate it from the Official IRA, which is now defunct. It is acceptable to use the term the Provisionals, but not "the Provos" or the Army鈥檚 expression, "PIRA". The Real IRA and the Continuity IRA can be described as dissident groups that oppose the IRA ceasefire.
Ireland
Using Ireland is acceptable but it may be helpful to make clear early on we are talking about the country rather than the island. Republic of Ireland or the Irish Republic are also fine. However, when writing stories that cover both parts (eg: The numbers of songbirds are declining throughout Ireland), we should try to make clear that we are talking about the island as a whole.
There are, however, a number of all-Ireland organisations - religious, voluntary and sporting (eg: the international rugby team takes players from both sides of the border, and is therefore properly called Ireland).
There is also the occasional anomaly eg: in the Republic of Ireland, the office of the presidency is described as the president of Ireland - better to say The Irish president.
Irish
Citizens of the Republic of Ireland may be described as "Irish". People in Northern Ireland may describe themselves as Irish, British or Northern Irish. We should respect their preferences where known. Ulster can be used in a direct quote or as part of the title of an organisation.
irony
is a figure of speech in which the intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used; usually taking the form of sarcasm or ridicule. It does not mean "coincidentally" or "amusingly" - and is, in general, best avoided.
Isa
(individual savings account) ie initial cap only.
Islam
The mainstream groups are Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims (who should not be described as "Shiite").
Our style for the founder of the faith is the Prophet Muhammad (at second reference, Muhammad or the Prophet).
The Sunnis have no institutional clergy, although each mosque has an imam (often addressed by the honorific Sheikh) who teaches, leads prayers etc. The highest religious authority in a Sunni Muslim country is the mufti, who issues fatwas, or religious edicts. Shia Muslims do have a clergy, whose members are known generically as mullahs. The highest Shia religious authority is an ayatollah.
The Islamic concept of unbelief, of being outside Islam, is kufr. An unbeliever is a kafir - the plural is kuffar. However, in a direct quote "kafirs" is acceptable.
Islamic/Islamist
Islamic simply describes the religion, the equivalent of Christian, Hindu or Jewish - so we might talk about "Islamic texts".
The term Islamist has come to refer to those who derive a political course from Islam. It should not be used as a noun to imply violence. As an adjective, we might use it to describe "Islamist militants", "extreme Islamists" or "radical Islamist groups" - but equally "Islamist politician" or "Islamist country". However, we should not jump to the conclusion individuals are motivated by "Islamist extremism" etc unless we have reason to do so.
Islamic State
The name should be qualified eg "Islamic State group" or "the group calling itself Islamic State" (rather than "so-called Islamic State") or refer to "Islamic State fighter, militants, extremists" etc. Use IS in the rest of the piece. IS can also be used in headlines.
Islamophobia
Can be wrongly used to mean hatred of Muslims rather than fear - we should be clear what we are referring to.
Israeli Arabs
and not "Arab Israelis".
Israeli Labour Party
ie do not use the American-style "Labor".
颈迟蝉/颈迟鈥檚
Do not use an apostrophe to indicate possession (eg: The decision shocked the government and its supporters). But do use an apostrophe to indicate the omission of a letter or letters (eg: It鈥檚 a lovely day, It鈥檚 been a disappointing match), but this will arise only when quoting someone, since it is our style not to use contractions.