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Throughout the year, members of the ABC’s language committee meet to discuss matters of grammar, style and usage. Their guidance is provided to all ABC content makers, and is made publicly available here.

The ABC also maintains a database of proper names and placenames to assist content makers with correct pronunciation. This database, too, is available online.

For the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of ordinary words, we refer to the Macquarie Dictionary. For broader editorial concerns, please refer to the ABC’s editorial policies site.

This style guide is a living document, and is regularly updated. If you believe an entry to be in error (or worse: missing) please contact language@abc.net.au.

To browse alphabetically, click on the above letters. For more targeted searching, see below for more instructions.

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4chan, 8chan

Note the lower case for these imageboards.

a, an

Generally in English, a is used before consonant sounds and an is used before vowel sounds: a ham, an olive, a eulogy. Some words begin with the eighth letter but have an unstressed initial syllable, which in connected speech often means speakers freely shift between the two articles: an historic, a historic, etc. For these words, neither form is incorrect (though an historic can come across as a slight affectation).

A-list

Cap the initial letter: A-list, D-grade.

a lot

Two words.

a or an before H

Use a before words whose spoken forms begin with an /h/ sound: a hotel, a historian, a hero. Use an with words whose initial sound is a vowel, even if their written forms start with H: an heir, an honest man.

ABC branding, “the ABC”

Regional and local stations take title case: ABC Radio Great Southern, ABC Radio Brisbane. If crediting, use don’t forget the definite article: Joe Bloggs told the ABC’s AM program, not ABC’s AM program. The national youth music service has no capitals unless starting a sentence: I grew up listening totriple j. Some sub-brands take a capital on their modifier: triple j Unearthed. Never lower case: Double J. The main television channel is ABC, not ABC1. The streaming video service is iview, not iView. Be mindful of over-branding. A sentence such as watch the ABC Women’s Work series every Sunday on Weekend Breakfast can probably lose the acronym. More information on corporation branding can be found in our internal brand portal.

Aboriginal, aboriginal

Upper case in all references to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, or to First Nations people of the US or Canada. See Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander references.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander references

Aboriginal and Indigenous should always be capitalised. Avoid using Aboriginal as a noun. Avoid Aborigine outside of quotes. Where possible, aim to use a person’s preference. This could be a specific community or language group: a Yuin woman, a Bundjalung elder. It could be also more general: the Torres Strait Islander woman, an Aboriginal man.

In collective reference: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, First Nations communities, Indigenous people, etc. See entry First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Avoid regional descriptors (e.g. Murri, Koori) unless it’s a stated preference. Torres Strait Islanders are a distinct group and should not be described as Aboriginal or TSIs. For more information, consult the Indigenous Content guidance note.

abortion

When referring to pro- or anti-abortion campaigners or protests, avoid the terms pro-life and pro-choice. These labels are emotive. Instead of phrases like pro-life supporter, use anti-abortion campaigner. Instead of pro-choice, use abortion rights.

abortion clinics

Abortion is generally not the only service provided by these clinics. In stories where the focus is not on abortion itself, consider a less emotive descriptor: women’s health centres or reproductive health centres.

academic departments

Our style: department of history, department of economics (no capitals).

accent marks, diacritical marks, non-English characters

Use accent or other diacritical marks in names where requested, or where such marks are in wide use: Barça, Charlotte Brontë, La Niña. Do not use accents for long-established loanwords in English: cafe, facade. If unsure, check a dictionary.

acres

Use hectares. One hectare is 10,000 square metres or 2.47 acres.

acronym, initialisms

Limit the use of unfamiliar acronyms. If you need to use them, though, spell out in first reference and, from second reference, use the abbreviated form: A report was sent to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on 5 June 2014. The ACMA responded in late July. Some acronyms are acceptable without explanation, in headlines and elsewhere. Use your judgement. Occasionally, a descriptive sentence is preferable to spelling out: football’s governing body FIFA, UN children’s agency UNICEF. Purists maintain abbreviations pronounced as a word (radar, NATO) are acronyms, and abbreviations pronounced by letter (DPRK, CIA) are initialisms. Usage has long been indifferent to this distinction, and some abbreviations (RAAF) are both.

actor

Default term for male and female members of the acting professions. Retain the gendered term for awards: best actress, best supporting actress.

acts, bills, white papers

None of these need capitals, unless you’re using the official name of an act. Native Title Act 1993, but the act was passed in 1993.

active voice, passive voice

In grammar, voice refers to the relationship between the verb, the subject, and the object of a sentence. In active constructions, the subject of the sentence carries out the action of the verb: Australia beat England at Lords. In passive constructions, the subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb: England was beaten by Australia. The passive voice is sometimes condemned on the grounds its use can mask the agent of an action or come across as bureaucratic or impersonal: the sign was laterremoved, it is felt the school should take action. This criticism misses the point — the passive voice has its uses, especially in news copy. Recounting events is a common one, as is emphasising the effect of an action on the subject: the hospital was bombed by Islamic State militants.

AD, BC

Our style: AD 1100, 45 BC, the first century AD, second century BC. Note the space. AD and BC remain the more familiar terms and are generally preferred over CE and BCE.

admit, admits, admitted

Use sparingly, as it implies a hint of guilt or acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

adopted, adoption, surrogacy, surrogate

Mention these (or donor status) only when relevant. Say biological mother and father or surrogate mother or birth mother. Don’t say real mother or father.

AEDT, AEST

AEDT stands for Australian Eastern Daylight Time, and is used when daylight saving is in force. AEST stands for Australian Eastern Standard Time, and is used when daylight saving is over. It is easy to get confused and think the S stands for summer. It doesn’t. It stands for standard. Avoid using Australian Eastern Time. For nearly six months of the year, east coast states do not share a uniform time zone.

affect, effect

Affect, as a verb, means to influence something or someone: the man was clearly affected by alcohol. Effect, as a verb, means to bring about: alcohol effected a change in his behaviour. Effect, as a noun, means something produced by a cause or agent: alcohol can have a surprising effect.

affidavit

A written statement on oath, sworn to before an authorised official, often used as evidence in court proceedings. Avoid sworn affidavit.

afforestation, reforestation

Not reafforestation.

Afghan, Afghani

The people: Afghan. The currency: Afghani.

African American

Do not hyphenate. Refers to Americans of African descent. Not always interchangeable with black: the latter term encompasses a range of backgrounds (e.g. African-born American citizens, Americans of mixed heritage, Caribbean diasporas). Be specific where possible, and follow a person’s preference. If specific reference to a person’s background in an American context is required but you cannot determine a preference, prefer black to African American. See more at the entry for black.

African Australian

Do not hyphenate. This is an umbrella term. Be specific where possible when describing individuals: Ghanaian Australian, Sudanese Australian, etc.

Afrikaans, Afrikaners

For the language: Afrikaans. For the people: Afrikaners.

after

Be careful using after. It has both temporal and causative senses, which can present problems for the errant broadcaster or headline writer. Take the following sentence: At least 10 people were killed after a bus hit a wall. Were the people killed on the bus? Or did the wall collapse on them? With At least 10 people were killed when a bus hit a wall, the link becomes more direct.

age, ages

In Australia, anyone 18 or older is regarded as an adult by law. A person 18 or older should be called a man or woman. When describing people younger than 18: boy, girl, teenager, children. In generic reference to older Australians: older people, older Australians. Be aware that generic descriptors relating to age can cause offence or be perceived as impartial: the geriatric man, the young senator.

aged care facility

Though this term is in standard usage, there’s nothing wrong with using aged care home. These compounds are generally not hyphenated.

agender

People who choose not to be defined by their gender. Many who identify this way prefer to use gender-neutral pronouns.

agreement of person

Subjects and verbs should agree in person and number. It’s not unusual to see some copy start in the third person only to switch to the first person: Many Australians plant native trees in our gardens. This is incorrect, and should be: Many Australians plant native trees in their gardens.

aid, aide

Study aid, aid and abet, a hearing aid, but an assistant is an aide. The latter survives in terms borrowed from French: aide-de-camp, aide-memoire, etc.

AIDS

No need to spell out as it has become common usage. People who carry the virus which can cause AIDS are HIV-positive but do not necessarily have AIDS. They can be described as having the AIDS virus. People do not die of AIDS, but from AIDS-related illnesses. Avoid: HIV virus, AIDS victims.

aircraft, aircraft carrier, airline, airport

But aerodrome, aeroplane, aeronautics, air strikes. Aircraft can normally be referred to as planes, and certainly not in the official jargon of fixed-wing aircraft. Plane is short for aeroplane. Don’t say airplane. When an aircraft is forced to land we say that it (or the pilot) made an emergency landing. When an aircraft crashes do not try to soften the impact by saying it crash-landed.

Air Force One

Note the capitals.

aka, a.k.a., AKA

All are in use, though our preference is aka.

Al Qaeda

alibi

Often used colloquially to refer to any kind of general excuse or explanation. Avoid this colloquialism in formal news contexts.

all right, alright

Both are acceptable.

all together, altogether

Not interchangeable. The latter, an adverb, means wholly or entirely: the laws should be scrapped altogether. The former refers to parts achieving unison: to it was a relief to see him put it all together on race day.

allude to

Means to refer to indirectly. Not to be confused with elude, which means to escape or avoid.

alternate, alternative

An alternative is a choice between two or more possibilities: cycling is a fine alternative to a walk. When things alternate, they switch between options: in cyclocross, athletes alternate between riding and running on foot.

Alzheimer’s disease

Note the apostrophe and initial capital (named after Alois Alzheimer).

ambition

You realise or fulfil a dream or an ambition; you reach or achieve a goal — you can’t achieve an ambition, even if you climb every mountain.

American

Inhabitants of both North and South America can theoretically be referred to as Americans, although the term is most often used in reference to citizens of the United States. Canadians should be referred to as Canadians. If you are referring just to the United States of America make sure, specify that in first reference.

American Indians, Native Americans

Both terms are in use to describe Americans of Indigenous background. Prefer Native Americans for generic or collective reference; where possible, be specific for individuals.

American spellings

Use American spellings for organisation or place names that contain them: World Health Organization, World Trade Center, Pearl Harbor.

among, between

Usage depends on the number of people or things you are referring to. For example, an argument is “between” two people, but “among” three or more; a competition is “between” two teams, but “among” three or more. But it is appropriate to “choose between six kinds of jam”.

amount, number

The rule often stated is that amount refers to volume, and number to quantities: a number of cows produced an amount of gas. Like many such rules, it has no basis in usage or English grammar; its origin is likely personal preference. There is substantial evidence over time, from spontaneous speech to edited prose, that amount can be used with plural count nouns when the count noun is being conceived of as an aggregate: the amount of resources, a large amount of drugs.

ampersand, &

Avoid unless part of company name, trademark, or financial market.

analyst

As a job description, it can be ambiguous. The audience is usually better off knowing who is saying something, and where they’re saying it from. If you’re reporting what a generally held view: some financial market economists, some political analysts.

ancestors, descendants

Ancestors are the people who came before you. Descendants will come after you.

animals

Generally, animals take the pronoun it over she or he. Exceptions include named animals such as race horses, or stories where an animal’s sex is relevant. Generic animal names only take a capital when they contain proper nouns: Tasmanian devils, yellow-footed rock wallaby.

anniversary

Anniversaries relate to yearly occurrences (a clue, annus, is in the word’s etymology). Two tendencies infuriate pedants and are best avoided. The first is the use of anniversary to mark spans of weeks or months: six month anniversary, twelve month anniversary. The second is using the word with year, as in one year anniversary. This is tautological. Use first anniversary instead.

