A subject that is plural in form may take a singular verb if it signifies a single country or organisation : The United Nations is acting quickly to settle the dispute .
Nouns joined by ‘ and ’ take a singular verb when they represent a single thing or person : Her lecturer and mentor has been helping her for years .
Diseases
Use lowercase letters for all words in the names of diseases except those that are proper nouns : acquired immune deficiency syndrome , legionnaires ’ disease
Alzheimer ’ s disease , Parkinson ’ s disease , German measles
Foreign names
When dealing with foreign names , it can be difficult to determine the correct order , style and formatting . There are no hard and fast rules for converting foreign names into English . Because naming conventions vary so widely between and even within countries , it is best to ask people how they would prefer their name to be presented .
• Bangladesh and Pakistan : The given name usually appears first and the family name last ( for example , ‘ Benazir Bhutto ’). Some people in Pakistan may use Middle Eastern naming conventions ( see below ).
• Cambodia : The family name usually precedes the given name . Use people ’ s full names in all references , as given names are typically used only by close friends or family .
• China : The family name usually precedes the given name ( for example , ‘ Jiang Zemin ’). Cantonese names , as used in Hong Kong , generally include two given names preceded by a family name ( for example , ‘ Wong Ji Fung ’). If the person uses a Western first name , the family name appears after it ( for example , ‘ Albert Tsang ’).
• India : Generally , the family name follows the given name ( for example , ‘ Priyanka Chopra ’). Male Sikhs follow their given name with ‘ Singh ’, which is also a family name used by non-Sikhs .
• Indonesia : Most Javanese people have only one name ( for example , ‘ Suharto ’). Most non- Javanese Indonesians have adopted surnames .
• Iran : Most Iranians and residents of countries that once belonged to the Persian Empire – including Afghans and Tajiks – use two names ( for example , ‘ Mohammad Khatami ’).
• Japan : The family name follows the given name in romanised usage ( for example , ‘ Yoko Ono ’).
• Korea : The given name is often hyphenated , with the second element in lowercase . The surname precedes the given name ( for example , ‘ Kim Il-sung ’).
• Laos : The given name precedes the family name . In subsequent references , use the given name .
• Malaysia : The given name precedes the father ’ s name ( for example , ‘ Mahathir Mohamad ’). Use the given name in subsequent references . Honorific titles that often precede Malay names ( for example , ‘ Tan Sri ’, ‘ Datuk ’, ‘ Dato ’ and ‘ Haji ’) may be omitted .
• Middle East : People usually have three names : a given name and the names of their father and grandfather ( for example , ‘ Karim Abdel Aziz ’). Depending on the region , the prefixes ‘ al- ’ or ‘ el- ’ may be joined to the surname with a hyphen ( for example , ‘ Mohammed Ahmed al-Torabi ’). People may also use ‘ bin ’ or ‘ ibn ’, which mean ‘ son of ’, or ‘ bint ’, which means ‘ daughter of ’. The title and first name usually suffice when referring to leaders such as imams , emirs and sheikhs ( for example , ‘ Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah ’ becomes ‘ Sheikh Abdullah ’).
• Myanmar : Most people have two or three given names but no surname . Use the complete name in first and subsequent references . ‘ U ’ is an honorific ( for example , ‘ U Thant ’).
• Philippines : Given names precede the family name .
• Russia : Russian people usually have three names : a given name , followed by their father ’ s given name – adding the suffix ' ova ' or ' ovna ' for a woman , and ' ich ' or ' vich ' for a man – and then their father ’ s family name ( for example , ‘ Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin ’).
• Spain : People generally have one or two given names , followed by their father ’ s family name and then their mother ’ s family name ( for example , ‘ Juan Carlos Gonzalez Cardozo ’). In everyday use , some people will drop their second given name and their mother ’ s family name ( for example , ‘ Juan Gonzalez ’).
• Taiwan : The given name is hyphenated , with the second element in lowercase . The surname precedes the given name ( for example , ‘ Lee Teng-hui ’).
• Thailand : The given name precedes the family name . Use the given name in subsequent references .
Writing Style Guide | Naming Conventions 32 | Back to contents