Antarctica, the Antarctic

Antarctica is the name of the continent within the Antarctic region.

antenatal

Means before birth. Take care not to confuse with anti-natal, a different thing entirely.

anticipate, expect

Many language critics hold that anticipate should not be used where expect is intended: COAG leaders anticipate long day. This is assuredly the etymological fallacy at work. Words can have more than one meaning at a time, and can shed (or grow) meanings with the passage of time. Probably the most that can be said here is that anticipate should not be used for expect in the rare case where the difference would be material. Take the following headline: Police anticipate bikie violence. Does that mean police think violence is likely, or that they’ve allocated resources to prepare for an imminent gang war? If, in such an instance, it’s the expect sense you mean, just say expect.

antiviral

Do not hyphenate.

Anzac, Anzac Day

For general use: Anzac Daycelebrations, Anzac biscuits, the Anzac spirit.

Apostles Creed

No apostrophe.

Arab, Arabic

When Arab modifies nouns, it generally refers to social or political constructs: Arab governments, Arab women, Arab leaders. Arabic, as a modifier, refers to specifically to the language: Arabic speakers, Arabic script, Arabic schools. A final point: Arab poetry would most likely be read as referring to poetic works written by Arab people (that is, not necessarily in Arabic).

Arab-Israeli

While a common descriptor for Israeli citizens of Arab ethnicity, it is not universally adopted. Many object to this term, preferring alternatives: Palestinian citizen of Israel, Palestinian-Israeli, Israeli, etc. Where possible, confirm with your talent.

ARIAs

No need to spell out the acronym, but say ARIA Awards in the first reference in the story (note: you need to cap Awards).

arson, arsonist

Take care applying these terms to bushfires. In Australian law, arson often has a specific legal meaning implying intention, recklessness, or property damage. Most jurisdictions have a separate crime for bushfire offences, which include unintentional lighting of fires. Avoid the salacious firebug, pyro.

artistic works

No italics or quotes for book titles, film titles, play titles, poem titles, etc. But they do take capitals: A Clockwork Orange, A Doll’s House. Articles (the, a) and shorter conjunctions or prepositions (on, and) are usually not capped: Lord of the Rings. An exception is if they begin the title: And Then There Were None.

Asian Australian

Do not hyphenate. This is an umbrella term. Be specific where possible when describing individuals: Tawainese Australian, Filipino Australian, Vietnamese Australian, etc.

Asia-Pacific

Takes the hyphen in use such as ‘Asia-Pacific region’.

Asian names

Chinese: In Chinese names, the family name (surname) comes first. For example, “Chiang Chi-kwang”, in a second reference, becomes “Mr Chiang”. (For guidance, hyphens never appear in surnames.) Some Chinese adopt the Western style of family name last, though to avoid confusion they often use initials, for example, “C.K. Chiang”.

Indonesian: Some Indonesians have only one name, some two or more by which they wish to be known, for example, “Suharto”, “Deddy Iskandar Muda”.

Japanese: Among themselves, Japanese use the family name first, then the given name (only ever one), for example, “Sato Ichiro”. In English you would refer to him as “Mr Sato”. When speaking with foreigners Japanese may adopt the Western order, “Ichiro Sato”.

Korean: Similar to Chinese, for example, “Yi Yoon-kyung”; then “Ms Yi”.

Vietnamese: Vietnamese have two-part or three-part names. Though the family name is placed first, the last name is the key to identification. Therefore, in a first reference say, “Vo Van Kiet”, then “Mr Kiet” (not “Mr Vo”).

aspirin

Generic term, so no capital.

asteroid, meteor, meteorite

Not interchangeable. An asteroid is any rocky body, usually orbiting the Sun. Meteors are matter from outer space that become incandescent after entering the earth’s atmosphere. Meteorites are rocks or other matter that have survived the bumpy trip to the earth’s surface.

assassin

Political and religious leaders, or the similarly conspicuous, are assassinated. The rest of us, sadly, are murdered.

asylum seekers

Use asylum seeker to describe people who arrive in Australia (including Australian waters) without travel documents, claiming (or apparently claiming) refugee status. If authorities recognise a valid claim for protection, such people could be referred to as refugees. Avoid inaccurate modifiers with the term asylum seeker, e.g. unlawful asylum seeker, illegal asylum seeker. Under international law, anyone can apply for asylum.

at about

Avoid.

attain

Not just a fancy synonym for obtain, this word implies the reach or achievement of something by continued effort. (The object is normally something immaterial, such as goals, ambitions or a position.) Obtain means to get or acquire something — usually something tangible, often as a result of effort or a request. Usually it’s something tangible.

Attorney-General

Hyphenated. We use capitals since it is effectively a ministerial title.

auditor-general

lower case

augur, auger

An auger is a hole-boring tool. Augurs are portents, omens, etc.

autism

A variety of terms exist to describe people on the autism spectrum. These include, but are not limited to: being autistic, being aperson with autism, having anautism spectrum disorder, or being on the autism spectrum. Considerable disagreement exists as to which term is preferred. Your safest bet is to check with the person or people you’re describing.

average

Not interchangeable with normal, as in: the average of a four-year-old is 106 centimetres.

averse to

Not to be confused with adverse.

ayatollah

An Iranian term for a Muslim teacher and lawyer who has great spiritual authority in a Shiite Muslim community. The Supreme Leader of Iran has the title Ayatollah.  The term is not used in Sunni Islam.

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bachelor

A bit old-school. Better to use unmarried man, or single.

backburning, burn-off, burning-off

Not interchangeable in emergency situations. Burning off (sometimes referred to as controlled burning) is the clearing of land before fire season by the use of fire. Backburning is a method of fire control, where an area in the path of an approaching fire is burned into or against the wind.

backflip

Some commentators rail against the use of backflip to mean a political reversal. Despite their chagrin, this sense is established in Australian English dictionaries and attested in edited newspaper sources as far back as the 1940s.

backup

Police call for backup (noun) but you back up (verb) to a door, or back up (verb) your files.

bacteria

Bacteria is plural of bacterium. Never write the bacteria is. While we’re here: bacillus is singular. Bacilli is plural.

bad rap

Give someone a bad rap, but wrap up the day’s news.

BAFTAs

No need to spell out the acronym, but say BAFTA Awards in the first reference in the story. Cap Awards.

bailout, bail out

The former is the noun form: a $700 million bailout. The latter is the verb: somehow we are always ready to bail out farmers when they strike drought.

band names

Cap the definite article if part of the name: The Beatles, The Who. Lower case if not: the Rolling Stones. Not all bands take the definite article: Arctic Monkeys, Talking Heads. Always check. Generally, bands are plural entities. So, Talking Heads were rubbish last night, not Talking Heads was rubbish.

bandaid

No capitals and no hyphen in generic reference. In reference to the specific product: Band-Aid. In reference to the 1984 musical fundraising event, two separate words, capitalised: Band Aid.

Bank of Queensland, BOQ

The shortened form is BOQ, not BoQ.

barbecue

Not BBQ or barbeque.

barometer

Figurative use is fine: search histories can be used as a barometer of social awareness. But avoid using in place of a word like indicator, as in: historical dramas are a barometer of how an audience perceives the past.

base jump

A parachute jump from a structure such as a tall building, bridge, etc, as opposed to a jump from an aeroplane.

basically

Often a superfluous word in news writing.

bated breath

Not baited.

bazaar

A market, but bizarre is odd. The OMC smash hit is How Bizarre.

bee’s knees

Just the one bee.

beg the question, begs the question

This phrase comes to English from a (reportedly quite bad) translation of the Latin term petitio principii, referring to a specific type of circular reasoning, where the premise of an argument assumes its conclusion. Nowadays, beg the question is commonly used in a more literal sense: The closure of [the Hazelwood power plant] begs the question: what will replace it? Both meanings are now considered acceptable, so take care not to confuse when using the term.

beggars description, beggars belief

Indescribable.

behead

In some contexts, behead can be more appropriate than a word than decapitate. It refers to a deliberate action; decapitation can be accidental or have a non-human agent.

bellwether

Not bellweather. Means a leader of opinion (literally a castrated ram with a bell around its neck, used to lead a flock of sheep). You asked!

bench

One word, whether used as a noun or an adjective: the backbench, backbench colleagues. Also frontbench, frontbencher.

Berlin Wall

Cap the W.

bete noire

Doesn’t need a circumflex.

better, best

Better is the comparative of good, and best is the superlative. So it’s the better of two choices, but the best of three or more. Never double the comparative — e.g. more better — unless aiming for laughs.

betting odds

100-1, 10-1, etc. En rule, don’t hyphen, for spans of numbers.

between you and me

Not between you and I.

biannual

Twice a year (biennial is every two years).

Bible

Capitalised when referring to one with the Old and New Testaments. Lower case for adjective or generic forms: biblical proportions, the cricketer’s bible.

Bible references

Written like this: Mark 6:3, John 3:2–4, Psalms 12:1–2. Note the use of the en rule (not a hyphen).

bicentenary, bicentennial

200th anniversary.

biennial

Every two years (biannual is twice a year).

Big Apple

Needs caps when used as a nickname referring exclusively to New York.

billion

Means one thousand million, not one million million. When reading for broadcast, make sure to emphasise the b to distinguish billion from million.

bite

A sound bite (a byte is a number of binary digits, or bits, usually 8).

BitTorrent

One word, capital B and T. It is a trademark.

black, Black
Do not use as a noun. In the Australian context, black is primarily an in-group term; be wary of its use outside quotes. The term can refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or to diaspora groups. In international use it often, though not exclusively, refers to African Americans. See further at African American.

Capitalised and respelled variants are in increasing in-group use: Black, blak. These variants are tied to specific ideas of empowerment and reclamation, and should be respected where appropriate (e.g. direct quotes, feature writing). Umbrella acronyms (e.g. BAME, BIPOC, POC) are often not preferred in individual reference and may be unfamiliar to audiences.

BlackBerry

Note the mid-word capital letter. Plural is BlackBerrys.

Black Hawk helicopter

Not Blackhawk.

blaze the trail

Means showing the way for others who come after you. So blazing a new trail is a tautology.

bloc

political group

blonde, blond

If used as a noun form — a blonde, say — then blonde is generally used in English to describe women, and blond to describe men. But blond (adjective) for generic or inanimate use.

blue-ribbon, blue riband, blue ribbon

Hyphenated form is standard as an attributive for a safe political seat, or a mark of excellence: the blue-ribbonLiberal electorate of Warringah, Dangerfield and Selwood are blue-ribbon midfielders. An alternative spelling, blue riband, is something of an archaism.

boat, ship

The words are not easily defined, but generally ships are large and ocean-going, and anything that is not ocean-going and has an outboard motor or oars is a boat. It’s commonly explained that you can put a boat on a ship but not a ship on a boat. Never use vessel in broadcast language.

boat people

Avoid outside of quotes. See entries at asylum seeker, illegal immigrant

Booker prize

Known as the Man Booker prize from 2003 on — it’s sponsored by the Man Group — but still colloquially referred to as the Booker. Capitalise and use the full name in the first reference. In subsequent reference, the Booker Prize or the prize

born, borne

Both are forms of the verb to bear. Use the former for passive past tense descriptions of birth: I was born in Queensland. Otherwise, use the latter form: she had borne a child to him, the plan was was borne out of desperation.

both

Use to refer to two things, not three or more: Last year the leaders of both Germany and Britain declared their multicultural policies had been a failure.

botox

Originally a trademark, this has now moved into common usage and doesn’t need a capital letter. Adjectival form: botoxed.

brahman, Brahman, Brahmin

No capital required if referring to the cattle breed. But capitalised in reference to the concept in Hinduism. Capital and different spelling for the Hindu priest caste: Brahmin.

breach, breech

A breach of protocol, the flood levee has been breached, but the baby is in breech position, and the doctor was wearing breeches.

breakdown (noun) break down (verb)

A family breakdown might give us a nervous breakdown, but we might say a relationship is likely to break down, or ‘Let’s break those figures down.’

breakthrough

Use sparingly — and never pair with its cliched-partner dramatic.

bring, buy

Take care to distinguish between the past tense of bring (brought), and the past tense of buy (bought): the astronauts were brought back from space, I bought some apples at the shop.

Britain, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, the UK

Not interchangeable, strictly speaking. The constituent countries of Great Britain are England, Wales, and Scotland. The United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland. It is commonplace, even in UK sources, to see Britain used as shorthand for the United Kingdom as a whole, but there may be times where distinctions should be made clear.

broadband

Download speed is generally measured in bits per second, not bytes. Abbreviate megabits per second or gigabits per second as follows: Mbps, Gbps. Avoid megabytes and gigabytes in discussion of download speeds: the difference can be material, as there are eight bits in a byte.

brotherboy, sistergirl

Used in a range of contexts by Indigenous people. In general, the terms refer to transgender Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

Brownies

Upper case when referring to girls’ organisation (step before Girl Guides). Lower case in generic culinary or other reference: choc-chip brownies, brownie points.

brunette, brunet

In a noun sense, generally refers to a woman with brown hair: the brunette in the corner. A related noun form for men, brunet, is rarely used. Both are fairly reductive and best avoided outside facetious prose. Why not an adjectival form? Brown-haired woman, brown-haired man.

budget, Budget

When used in specific reference, it takes a capital: the Budget, Budget 2021. Generic, plural, or adjective use is lower case: federal budgets, state budget, budgetary measures.

bug

When reporting on medical ailments, be wary of referring to viruses and the like as bugs. The term is imprecise and implies a low-level risk, which may be inappropriate.

buoy, buoyed, buoyant, buoyancy

Spelling these correctly will buoy the spirits of our audience.

bureau, bureaus

Not bureaux, unless you’re going for a hypercorrect affectation.

burka

Often inaccurately used to describe other types of head coverings, such as the niqab. See this ABC explainer for more.

burned, burnt

A rule of thumb: burned is the more regular past tense verb form, and burnt more regularly appears in phrases burnt out or burnt up. No hyphen for predicative use of the latter: the bush was burnt out. But hyphenate for adjectival use: a third victim died in a burnt-out home.

bus, buses, bussed, bussing

bushfire

The Australian usage is bushfire (Americans call them brushfires). Vegetation is burnt out — rarely destroyed. Don’t refer to things as partially or completely destroyed; they’re either destroyed or damaged.

bushfire refugee

Use this term with caution: even in its modified forms (e.g climate refugee, student refugee) the word refugee is most often associated with its sense in international law — people fleeing conflict or disaster, usually across borders.

businesslike, businessman, businesswoman, business people

Not, for instance, business man.

BOM, Bureau of Meteorology

Spell out in first reference, abbreviate thereafter: the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is the first port of call. BOM is fine in headlines. Note it’s BOM, not BoM. On air: Bureau of Meteorology in first reference, BOM or the Bureau acceptable thereafter.

buy back, buyback

Two words when used as compound verb: the government plans to buy back irrigation licences. One word for adjective and noun senses: the buyback plan is part of the National Water Plan

byte

A number of binary digits, or bits — usually eight (but it’s a sound bite).
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cabinet, Cabinet

Upper case in reference to the current Cabinet. Do not cap if referring to overseas cabinet or former cabinet.

cache, cachet

Is a type of hidden store: a cache of weapons. Don’t confuse it with a similar word that refers to prestige: being married to a Newsweek photographer, he he had a certain cachet. In computer terminology, cache is used as a verb and a modifier in noun phrases: Let’s talk about cache memory. Caching is the process of storing data.

caddie

Golf caddie. But a tea caddy.

cafe

No need for diacritics.

callous

An adjective meaning “unfeeling”. By some coincidence, a callus is bit of hardened skin.

camaraderie

This word is a direct borrowing from the French and refers to the familiarity felt among camarades. Not to be confused with or pronounced like comrade. Most dictionaries list a pronunciation similar to /kæməˈrɐːdəriː/.

canon

Cleric, decree, principle, body of writings, type of music. A cannon is something you fire.

canvas

Tent, painting. A distantly related verb, meaning “to solicit votes”, is canvass.

capital letters

Political titles.

Cap incumbent elected positions and Cabinet ministers in Australia and overseas: the Prime Minister, the Health Minister. Don’t cap former titles or plurals: Kristina Keneally was then planning minister, the health ministers say they are working on a solution. Opposition titles, here and abroad, take capitals: Opposition Leader, Deputy Opposition Leader, Shadow Treasurer. Cap Attorney-General since it is effectively a ministerial title. Do not cap: secretary-general, auditor-general, solicitor-general.

For local government, the same principles apply: Mayor, Lord Mayor. Lower case for councillor unless part of a formal title. Leader isn’t a title and, as such, doesn’t take a cap: Greens leader di Natale, Labor leader Bill Shorten. Do not cap personal (non-elected) titles: manager, director, chief executive, chairman, secretary etc. Capitalise foreign heads of state and ministers. Always cap: the Pope, the Queen.

Organisations or government.

The full names of organisations take upper case on first reference and lower case in subsequent reference: the University of New South Wales, but later the university. Department of Immigration and Border Protection, but later the department. Incumbent administrations take upper case: the Federal Government, the Queensland Government. In subsequent reference: the Government. Lower case for previous administrations, or adjectival use: the previous federal government, government policy. Cap government departments on first reference: Treasury officials, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In subsequent reference: the department.

State and territory

Use upper case for proper names, but not in generic or plural references: the State of Victoria; state government policies, state land, an independent state.

Geographical and political designations

Names that designate a group of nations geographically or politically always take a capital: South-East Asia, Central America, the Balkans. Sometimes, when descriptive names of this type become semi-official, they then take a capital: Central Australia, Far North Queensland, the Gulf (of Carpentaria), the Red Centre.

Commonwealth

Upper case: the Commonwealth of Australia,the Commonwealth of Nations.

captions

Our style for crediting images is agency, colon, photographer name: Reuters: Adnan Abibi. ABC images are credited: ABC News: Margaret Burin or ABC Radio Sydney: Luke Wong.

career

When used as a verb means to rush headlong (careen is to keel over).

career girl, career woman

Don’t use.

cast off

The boat cast off from the quay.

cast-off

We accept cast-off clothing.

casualties

Includes dead and injured, so not a synonym for deaths.

caucus

Capitalise when referring to the current caucus, e.g. the Labor Caucus.

CD, CDs, CD-Rom

A CD is a disc, not a disk.

cell phone

Avoid, use mobile phone.

celsius

Capped, e.g. “34 degrees Celsius” in first instance, after that “34C”. Celsius is the official name for the temperature scale used in Australia, and preferred over “Centigrade”. To convert to Celsius, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit figure, multiply by five and divide by nine.

cement, concrete

Technically these are not interchangeable terms: cement is an ingredient of concrete, which is a mix of aggregates and paste.

census

Lower case in generic use. Its full name is the Census of Population and Housing.

censor, censure

Documents may be “censored”, but people who are criticised severely are “censured”.

Central America

Comprises Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Central Asia

Capped. Five countries usually make up Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The region is sandwiched between China, Russia and Europe.

Central Australia

Capitalised, but northern is Australia not, as northern is descriptive, not an official name.

century, centuries

Our style is no capital: the fifth century. Spell out centuries under 10: fifth century, but 15th century. Hyphenate for adjectival use: 19th-century passenger ships.

CFMEU, CFMMEU

These are not exactly interchangeable terms. The CFMEU is a collection of affiliated (and to an extent autonomous) trade unions: CFMEU Victoria & Tasmania, CFMEU Western Australia. These chapters are further divided by industry: CFMEU Construction, CFMEU Mining.

The above are further grouped under a separate national organisation: the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union. Where material to a story, be sure to note the difference.

chafing at the bit

Not chaffing. Also champing at the bit, not chomping.

chair (title), chairwoman, chairperson

Where there is no stated preference by a company or individual, our default is chair.

chairman of the ABC board

No need to capitalise. Same for general manager, chief executive, etc.

chancellor, vice-chancellor

No need to capitalise.

Channel Seven, Channel Nine, Channel Ten

Spell these out in article text, but can be Channel 9 etc in headlines.

Chechen, Chechnya

Chechen Republic, Chechen people, Chechen Prime Minister, Chechen war, Republic of Chechnya.

Checkout

Noun, adjective; check out verb.

Chequebook

One word.

Chickenpox

One word.

Children’s Court

e.g. Parramatta Children’s Court.

Choice

Consumer group, not CHOICE.

Choppered

Taken by helicopter is better.

chord

Musical chord, but spinal or vocal cord.

chronic

In medical contexts, not exactly interchangeable with acute or bad. A chronic health condition is one that has continued or lingered.

Christian, Christianity

Note capitals. Also: Christian name, but unchristian and christening.

church, Church

Lower case for established organisations: the church is no longer relevant today.

cinemagoers

One word.

cisgender

People whose gender identity is in line with their sex assigned at birth. See entry under LGBT.

claims

“Claims” carries a hint of incredulity (as do “reputedly” and “so-called”). If there is no reason to doubt the veracity of a statement, “says” is better. For example, “the party says it will field candidates in all electorates”, rather than “the party claims it will”.

The authority of the person or organisation making a claim (that is, something not previously accepted, known or understood), and the nature of the claim, will decide whether we would report it without corroboration. A claim, therefore, must be attributed. “Claims” implies the ABC is seeking further confirmation or reaction.

See also a further discussion of so-called, which is in danger of being overused.

clean up, clean-up

We vowed to clean up the process … soon the clean-up was underway.

cleaning lady

Don’t use. Cleaner instead.

Clem7

You don’t need to use all caps, just an initial cap. Can also be called the Clem Jones Tunnel.

co-op, co-opt,

But cooperation, cooperative.

Coca-Cola, Coke

Trademark, so capitalise.

coexist, coexistence

No hyphen.

coliseum, Colosseum

Large stadium or theatre (but The Colosseum is the amphitheatre in Rome).

collateral damage

Avoid this term as a euphemism for civilian casualties.

collective nouns

There are no iron-clad rules about whether collective nouns should be matched with singular or plural verbs. Both constructions are acceptable, if they are part of common usage and conversational. But they must never be mixed in the same sentence or story: The team is playing this afternoon. They say the game will be their best test yet. Better to use singular verbs with collective nouns when expressing the sense of a single entity: the Government is planning to increase defence spending, Brisbane is unbeaten this season.

colleague

This term can elide power dynamics in e.g. stories involving allegations of workplace misconduct or sexual assault. Consider modifying (e.g. junior colleague) or replacing (e.g. employee).

collide

Only moving objects can “collide”, so a moving object cannot collide with a stationary one. Therefore, two moving cars can collide, but it’s not possible for a car to collide with a parked car or a tree.

Colombia

Is the South American country. Columbia is a city in the US state of South Carolina.

Colosseum

The Roman amphitheatre. Coliseum for buildings in other countries.

come, cum

When used to indicate combined objects (studio-cum-apartment, chef-cum-scientist) make sure to hyphenate.

comedian

Male and female; do not use comedienne.

commercial references, trade names, brand names, logos

Contrary to popular belief, commercial references are not verboten at the public broadcaster. Such references are often appropriate, though they must be editorially relevant and not undermine the ABC’s independence or integrity. For more information, consult the relevant editorial policy.

Commissions

We cap Human Rights Commission, but not human rights commissioner.

Committees

Formal titles are capped, eg. Senate Estimates Committee.

communism, communist

Lower case except in name of party: Communist Party.

community

A favourite among politicians and bureaucrats who speak of the wider community, when people would do. Some journalists are inclined to use it to refer to any group of people who share an interest or occupation — as in medical community, aviation community, business community, and chess community. In most references, doctors, pilots, business people and chess players are better.

compare

Compare like with like: yesterday’s weather with today’s. But compare two different things with the aim of finding similarities: compare her outfit to an unmade bed. Therefore, say “compared with” if you want to draw attention to the difference: “He compared radio with television.” Say “compared to” when drawing attention to the similarity: “Life has been compared to a pilgrimage.”

compass points, cardinal directions

Lower case for regions: southern Australia, the south-west, north-east New South Wales, south-east Queensland. When part of the place name, capitalise: East Java, North Sulawesi. Some geopolitical regions take a capital: the Middle East, South-East Asia, Latin America, the Balkans, North America, South America.

When names become semi-official, they then take a capital: Central Australia, Far North Queensland.

compound adjectives, compound modifiers

Compound adjectives need to be hyphenated, whether in general copy, headlines or captions. Examples: eight-hour search, loud-mouthed punter, rose-tinted glasses, middle-aged woman.

Here’s a tip on how to figure out if the compound adjective rule applies: Big red car is not a compound adjective because you can have a big car and you can have a red car. Old-growth forests is a compound adjective because while you can have old forests, growth forests doesn’t make sense. Saying old growth forest (sans hyphen) could be interpreted as meaning a growth forest that happens to be old. Consult a dictionary if unsure.

comprise

Means to consist of. Comprise of is therefore incorrect and while increasingly heard, will likely attract criticism if used.

concedes

“Concedes” can be seen as an admission or even a confession. Make sure you use it correctly. It means to admit as true. “Says” is usually sufficient.

congenial, congenital

Can heart disease be a pleasing thing? It can, according to one report, which said a sportsman who died had “congenial heart disease”. What was meant was “congenital” (meaning existing from birth), not congenial (agreeable).

Congo

Acceptable to say Congo on second mention for the Democratic Republic of the Congo; never write “the Congo” unless referring to the river.

conjoined twins

Not Siamese twins. Once separated, you can no longer call them conjoined twins.

consensus

Means general agreement or concord, or majority of opinion, so ‘opinion’ is redundant in ‘consensus of opinion’.

consequences for

We usually say something may have serious consequences for an existing situation. So the following doesn’t sound right: ‘…the increasing numbers of jellyfish around the world are having serious consequences on the marine life status quo…’ The writer may have been thinking of ‘effect on’.

Constitution

Do not cap.

contemptible/contemptuous

A “contemptible” person is “a despicable being who is worthy of contempt”. A “contemptuous” person shows by attitude or action that he or she holds someone else in contempt.

continual, continuous

Continual means continuing on with stops and starts; continuous means going on without stopping. Parliament sits “continually” (regularly, with breaks) while some politicians drone on “continuously” (without stopping) for hours.

contractions

For broadcast

If abbreviating will not to won’t (or does not to doesn’t), think how it will sound when read. Often the fuller form is clearer. A commonly abused contraction is there’s, as in there’s new claims. That should be there are new claims.

Some reporters tend to start sentences with it is (or it’s) and then get to the subject. For example: It’s the wind and the rain that are causing the damage. Choose more direct speech, for example, Wind and rain are causing the damage.

For online

In formal news copy, spell out contractions, except in quotes. For example: Police said he did not appear to be injured, but “I wasn’t injured,” he said. In feature copy, where you’re aiming for a more conversational tone, contractions are acceptable.

controversial

Usually an unnecessary word in our stories. It means “disputation on a matter of opinion”. Current affairs and news stories are full of opposing opinions on all sorts of things, so consider how meaningful it is to attach the word “controversial” to your subject. If you do use it, make clear what the point of controversy is.

cooperation, coordinate, coordination

Do not hyphenate.

coordinator

No hyphen.

cord

Thin rope, vocal or spinal cord, but musical chord.

coronavirus, COVID-19

Both terms are in widespread use to refer to a disease that first appeared in China in 2019. The disease COVID-19 is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, which is a member of the coronavirus family. Where relevant (e.g. if discussing the scientific structure of the virus), make this distinction clear. Do not call COVID-19 a virus. Avoid tautology, as in: a new strain of novel coronavirus.

coroner

Do not cap.

corrections

Part of the ABC’s commitment to accuracy involves taking corrective action when factual errors occur. Corrections can take many forms: from a clarification, to removing content, to issuing an apology. Consult the relevant Editorial Policies standard and guidance note for more information.

correspondent

Writer or reporter, but co-respondent in a divorce case. Do not cap.

council

Take the article outside of quotes: The council has decided. Do not cap local council names unless it is the official title: Brisbane council but Brisbane City Council. Always use the full title on the first reference. So Livingstone Shire Council on first reference, the council thereafter.

court martial, courts martial

The verb is to court-martial.

courts

Cap if full name, e.g. Court of Appeal, High Court, Supreme Court, International Criminal Court. Always check the wording and punctuation of the court’s proper name — this varies from place to place. Brisbane Magistrates Court and Childrens Court Brisbane don’t have apostrophes, but Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and Children’s Court of Victoria do. It’s acceptable to use a generic name for a court, e.g. the Victorian magistrates court rather than the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria. The same goes for courts in the plural, e.g. Australia’s magistrates courts.

cowed

Intimidated (but to kowtow, from the Mandarin, means to prostrate yourself before someone).

crackdown, crack down

In a nationwide crackdown, the government will crack down on welfare fraud.

credibility

The quality of being believable. A “credulous” person will believe anything. “Credence” means belief or trust.

crescendo/climax

A crescendo is a gradual increase, usually in the volume of music, and is not a climax. Often it’s incorrectly stated that something has “reached a crescendo”.  Things reach a peak or climax.

crisis

Heavily overused. Let other people (for example, in actuality) say if the moment truly warrants it.

criteria (plural), criterion (singular)

and it’s phenomena (plural) but phenomenon (singular)

crossbench

One word.

crossbenchers

Not cross benchers.

crown-of-thorns

Hyphenated, not capped. Also crown-of-thorns starfish.

cult

Be careful in using the word ‘cult’. It is a loaded term and almost always regarded as pejorative. Do not presume to label any group a cult, unless it is widely held by experts to be one (such as Heaven’s Gate or Aum Shinrikyo). If a reputable person or group uses that label to describe such a group, you could use the term, provided it is attributed.

curb

To restrain (kerb is the edge of the footpath).

currency

Our style for writing currency in online copy: $2, $7.50, $3 million, $4.2 billion. In headlines or other confined spaces, shorten like this: $16b, $500m. Do not use a hyphen after an amount in body text: the $3 billion house. (But hyphenate if using a multi-part constructrions: multi-million-dollar property.)

If a story uses a foreign currency, convert the amount to Australian currency in brackets following the original amount: the man was fined 3,500 rupees ($70) and allowed to walk free. Don’t convert items that are globally measured in US dollars e.g. West Texas Crude oil, Tapis, and spot gold. Our audience will assume you’re talking about Australian currency unless you specify otherwise: $US7.50, 98 US cents, 4 euros, 69 eurocents, 5 British pounds, 52 British pence, 78 Japanese yen, $NZ2, 50 NZ cents.

customs, Customs

Upper case initial if referring to the government department; lower case for traditions.

cutbacks

Cuts is better.

cyclone

They have names, and take capitals: Cyclone Tracy; also Tropical Cyclone Tracy. Continue to cap even if cyclone has passed. Whatever the name, cyclones are neither male nor female: Cyclone Brenda is causing havoc. It is centred 20 kilometres off Townsville. Spell out the numeral in the cyclone’s category: Tropical Cyclone Uluiis a category four system.

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D-Day

In reference to the Normandy landing.

Dad, dad

Lower case unless using as a proper noun, e.g. ‘Mum and Dad came over’ but ‘My dad came over’.

Dark Mofo

Not Dark MOFO.

dashes, hyphens, ens and ems

Hyphens

The hyphen is the most common device for linking words and word fragments. Appropriate use often depends on context.

Use a hyphen:

• when using terms adjectivally, but not when using them as nouns: the decision-making process was protracted; this procedure expedites decision making
• when the last letter of a single syllable prefix and the first letter of the word are the same vowel: re-educate not reeducate; de-emphasise not deemphasise
  • (however, cooperate, coordinate and their derivatives are no longer hyphenated)
• to avoid confusing one word with another: compare he re-signed the document with the executive resigned
• with co-(joint) and ex-(former), whether or not the attached word begins with a vowel: co-accused; co-worker; ex-admiral; ex-wife.

En rule (–)

Use an en rule, not a hyphen:

• to link spans of figures, time and distance, and Bible verses: pp. 466–53; 1979–91; May–July; City–Pymble buses, Mark 6:3-5
• to show a link between words that retain their separate identities: the body–mind split; a north–south alliance; a copper–zinc alloy.

Use a spaced en rule if more than one word is to be linked on either side: the Victoria – New South Wales border; 16 BC – 70 AD. The en rule is achieved on modern keyboard by holding down ALT and typing 0150 on the numpad.

Do not use an en rule to substitute for and with the word between, or to substitute for to with the word from: ‘the years between 1990 and 2005’, not ‘the years between 1990–2005’; ‘from 20 to 25 applicants’, not ‘from 20–25 applicants’.

Em rule (—)

Use em rules sparingly to:

• link words that signify an abrupt change: We decided to go by air — a momentous decision under the circumstances.
• introduce an amplification: Budget cuts will have dramatic effects — for example, Australian television content will ultimately decrease.
• indicate parenthesis within a sentence: Her abrupt change of direction — this time in favour of the savings — left them mystified.

To produce the em rule: alt key and enter 0151 on the numpad. If you haven’t got a numpad on your keyboard copy and paste from this subheading.

dates and times

Online

Our style for dates: February 9, 1985. Our style for times: 3:00am, 4:33pm. Not: 3.00am, 3am, 3:00 am, 3:00AM or any other configuration. Specific Australian time zones can be abbreviated in stories where they are relevant: the launch was scheduled for 6:25pm AEST. Avoid tautologies such as 3:00am this morning, though 3:00am today can be useful to dispel ambiguities.

See more under AD, BC, centuries, decades, seasons.

Broadcast

By convention, the spoken style for dates: January the 30th, the 30th of January. Avoid: January 30.

If the precise date is not critical to the meaning, be approximate: at the end of January, in mid-March, early last month.

daylight saving

Not daylight savings.

daytime

But night-time.

deathbed

But death row.

de rigueur

Compulsory or required.

deaf, Deaf, hard of hearing

Use deaf and hard of hearing to refer to people with hearing loss. Note they are not interchangeable: hard of hearing describes people with acquired deafness. Do not use deaf mute, deaf and dumb or hearing impaired. Avoid descriptions of deafness as something to be cured or fixed.

deadly virus

What corpus linguists call a high-frequency collocate, others might call a cliché. What’s wrong with virus?

death

Don’t resort to euphemisms such as “demise”, “deceased” or “passed away”.

death toll

There is something morbidly hopeful about the way this term is sometimes used: the death toll so far or the death toll is expected to rise. Better to say the number of people killed [or dead].

debacle

No accents; like farce and fiasco, use sparingly in news reporting.

decades

Our style: the 80s, not the 80’s. The swinging 60s, the roaring 20s, swinging 60s, a woman in her 70s, the first reader’s email of the 00s

debate

Best not to write that a debate will be ‘waged’, unless you’re being ironic, because a public debate is usually more civilised than a war. A topic will be debated, or a debate will be conducted.

declare victory, claim victory

Electoral candidates generally claim victory and do not declare it. The AEC generally declares results, not victories. Thus, usage like the following should be avoided: Kristy McBain declares victory in Eden-Monaro.

decimals

For broadcast

Generally, we round to the nearest full number. When precise decimal figures must be given, use this form:

For .05, say “point-oh-five”.

For 2.32, say “two-point-three-two” (not “two-point-thirty-two”).

When writing for on-air graphics using decimal points, “0.4” is the correct form, not “.4”.

decorations

Use only if relevant to the story. For example, “the 90-year-old Victoria Cross winner returned to the battlefield”; “John Smith refused an Order of Australia medal three years ago, and is now in jail for treason”.

Democrat, Democratic

When referring to the US political party, use Democratic as an adjective and Democrat only as a noun.

Democratic party, Democratic candidate, Democratic National Convention, but Barack Obama is a Democrat.

A warning: Democrat Party can be considered pejorative by some in the US.

demise

Means death, not decline.

Department of Defense (US)

With an ‘s’, but Australian Department of Defence with a ‘c’.

departments

It’s the Department “of” Defence, the Department “of” Foreign Affairs and Trade, but it’s the Minister “for” Defence.

dependant

This is the noun sense, meaning someone who is dependent (adjective).

deprecate

Express disapproval.

depreciate

Reduce in value.

descendant

Not to be confused with ancestors. This happens more often than you’d think!

desperate

Often found in cliched use: desperate appeal, a desperate escape bid.

determine

This is a word we often use clumsily. Instead of writing “facing a committal hearing to determine whether he’ll stand trial” or “the cause of his death/the fire/the accident is yet to be determined”, it’s better to write “a committal hearing will decide if he stands trial” and “the cause of the death/fire/accident is not yet known”.

devastate

One to watch out for when it comes to overuse. Floods and bushfires need not always be described as devastating, even though we all know they are.

developing countries

Use this term in preference to Third World or similar.

devil, the

No need for cap.

diabetes

Type 1 and type 2, not type one and type two, or type I and type II.

diagnose

Diagnose a condition, not a person. Her schizophrenia was diagnosed not she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

diagnosis, prognosis

Don’t confuse the two: a diagnosis is what a doctor determines to be the problem. A prognosis is a forecast about the likely outcome of an illness or injury.

diehard

General adjective. But the film series is Die Hard.

dietician

In Australia, dieticians must be trained and qualified in dietetics. They are not the same as a nutritionist, a less precise term (although some nutritionists are also registered dieticians).

different

From, not to or than.

digger

Lower case, even reference to Australian soldiers.

dilemma

A choice between two or more courses of action, all of which are likely to be unpleasant. Not a synonym for “trouble”, “predicament” or “quandary”.

dinghy, dinghies

Small boat.

dingy

dirty

diplomats and consuls

Ambassadors are accredited “to” a country.  Say “the Australian ambassador to the United States”. Countries of the Commonwealth have “High Commissioners”. “Consuls” look after the interests of their own nationals in foreign countries and deal with immigration matters.

disability

Words relating to disability have the potential to cause great offence to many people. Some general rules:

• Put the person first, e.g. say person with disability rather than disabled person.
• Take care not to make gratuitous references to disabilities.
• A disability is not necessarily a handicap.
• People who use wheelchairs are not necessarily confined to them.
• If a disability is relevant to a story, be specific: a man in a wheelchair has been swept off a bridge by floodwater.

Generally, avoid: victim of, suffering from, afflicted by, crippled by,wheelchair-bound, in a wheelchair, invalid, mentally handicapped, backward, retarded, slow to mean a person with learning difficulties, the disabled, the handicapped, the blind, the deaf; deaf and dumb.

For more context, consult the editorial policies guidance note on Harm and Offence.

discomfit, discomfort

Discomfit is stronger, in the sense of disconcerting, thwarting or foiling than discomfort, which when used as a verb means to make uneasy or less comfortable.

discrete

Separate, distinct (discreet is circumspect, unobtrusive).

disinterested

Means objective, or unbiased. It does not mean uninterested — which is the last thing a reporter should be.

dissatisfied, unsatisfied

Dissatisfied is usually applied to people and it expresses a specific discontent with emotion attached to it. Unsatisfied is used in more detached and analytical ways, to suggest that a certain requirement has not been met.

dissociate (from)

Disassociate has now been accepted as an alternative spelling and pronunciation – same meaning.

divorcee

Male and female.

Doctor Who

Not Dr Who.

domestic transmission, community transmission, direct transmission

In general use, interchangeable when referring to the spread of infectious diseases within a country’s borders (cf. international or cross-border transmission). In medicine, direct transmission (i.e. person-to-person) is contrasted with indirect transmission (i.e. from surfaces).

domestic violence

There are important differences between domestic violence, family violence and intimate partner violence. Do not trivialise or sensationalise. Avoid the euphemisms domestic dispute, volatile relationship, domestic incident, etc. Where appropriate, use the active voice rather than the passive voice. The latter can often mask the agent of the action: compare the man repeatedly hit his wife to the woman was repeatedly hit in the stomach. This is especially important in headlines. For more information on terminology and approach, read the guidance note on domestic violence.

dotcom

Dotcom companies.

doughnut

Not donut.

Down syndrome

Say (if relevant) a baby with Down syndrome, not “a Down’s syndrome baby” – we wouldn’t say “a cerebral palsy baby”. The diagnosis is not the person.

dreamed

Preferred over dreamt but both are correct.

draughtsman

But draft a document.

drivers licence

I’m going for my drivers licence (no apostrophe) but that driver’s licence has expired. Other places where apostrophes have disappeared: girls school, travellers cheques, widows pension.

drug companies, drug dealer, drug raid, drug squad

Not drugs raid, not drugs squad etc.

drug charges

This is the correct term to use, not “drugs charges”.

drug use

A more accurate and less judgemental term than “drug abuse” or “misuse”.

dryer, drier

A clothes dryer will make clothes drier.

dual, duel

Dual is double, duel is the fight between two people.

dual names, dual naming

The official titles of many Australian placenames contain both Indigenous and introduced elements: kunanyi / Mt Wellington, Grampians National Park / Gariwerd. Occasionally, a place that is officially dual-named will be referred to solely by its traditional name: Uluru. Some general principles for stories dealing with dual-named locations:

• Reference both the Indigenous and introduced names
• Where space constraints permit only one name, use the more widely known name
• If there is the potential for audience confusion, reference the dual-naming process
• Australia’s official naming process does not always move in tandem with community sentiment. In many stories, it may be appropriate to use — or, potentially, offensive to exclude — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander placenames that are not widely known by the public.

If unsure whether a feature is dual-named, check with your talent, a relevant Indigenous community organisation, the Gazetteer of Australia, or your state-based geographical names board. These principles also apply to countries with similar dual-named locations, such as New Zealand.

duffel

coat, bag

dumb

Do not use when you mean speech-impaired.

DVD

Stands for digital versatile disc.

dwarves

Plural of dwarf (not dwarfs). The verb is to dwarf: Q1 dwarfs the surrounding buildings.

dye, dyeing, dyed

For hair or fabric dye.

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E. coli

Note the capital letter, full stop and space.

each other

Of two only; otherwise one another.

earlier

Often redundant: “they met this week” is preferable to “they met earlier this week” and will save space.

earn, earned

Both earned and earnt are acceptable, although earned is the more commonly used. However, it is ‘hard-earned cash’, not hard-earnt.

earshot

One word.

Earth

Cap in reference to the planet: the Earth is in the path of an asteroid. Lower case in reference to the ground, or extended figurative senses: a pile of earth, earth-shattering.

earthquakes

In writing, our style is a magnitude-7.7 earthquake.

East

We drove east. I plan to go to Eastern Europe on my holidays.

East Jerusalem

East Jerusalem is a specific place defined as the part of Jerusalem under Arab (Jordanian) control prior to the 1967 war. We also cap West Jerusalem.

East Timor, Timor-Leste

In first reference: Timor-Leste. An also known as East Timor can be used if required.

eBay

Note the medial capital.

Ebola virus

Initial capital.

effect, affect

His nagging had no effect whatsoever. Wait for the drug to take effect. But that change will affect a lot of people.

eftpos

Acronym; stands for Electronic Funds Transfer Point Of Sale; lower case letters – see acronym rule.

eg, e.g.

From the Latin exempli gratia meaning “for example”. Use punctuation: e.g.

Eiffel Tower, the Eiffel Tower

Note where the capital letters are (and where they aren’t).

either … or, neither … nor

We have to choose either the pink or the blue. We ended up with neither the pink nor the blue. But be careful of stray ‘nor’s, as in ‘We don’t like the pink nor the blue.’ It should be ‘We don’t like the pink or the blue,’ or ‘we like neither the pink nor the blue.’

eke, eked

eke out a living … not eek!

El Nino, La Nina

Use capitals. No tilde needed.

elder

Lower case in Indigenous Australian contexts: a Wiradjuri elder.

election

Don’t capitalise, e.g. federal election, Queensland election.

Electoral Commissioner

Cap.

electrocute

This means “kill by electricity”, so you would not say “electrocuted to death”. Nor would you say someone is in hospital recovering after being electrocuted. They’d be dead.

elicit

Means to draw out. On the other hand, illicit means unlawful.

elude

Escape, avoid. To allude to something means to refer to indirectly.

elusive, illusive

The former describes something that is hard to catch hold of. The latter describes something that might cause an illusion or a deception.

email

No hyphen. But e-book, e-business, e-commerce, e-shares, e-shopping, e-zine.

embargo

Plural embargos or embargoes.

embassy

Do not cap, e.g. Australian embassy.

emend

Take out errors, edit (amend is to improve).

emigrate

To leave one country and travel to another where you will live permanently. To immigrate is to arrive in one country from another.

empathic, empathetic

Are both used to describe someone who can empathise.

empires

Lower case for plural or generic (he’s building a private empire) but capitalise specific empires (Roman Empire, British Empire).

en masse

Not ‘the teachers will stop work on mass’. We still use the French term to mean together, in a large body…

en route

Not on route.

enamoured of

Not with or by.

encyclopedia

Not encyclopaedia

England

Does not include Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Use UK or United Kingdom to refer to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a whole. Great Britain includes only England, Scotland and Wales.

enquiry

Seeking information (inquiry is a more formal investigation into something).

ensure

Make certain; insure against risk, assure your life.

envelop (verb), envelope (noun)

epicentre

The precise meaning of epicentre is the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the central disturbance of an earthquake. However, it can be used more generally to describe the central point of other activities.

epidemic, pandemic

Significant difference between the two in medical contexts, even if they are often used interchangeably. An epidemic is a disease with a temporary prevalence; a pandemic is usually prevalent throughout the entire country, continent, or planet.

epileptic

Should be used only to name the seizure; a person ‘has epilepsy’.

EPO (erythropoietin)

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a performance enhancing drug. It has the same name as the naturally occurring human hormone it replicates.

ersatz

Serving as a substitute. Not erzats.

esky

Lower case unless specifically referring to the brand.

ETA

Basque separatists

etc

No punctuation. If spelled out: et cetera.

eulogy

A tribute. Not to be confused with elegy, which is a sad poem.

euphemisms

Plain words are best every time. Do not talk of disadvantaged people when you mean the poor. Or a woman who is expecting when you mean pregnant. Do not have people pass away or speak of their demise in bulletins — say that they die. Also avoid collateral damage when referring to civilian casualties.

euro

The currency used by many states in the European Union. Plural euros.

eurozone

Lower case because it refers to the countries using the currency, not the European Union.

euthanase

Not euthanise.

evacuate

You cannot evacuate people, you can only evacuate places.

every day, everyday

The former is a noun (day) modified by an adjective (every). The latter is an adjective commonly meaning mundane or ordinary: an everyday occurrence.

evocative

If you’re going to say something is evocative, it helps to say what it’s evocative of.

evoke, invoke

Not interchangeable. Evoke involves giving out or producing something (evoke a memory, a scene, a smile). Invoke involves trying to get help or support from an outside source: Gillard urged federal MPs to invoke the spirit of Ben Chifley.

exact, extract

To exact (revenge, money, respect) means to demand or require, or to force to give or pay. Extract, on the other hand, generally refers to the action of getting or taking one object or substance out of another (for example, extracting a tooth or extracting juice from a vegetable). Avoid confusing the two, as in: extract revenge.

excessive

Does not mean great or increased, as in: the rain is expected to result in an excessive wheat crop.

execute

Judges order executions. Gangsters, gunmen, and terrorists kill or murder people. For example, hostages in Iraq should be described as having been killed or murdered, or beheaded if that has been the method of killing the hostage.

expatriate, expat

An expatriate is someone who lives outside their native country. An ex-patriot is someone who used to be patriotic but isn’t any more.

explicit, implicit

Explicit is often mistaken for implicit, which means something assumed or implied. In fact, it’s an antonym: explicit means something that has been expressed clearly: Mr Brown said tax changes were implicit in the agreement, but he declined to be explicit.

exponential

In statistics, exponential growth doesn’t just refer to an upward trend in value. For

Applies to: Configuration Manager (current branch)

Use the CCMSetup.exe command to install the Configuration Manager client. If you provide client installation parameters on the command line, they modify the installation behavior. If you provide client installation properties on the command line, they modify the initial configuration of the installed client agent.

About CCMSetup.exe

The CCMSetup.exe command downloads needed files to install the client from a management point or a source location. These files might include:

• The Windows Installer package client.msi that installs the client software

• Client prerequisites

• Updates and fixes for the Configuration Manager client

CCMSetup.exe provides command-line parameters to customize the installation. Parameters are prefixed with a slash () and are generally lower case. You specify the value of a parameter when necessary using a colon () immediately followed by the value. For more information, see CCMSetup.exe command-line parameters.

You can also supply properties at the CCMSetup.exe command line to modify the behavior of client.msi. Properties by convention are upper case. You specify a value for a property using an equal sign () immediately followed by the value. For more information, see Client.msi properties.

CCMSetup.exe and the supporting files are on the site server in the Client folder of the Configuration Manager installation folder. Configuration Manager shares this folder to the network under the site share. For example, .

At the command prompt, the CCMSetup.exe command uses the following format:

For example:

This example does the following things:

• Specifies the management point named SMSMP01 to request a list of distribution points to download the client installation files.

• Specifies that installation should stop if a version of the client already exists on the computer.

• Instructs client.msi to assign the client to the site code S01.

• Instructs client.msi to use the fallback status point named SMSFP01.

If you extend the Active Directory schema for Configuration Manager, the site publishes many client installation properties in Active Directory Domain Services. The Configuration Manager client automatically reads these properties. For more information, see About client installation properties published to Active Directory Domain Services

CCMSetup.exe command-line parameters

/?

Shows available command-line parameters for ccmsetup.exe.

Example:

/AllowMetered

Starting in version 2006, use this parameter to control the client's behavior on a metered network. This parameter takes no values. When you allow client communication on a metered network for ccmsetup, it downloads the content, registers with the site, and downloads the initial policy. Any further client communication follows the configuration of the client setting from that policy. For more information, see About client settings.

If you reinstall the client on an existing device, it uses the following priority to determine its configuration:

1. Existing local client policy
2. The last command line stored in the Windows registry
3. Parameters on the ccmsetup command line

/AlwaysExcludeUpgrade

This parameter specifies whether or not a client will auto upgrade when you enable Automatic client upgrade.

Supported values:

• : The client won't automatically upgrade
• : The client automatically upgrades (default)

For example:

For more information, see Extended interoperability client.

/BITSPriority

When the device downloads client installation files over an HTTP connection, use this parameter to specify the download priority. Specify one of the following possible values:

• (default)

Example:

/config

This parameter specifies a text file that lists client installation properties.

• If CCMSetup runs as a service, place this file in the CCMSetup system folder: .

• If you specify the /noservice parameter, place this file in the same folder as CCMSetup.exe.

Example:

To provide the correct file format, use the mobileclienttemplate.tcf file in the folder in the Configuration Manager installation directory on the site server. This file has comments about the sections and how to use them. Specify the client installation properties in the section, after the following text: .

Example section entry:

/downloadtimeout

If CCMSetup fails to download the client installation files, this parameter specifies the maximum timeout in minutes. After this timeout, CCMSetup stops trying to download the installation files. The default value is 1440 minutes (one day).

Use the /retry parameter to specify the interval between retry attempts.

Example:

/ExcludeFeatures

This parameter specifies that CCMSetup.exe doesn't install the specified feature.

Example: doesn't install Software Center on the client.

/forceinstall

Specify that CCMSetup.exe uninstalls any existing client, and installs a new client.

/forcereboot

Use this parameter to force the computer to restart if necessary to complete the installation. If you don't specify this parameter, CCMSetup exits when a restart is necessary. It then continues after the next manual restart.

Example:

/logon

If any version of the client is already installed, this parameter specifies that the client installation should stop.

Example:

/mp

Specifies a source management point for computers to connect to. Computers use this management point to find the nearest distribution point for the installation files. If there are no distribution points, or computers can't download the files from the distribution points after four hours, they download the files from the specified management point.

For more information on how ccmsetup downloads content, see Boundary groups - client installation. That article also includes details of ccmsetup behavior if you use both /mp and /source parameters.

Computers download the files over an HTTP or HTTPS connection, depending on the site system role configuration for client connections. The download can also use BITS throttling if you configure it. If you configure all distribution points and management points for HTTPS client connections only, verify that the client computer has a valid client certificate.

You can use the /mp command-line parameter to specify more than one management point. If the computer fails to connect to the first one, it tries the next in the specified list. When you specify multiple management points, separate the values by semicolons.

If the client connects to a management point using HTTPS, specify the FQDN not the computer name. The value must match the management point PKI certificate's Subject or Subject Alternative Name. Although Configuration Manager supports using a computer name in the certificate for connections on the intranet, using an FQDN is recommended.

Example with the computer name:

Example with the FQDN:

This parameter can also specify the URL of a cloud management gateway (CMG). Use this URL to install the client on an internet-based device. To get the value for this parameter, use the following steps:

• Create a CMG. For more information, see Set up a CMG.

• On an active client, open a Windows PowerShell command prompt as an administrator.

• Run the following command:

• Append the prefix to use with the /mp parameter.

Example for when you use the cloud management gateway URL:

/NoCRLCheck

Specifies that a client shouldn't check the certificate revocation list (CRL) when it communicates over HTTPS with a PKI certificate. When you don't specify this parameter, the client checks the CRL before it establishes an HTTPS connection. For more information about client CRL checking, see Planning for PKI certificate revocation.

Example:

/noservice

This parameter prevents CCMSetup from running as a service, which it does by default. When CCMSetup runs as a service, it runs in the context of the Local System account of the computer. This account might not have sufficient rights to access required network resources for the installation. With /noservice, CCMSetup.exe runs in the context of the user account that you use to start the installation.

Example:

/regtoken

Starting in version 2002, use this parameter to provide a bulk registration token. An internet-based device uses this token in the registration process through a cloud management gateway (CMG). For more information, see Token-based authentication for CMG.

When you use this parameter, also include the following parameters and properties:

The following example command line includes the other required setup parameters and properties:

/retry

If CCMSetup.exe fails to download installation files, use this parameter to specify the retry interval in minutes. CCMSetup continues to retry until it reaches the limit specified in the /downloadtimeout parameter.

Example:

/service

Specifies that CCMSetup should run as a service that uses the Local System account.

Example:

/skipprereq

This parameter specifies that CCMSetup.exe doesn't install the specified prerequisite. You can enter more than one value. Use the semicolon character () to separate each value.

Examples:

For more information on client prerequisites, see Windows client prerequisites.

/source

Specifies the file download location. Use a local or UNC path. The device downloads files using the server message block (SMB) protocol. To use /source, the Windows user account for client installation needs Read permissions to the location.

For more information on how ccmsetup downloads content, see Boundary groups - client installation. That article also includes details of ccmsetup behavior if you use both /mp and /source parameters.

Example:

/uninstall

Use this parameter to uninstall the Configuration Manager client. For more information, see Uninstall the client.

Example:

/UsePKICert

Specify this parameter for the client to use a PKI client authentication certificate. If you don't include this parameter, or if the client can't find a valid certificate, it uses an HTTP connection with a self-signed certificate.

Example:

CCMSetup.exe return codes

The CCMSetup.exe command provides the following return codes. To troubleshoot, review on the client for context and additional detail about return codes.

Ccmsetup.msi properties

The following properties can modify the installation behavior of ccmsetup.msi.

CCMSETUPCMD

Use this ccmsetup.msi property to pass additional command-line parameters and properties to ccmsetup.exe. Include other parameters and properties inside quotation marks (). Use this property when you bootstrap the Configuration Manager client with the Intune MDM installation method.

Example:

Client.msi properties

The following properties can modify the installation behavior of client.msi, which ccmsetup.exe installs. If you use the client push installation method, specify these properties on the Client tab of the Client Push Installation Properties in the Configuration Manager console.

AADCLIENTAPPID

Specifies the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) client app identifier. You create or import the client app when you configure Azure services for Cloud Management. An Azure administrator can get the value for this property from the Azure portal. For more information, see get application ID. For the AADCLIENTAPPID property, this application ID is for the Native application type.

Example:

AADRESOURCEURI

Specifies the Azure AD server app identifier. You create or import the server app when you configure Azure services for Cloud Management. When you create the server app, in the Create Server Application window, this property is the App ID URI.

An Azure administrator can get the value for this property from the Azure portal. In Azure Active Directory, find the server app under App registrations. Look for application type Web app / API. Open the app, select Settings, and then select Properties. Use the App ID URI value for this AADRESOURCEURI client installation property.

Example:

AADTENANTID

Specifies the Azure AD tenant identifier. Configuration Manager links to this tenant when you configure Azure services for Cloud Management. To get the value for this property, use the following steps:

• On a Windows 10 device that is joined to the same Azure AD tenant, open a command prompt.

• Run the following command:

• In the Device State section, find the TenantId value. For example,

  Note

  An Azure administrator can also obtain this value in the Azure portal. For more information, see get tenant ID.

Example:

CCMADMINS

Specifies one or more Windows user accounts or groups to be given access to client settings and policies. This property is useful when you don't have local administrative credentials on the client computer. Specify a list of accounts that are separated by semicolons ().

Example:

CCMALLOWSILENTREBOOT

If necessary, allow the computer to silently restart after the client installation.

Example:

CCMALWAYSINF

To specify that the client is always internet-based and never connects to the intranet, set this property value to . The client's connection type displays Always Internet.

Use this property with CCMHOSTNAME to specify the FQDN of the internet-based management point. Also use it with the CCMSetup parameter /UsePKICert and the site code (SMSSITECODE).

For more information about internet-based client management, see Considerations for client communications from the internet or an untrusted forest.

Example:

CCMCERTISSUERS

Use this property to specify the certificate issuers list. This list includes certificate information for the trusted root certification authorities (CA) that the Configuration Manager site trusts.

This value is a case-sensitive match for subject attributes that are in the root CA certificate. Separate attributes by a comma () or a semicolon (). Specify more than one root CA certificate by using a separator bar ().

Example:

For more information about the certificate issuers list and how clients use it during the certificate selection process, see Planning for PKI client certificate selection.

CCMCERTSEL

If the client has more than one certificate for HTTPS communication, this property specifies the criteria for it to select a valid client authentication certificate.

Use the following keywords to search the certificate Subject Name or Subject Alternative Name:

• Subject: Find an exact match
• SubjectStr: Find a partial match

Examples:

• : Search for a certificate with an exact match to the computer name in the Subject Name or the Subject Alternative Name.

• : Search for a certificate that contains in the Subject Name or the Subject Alternative Name.

Use the SubjectAttr keyword to search for the Object Identifier (OID) or distinguished name attributes in the Subject Name or Subject Alternative Name.

Examples:

• : Search for the organizational unit attribute expressed as an object identifier and named .

• : Search for the organizational unit attribute expressed as a distinguished name, and named .

For the complete list of attributes that you can use for certificate selection, see Supported attribute values for PKI certificate selection criteria.

If more than one certificate matches the search, and you set CCMFIRSTCERT to , then the client installer selects the certificate with the longest validity period.

CCMCERTSTORE

If the client installer can't locate a valid certificate in the default Personal certificate store for the computer, use this property to specify an alternate certificate store name.

Example:

CCMDEBUGLOGGING

This property enables debug logging when the client installs. This property causes the client to log low-level information for troubleshooting. Avoid using this property in production sites. Excessive logging can occur, which might make it difficult to find relevant information in the log files. Also enable CCMENABLELOGGING.

Supported values:

• : Turn off debug logging (default)
• : Turn on debug logging

Example:

For more information, see About log files.

CCMENABLELOGGING

Configuration Manager enables logging by default.

Supported values:

• : Turn on logging (default)
• : Turn off logging

Example:

For more information, see About log files.

CCMEVALINTERVAL

The frequency in minutes at which the client health evaluation tool (ccmeval.exe) runs. Specify an integer value from to . By default, ccmeval runs once a day (1440 minutes).

Example:

For more information on client health evaluation, see Monitor clients.

CCMEVALHOUR

The hour during the day when the client health evaluation tool (ccmeval.exe) runs. Specify an integer value from (midnight) to (11:00 PM). By default, ccmeval runs at midnight.

For more information on client health evaluation, see Monitor clients.

CCMFIRSTCERT

If you set this property to , the client selects the PKI certificate with the longest validity period.

Example:

CCMHOSTNAME

If the client is managed over the internet, this property specifies the FQDN of the internet-based management point.

Don't specify this option with the installation property of SMSSITECODE=AUTO. Directly assign internet-based clients to an internet-based site.

Example:

This property can specify the address of a cloud management gateway (CMG). To get the value for this property, use the following steps:

• Create a CMG. For more information, see Set up a CMG.

• On an active client, open a Windows PowerShell command prompt as an administrator.

• Run the following command:

• Use the returned value as-is with the CCMHOSTNAME property.

For example:

CCMHTTPPORT

Specifies the port for the client to use when it communicates over HTTP to site system servers. By default, this value is .

Example:

CCMHTTPSPORT

Specifies the port for the client to use when it communicates over HTTPS to site system servers. By default, this value is .

Example:

CCMINSTALLDIR

Use this property to set the folder to install the Configuration Manager client files. By default, it uses .

Example:

CCMLOGLEVEL

Use this property to specify the level of detail to write to Configuration Manager log files.

Supported values:

• : Verbose
• : Default
• : Warnings and errors
• : Errors only

Example:

For more information, see About log files.

CCMLOGMAXHISTORY

When a Configuration Manager log file reaches the maximum size, the client renames it as a backup and creates a new log file. This property specifies how many previous versions of the log file to keep. The default value is . If you set the value to , the client doesn't keep any log file history.

Example:

For more information, see About log files.

CCMLOGMAXSIZE

This property specifies the maximum log file size in bytes. When a log grows to the specified size, the client renames it as a history file, and creates a new one. The default size is 250,000 bytes, and the minimum size is 10,000 bytes.

Example: (300,000 bytes)

DISABLESITEOPT

Set this property to to block administrators from changing the assigned site in the Configuration Manager control panel.

Example: CCMSetup.exe DISABLESITEOPT=TRUE

DISABLECACHEOPT

If set to TRUE, this property disables the ability of administrative users from changing the client cache folder settings in the Configuration Manager control panel.

Example:

DNSSUFFIX

Specify a DNS domain for clients to locate management points that you publish in DNS. When the client locates a management point, it tells the client about other management points in the hierarchy. This behavior means that the management point that the client finds from DNS can be any one in the hierarchy.

For more information about DNS publishing as a service location method for Configuration Manager clients, see Service location and how clients determine their assigned management point.

Example:

FSP

Specify the fallback status point that receives and processes state messages sent by Configuration Manager clients.

For more information, see Determine if you need a fallback status point.

Example:

IGNOREAPPVVERSIONCHECK

If you set this property to , the client installer doesn't check the minimum required version of Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V).

Example:

NOTIFYONLY

When you enable this property, the client reports status, but doesn't remediate problems that it finds.

Example:

For more information, see How to configure client status.

PROVISIONTS

Starting in version 2002, use this property to start a task sequence on a client after it successfully registers with the site.

For example, you provision a new Windows 10 device with Windows Autopilot, auto-enroll it to Microsoft Intune, and then install the Configuration Manager client for co-management. If you specify this new option, the newly provisioned client then runs a task sequence. This process gives you additional flexibility to install applications and software updates, or configure settings.

Use the following process:

1. Create a non-OS deployment task sequence to install apps, install software updates, and configure settings.

2. Deploy this task sequence to the new built-in collection, All Provisioning Devices. Note the task sequence deployment ID, for example .

3. Install the Configuration Manager client on a device, and include the following property: . Set the value of this property as the task sequence deployment ID.

   • If you're installing the client from Intune during co-management enrollment, see How to prepare internet-based devices for co-management.

     Note

     This method may have additional prerequisites. For example, enrolling the site to Azure Active Directory, or creating a content-enabled cloud management gateway.

After the client installs and properly registers with the site, it starts the referenced task sequence. If client registration fails, the task sequence won't start.

RESETKEYINFORMATION

If a client has the wrong Configuration Manager trusted root key, it can't contact a trusted management point to receive the new trusted root key. Use this property to remove the old trusted root key. This situation may occur when you move a client from one site hierarchy to another. This property applies to clients that use HTTP and HTTPS client communication. For more information, see Planning for the trusted root key.

Example:

SITEREASSIGN

Enables automatic site reassignment for client upgrades when used with SMSSITECODE=AUTO.

Example:

SMSCACHEDIR

Specifies the location of the client cache folder on the client computer. By default, the cache location is .

Example:

Use this property with the SMSCACHEFLAGS property to control the client cache folder location. For example, to install the client cache folder on the largest available client disk drive:

SMSCACHEFLAGS

Use this property to specify further installation details for the client cache folder. You can use SMSCACHEFLAGS properties individually or in combination separated by semicolons ().

If you don't include this property:

• The client installs the cache folder according to the SMSCACHEDIR property
• The folder isn't compressed
• The client uses the SMSCACHESIZE property as the size limit in MB of the cache

When you upgrade an existing client, the client installer ignores this property.

Values for the SMSCACHEFLAGS property

• PERCENTDISKSPACE: Set the cache size as a percentage of the total disk space. If you specify this property, also set SMSCACHESIZE to a percentage value.

• PERCENTFREEDISKSPACE: Set the cache size as a percentage of the free disk space. If you specify this property, also set SMSCACHESIZE as a percentage value. For example, the disk has 10 MB free, and you specify . The client installer sets the cache size to 5 MB. You can't use this property with the PERCENTDISKSPACE property.

• MAXDRIVE: Install the cache on the largest available disk. If you specify a path with the SMSCACHEDIR property, the client installer ignores this value.

• MAXDRIVESPACE: Install the cache on the disk drive with the most free space. If you specify a path with the SMSCACHEDIR property, the client installer ignores this value.

• NTFSONLY: Only install the cache on an NTFS-formatted disk drive. If you specify a path with the SMSCACHEDIR property, the client installer ignores this value.

• COMPRESS: Store the cache in a compressed form.

• FAILIFNOSPACE: If there's insufficient space to install the cache, remove the Configuration Manager client.

Example:

SMSCACHESIZE

When you upgrade an existing client, the client installer ignores this setting. The client also ignores the cache size when it downloads software updates.

Example:

SMSCONFIGSOURCE

Use this property to specify the location and order that the client installer checks for configuration settings. It's a string of one or more characters, each defining a specific configuration source:

• : Check for configuration settings in the registry.

  For more information, see Provision client installation properties.

• : Check for configuration settings in the installation properties from the command line.

• : Check for existing settings when you upgrade an older client.

• : Upgrade the installed client to a newer version and use the assigned site code.

By default, the client installer uses . It first checks the installation properties () and then the existing settings ().

Example:

SMSDIRECTORYLOOKUP

Specifies whether the client can use Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) to find a management point that accepts HTTP connections. Clients use this method when they can't find a management point in Active Directory Domain Services or in DNS.

This property doesn't affect whether the client uses WINS for name resolution.

You can configure two different modes for this property:

• NOWINS: This value is the most secure setting for this property. It prevents clients from finding a management point in WINS. When you use this setting, clients must have an alternative method to locate a management point on the intranet. For example, Active Directory Domain Services or DNS publishing.

• WINSSECURE (default): In this mode, a client that uses HTTP communication can use WINS to find a management point. However, the client must have a copy of the trusted root key before it can successfully connect to the management point. For more information, see Planning for the trusted root key.

Example:

SMSMP

Specifies an initial management point for the Configuration Manager client to use.

Examples:

SMSPUBLICROOTKEY

If the client can't get the Configuration Manager trusted root key from Active Directory Domain Services, use this property to specify the key. This property applies to clients that use HTTP and HTTPS communication. For more information, see Planning for the trusted root key.

Example:

SMSROOTKEYPATH

Use this property to reinstall the Configuration Manager trusted root key. It specifies the full path and name of a file that contains the trusted root key. This property applies to clients that use HTTP and HTTPS client communication. For more information, see Planning for the trusted root key.

Example:

SMSSIGNCERT

Specifies the full path and name of the exported self-signed certificate on the site server. The site server stores this certificate in the SMS certificate store. It has the Subject name Site Server and the friendly name Site Server Signing Certificate.

Example:

SMSSITECODE

This property specifies a Configuration Manager site to which you assign the client. This value can either be a three-character site code or the word . If you specify , or don't specify this property, the client attempts to determine its site assignment from Active Directory Domain Services or from a specified management point. To enable for client upgrades, also set SITEREASSIGN=TRUE.

Example:

Attribute values for certificate selection criteria

Configuration Manager supports the following attribute values for the PKI certificate selection criteria:

Junos OS Commit Model for Configurations

The device configuration is saved using a commit model—a candidate configuration is modified as desired and then committed to the system. When a configuration is committed, the device checks the configuration for syntax errors, and if no errors are found, the configuration is saved as and activated. The formerly active configuration file is saved as the first rollback configuration file (), and any other rollback configuration files are incremented by 1. For example, is incremented to , making it the second rollback configuration file. The device can have a maximum of 49 rollback configurations (numbered 1 through 49) saved on the system.

On the device, the current configuration file and the first three rollback files () are located in the directory. (The remaining rollback files, 4 through 49, are located in .)

If the recovery configuration file is saved on the system, this file should also be saved in the directory. The factory default files are located in the directory.

• Synchronization: Propagates a configuration from one Routing Engine to a second Routing Engine within the same device chassis.

  To synchronize configurations, use the commit synchronize CLI command. If one of the Routing Engines is locked, the synchronization fails. If synchronization fails because of a locked configuration file, you can use the commit synchronize force command. This command overrides the lock and synchronizes the configuration files.

• Distribution: Propagates a configuration across the routing plane on a multichassis device. Distribution occurs automatically. There is no user command available to control the distribution process. If a configuration is locked during a distribution of a configuration, the locked configuration does not receive the distributed configuration file, so the synchronization fails. You need to clear the lock before the configuration and resynchronize the routing planes.

Committing a Junos OS Configuration

To save Junos OS configuration changes to the configuration database and to activate the configuration on the device, use the commit configuration mode command. You can issue the commit command from any hierarchy level:

When you enter the commit command, the configuration is first checked for syntax errors (commit check). Then, if the syntax is correct, the configuration is activated and becomes the current, operational device configuration.

• The configuration includes incorrect syntax, which causes the commit check to fail.

• The candidate configuration that you are trying to commit is larger than 700 MB.

• The configuration is locked by a user who entered the configure exclusive command.

If the configuration contains syntax errors, a message indicates the location of the error, and the configuration is not activated. The error message has the following format:

For example:

You must correct the error before recommitting the configuration. To return quickly to the hierarchy level where the error is located, copy the path from the first line of the error and paste it at the configuration mode prompt at the [edit] hierarchy level.

The uncommitted, candidate configuration file is . It is limited to 700 MB. If the commit fails with a message configuration database size limit exceeded, view the file size from configuration mode by entering the command run file list /var/rundb detail. You can simplify the configuration and reduce the file size by creating configuration groups with wildcards or defining less specific match policies in your firewall filters.

When you commit a configuration, you commit the entire configuration in its current form.

Commit Operation When Multiple Users Configure the Software

Up to 32 users can be in configuration mode simultaneously, and they all can be making changes to the configuration. All changes made by all users are visible to everyone editing the configuration—the changes become visible as soon as the user presses the Enter key at the end of a command that changes the configuration, such as set, edit, or delete.

When any of the users editing the configuration issues a commit command, all changes made by all users are checked and activated.

If you enter configuration mode with the configure private command, each user has a private candidate configuration to edit somewhat independently of other users. When you commit the configuration, only your own changes are committed. To synchronize your copy of the configuration after other users have committed changes, you can run the update command in configuration mode. A commit operation also updates all the private candidate configurations. For example, suppose user X and user Y are both in configure private mode, and user X commits a configuration change. When user Y performs a subsequent commit operation and then views the new configuration, the new configuration seen by user Y includes the changes made by user X.

If you enter configuration mode with the configure exclusive command, you lock the candidate configuration for as long as you remain in configuration mode, allowing you to make changes without interference from other users. Other users can enter and exit configuration mode, but they cannot commit the configuration. This is true even if the other users entered configuration mode before you enter the configure exclusive command. For example, suppose user X is already in the configure private or configure mode. Then suppose user Y enters the configure exclusive mode. User X cannot commit any changes to the configuration, even if those changes were entered before user Y logged in. If user Y exits configure exclusive mode, user X can then commit the changes made in configure private or configure mode.

Commit Preparation and Activation Overview

The two-step commit process is superior to the single-step process for time-critical commits. In the single-step process, the preparation time can vary depending on the existing configuration on the device. In the two-step process, the complex preparation work is more efficiently handled.

Configuration commands are provided that allow you to prepare the configuration cache and activate the configuration. You can prepare the devices with new configurations and activate them at the exact times you want.

The commit prepare command validates the configurations, and the commit activate command activates the configurations. The commands have the following configuration options:

• and-quit

• no-synchronize

• peers-synchronize

• synchronize

The commit prepare and commit activate commands are available for private, exclusive and shared commits only. The commands are not applicable for dynamic and ephemeral modes. This feature is applicable for multichassis devices, but it is not applicable for batch commits.

To support this functionality using Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF), the following new remote procedure calls (RPCs) are provided:

• <commit-configuration>< prepare/></commit-configuration>

• <commit-configuration><activate/></commit-configuration>

• <clear-system-commit><prepared/></clear-system-commit>

Committing Junos OS Configurations in Two Steps: Preparation and Activation

1. At the [edit] hierarchy level in configuration mode, make the necessary changes to the configuration.

   For example, to configure the scripts of the system, issue the following command:

   For example:

2. Issue the commit prepare command.

   The message commit prepare successful is displayed.

   If the preparation stage fails, the error message commit check-out failed is displayed.

3. To verify the output of the show system commit command after commit prepare is issued, use the following command:

1. Use the commit activate command

   The message commit complete is displayed.

2. To verify the activated system configuration, use the following command:

Activating a Junos OS Configuration but Requiring Confirmation

When you commit the current candidate configuration, you can require an explicit confirmation for the commit to become permanent. This is useful if you want to verify that a configuration change works correctly and does not prevent access to the device. If the change prevents access or causes other errors, the router automatically returns to the previous configuration and restores access after the rollback confirmation timeout passes. This feature is called automatic rollback.

To commit the current candidate configuration but require an explicit confirmation for the commit to become permanent, use the commit confirmed configuration mode command:

Once you have verified that the change works correctly, you can keep the new configuration active by entering a commit or commit check command within 10 minutes of the commit confirmed command. For example:

If the commit is not confirmed within a certain time (10 minutes by default), Junos OS automatically rolls back to the previous configuration and a broadcast message is sent to all logged-in users.

To show when a rollback is scheduled after a commit confirmed command, enter the show system commit command. For example:

Like the commit command, the commit confirmed command verifies the configuration syntax and reports any errors. If there are no errors, the configuration is activated temporarily (10 minutes by default) and begins running on the device.

To change the amount of time before you must confirm the new configuration, specify the number of minutes when you issue the command:

You can also use the commit confirmed command in the [edit private] configuration mode.

Scheduling a Junos OS Commit Operation

You can schedule when you want your candidate configuration to become active. To save Junos OS configuration changes and activate the configuration on the router at a future time or upon reboot, use the commit at configuration mode command, specifying reboot or a future time at the [edit] hierarchy level:

Where is reboot or the future time to activate the configuration changes. You can specify time in two formats:

• A time value in the form :[:] (hours, minutes, and optionally seconds)—Commit the configuration at the specified time, which must be in the future but before 11:59:59 PM on the day the commit at configuration mode command is issued. Use 24-hour time for the value; for example, 04:30:00 is 4:30:00 AM, and 20:00 is 8:00 PM. The time is interpreted with respect to the clock and time zone settings on the router.

• A date and time value in the form :[:] (year, month, date, hours, minutes, and, optionally, seconds)—Commit the configuration at the specified day and time, which must be after the commit at command is issued. Use 24-hour time for the value. For example, 2018-08-21 12:30:00 is 12:30 PM on August 21, 2018. The time is interpreted with respect to the clock and time zone settings on the router.

Enclose the value in quotation marks (" "). For example, commit at "18:00:00". For date and time, include both values in the same set of quotation marks. For example, commit at "2018-03-10 14:00:00".

A commit check is performed immediately when you issue the commit at configuration mode command. If the result of the check is successful, then the current user is logged out of configuration mode, and the configuration data is left in a read-only state. No other commit can be performed until the scheduled commit is completed.

Monitoring the Junos OS Commit Process

To monitor the Junos commit process, use the display detail command after the pipe with the commit command:

For example:

Adding a Comment to Describe the Committed Configuration

You can include a comment that describes changes to the committed configuration. To do so, include the commit comment statement. The comment can be as long as 512 bytes and you must type it on a single line.

is the text of the comment.

To add a comment to the commit command, include the comment statement after the commit command:

To add a comment to the commit confirmed command, include the comment statement after the commit confirmed command:

To view these commit comments, issue the show system commit operational mode command.

Junos OS Batch Commits Overview

Junos OS provides a batch commit feature that aggregates or merges multiple configuration edits from different CLI sessions or users and adds them to a batch commit queue. A batch commit server running on the device takes one or more jobs from the batch commit queue, applies the configuration changes to the shared configuration database, and then commits the configuration changes in a single commit operation.

Batches are prioritized by the commit server based on priority of the batch specified by the user or the time when the batch job is added. When one batch commit is complete, the next set of configuration changes are aggregated and loaded into the batch queue for the next session of the batch commit operation. Batches are created until there are no commit entries left in the queue directory.

When compared to the regular commit operation where all commits are independently committed sequentially, batch commits save time and system resources by committing multiple small configuration edits in a single commit operation.

Batch commits are performed from the [edit batch] configuration mode. The commit server properties can be configured at the [edit system commit server] hierarchy level.

Aggregation and Error Handling

When there is a load-time error in one of the aggregated jobs, the commit job that encounters the error is discarded and the remaining jobs are aggregated and committed.

For example, if there are five commit jobs (commit-1, commit-2, commit-3, commit-4, and commit-5) being aggregated, and commit-3 encounters an error while loading, commit-3 is discarded and commit-1, commit-2, commit-4, and commit-5 are aggregated and committed.

If there is an error during the commit operation when two or more jobs are aggregated and committed, the aggregation is discarded and each of those jobs is committed individually like a regular commit operation.

For example, if there are five commit jobs (commit-1, commit-2, commit-3, commit-4, and commit-5) that are aggregated and if there is a commit error caused because of commit-3, the aggregation is discarded, commit-1, commit-2, commit-3, commit-4, and commit-5 are committed individually, and the CLI reports a commit error for commit-3.

Example: Configuring Batch Commit Server Properties

Requirements

• MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform

• Junos OS Release 12.1 or later running on the device

Overview

You can control how the batch commit queue is handled by the commit server by configuring the server properties at the [edit system commit server] hierarchy level. This enables you to control how many commit jobs are aggregated or merged into a single batch commit, the maximum number of jobs that can be added to the queue, days to keep batch commit error logs, interval between two batch commits, and tracing operations for batch commit operations.

Configuration

CLI Quick Configuration

To quickly configure this section of the example, copy the following commands, paste them into a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, and then copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level. You can configure the commit server properties from either the regular [edit] mode or the [edit batch] mode.

Configuring the Commit Server Properties

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. (Optional) Configure the number of commit transactions to aggregate or merge in a single commit operation.

   The default value for maximum-aggregate-pool is 5.

   In this example, the number of commit transactions is set to 4 indicating that four different commit jobs are aggregated into a single commit before the commit operation is initiated.

2. (Optional) Configure the maximum number of jobs allowed in a batch.

   This limits the number of commits jobs that are added to the queue.

3. (Optional) Configure the time (in seconds) to wait before starting the next batch commit operation.
4. (Optional) Configure the number of days to keep error logs.

   The default value is 30 days.

5. (Optional) Configure tracing operations to log batch commit events.

   In this example, the filename for logging batch commit events is commitd_nov, and all traceoption flags are set.

Results

From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show system commit server command. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the instructions in this example to correct the configuration.

Committing the Configuration from Batch Configuration Mode

Step-by-Step Procedure

• Log in to the device and enter commit.
• To assign a higher priority to a batch commit job, issue the commit command with the priority option.
• To commit a configuration without aggregating the configuration changes with other commit jobs in the queue, issue the commit command with the atomic option.
• To commit a configuration without aggregating the configuration changes with other commit jobs in the queue, and issuing a higher priority to the commit job, issue the commit command with the atomic priority option.

Verification

Checking the Batch Commit Server Status

Purpose

Check the status of the batch commit server.

Action

By default, the status of the commit server is Not running. The commit server starts running only when a batch commit job is added to the queue.

When a batch commit job is added to the queue, the status of the commit server changes to Running.

Meaning

The Jobs in process field lists the commit IDs of jobs that are in process.

Checking the Batch Commit Status

Purpose

Check the commit server queue for the status of the batch commits.

Action

Meaning

Pending commits displays commit jobs that are added to the commit queue but are not committed yet. Completed commits displays the list of commit jobs that are successful. Error commits are commits that failed because of an error.

Viewing the Patch Files in a Batch Commit Job

Purpose

View the timestamps, patch files, and the status of each of the commit jobs. Patch files show the configuration changes that occur in each commit operation that is added to the batch commit queue.

Action

1. Use the show system commit server queue patch command to view the patches for all commit operations.

   The output shows the changes in configuration for each commit job ID.

2. To view the patch for a specific commit job ID, issue the show system commit server queue patch id command.

Meaning

The output shows the patch created for a commit job. The + or - sign indicates the changes in the configuration for a specific commit job.

Viewing the Trace Files for Batch Commit Operations

Purpose

View the trace files for batch commit operations. You can use the trace files for troubleshooting purposes.

Action

• Use the file show /var/log/ command to view all entries in the log file.

  The output shows commit server event logs and other logs for batch commits.

• To view log entries only for successful batch commit operations, issue the file show /var/log/ command with the | match committed pipe option.

  The output shows batch commit job IDs for successful commit operations.

• To view log entries only for failed batch commit operations, issue the file show /var/log/ command with the | match “Error while” pipe option.

  The output shows commit job IDs for failed commit operations.

• To view log entries only for commit server events, issue the file show /var/log/ command with the | match “commit server” pipe option.

  The output shows commit server event logs.

Backing Up the Committed Configuration on the Alternate Boot Drive

After you commit the configuration and are satisfied that it is running successfully, you should issue the request system snapshot command to back up the new software onto the /altconfig file system. If you do not issue the request system snapshot command, the configuration on the alternate boot drive will be out of sync with the configuration on the primary boot drive.

The request system snapshot command backs up the root file system to /altroot, and /config to /altconfig. The root and /config file systems are on the router’s flash drive, and the /altroot and /altconfig file systems are on the router’s hard disk (if available).

After you issue the request system snapshot command, you cannot return to the previous version of the software because the running and backup copies of the software are identical.