Use of English
checklist |
translation | |
chemical compounds |
Chemical compounds and alloys should be hyphenated, but the elements should not be capitalised: The current in the dipole magnets is carried by cables made of niobium-titanium (NbTi). Read more |
grammar |
cheque (bank) |
translation | |
Cherenkov radiation |
Not Cerenkov. Though Cherenkov is a somewhat clumsy anglicisation of the original Russian, the "Ch" ensures unambiguous pronunciation. Read more |
spelling, style |
CHF |
Swiss francs Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CHIS |
CERN Health Insurance Scheme Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CHISB |
CERN Health Insurance Scheme Board Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CIXP |
CERN Internet Exchange Point Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CLIC |
Compact Linear Collider Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier, translation |
CLICdp |
CLIC Detector and Physics study Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CLOUD |
Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (PS 215 experiment) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CMB |
Cosmic microwave background Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Read more |
Courier |
CMS |
Compact Muon Solenoid Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
CMS control room |
Courier | |
CNGS |
CERN Neutrinos to Gran Sasso project Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier, translation |
CNRS |
Conseil National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Centre for Scientific Research), France Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
co-author, co-worker |
use hyphen Read more |
style |
coefficient |
no hyphen Read more |
translation |
coexistence |
no hyphen Read more |
translation |
collaboration |
“...by the ALICE collaboration” in text, but “ALICE Collaboration” in image credits/references Read more |
Courier |
Collaboration Board |
initial capital letters Read more |
Courier |
collective nouns |
Do they take a singular or plural verb? It depends on the sense, but use singular where possible. Read more |
grammar, translation |
Collide @ CERN |
Capital C. The "at" sign in the name can sometimes cause problems with Drupal text formats. To get around this, whenever Collide @ CERN appears in text, separate the @ from the text with spaces. Collide @ CERN is a three-year artist’s residency programme at CERN. Read more |
spelling, style |
collision |
The forceful striking together of two or more particles in an accelerator. Define the type of collision using hyphens: Lead-ion collisions are more complex and take longer to analyse than proton-proton collisions. Read more |
style |
collision or event? |
Use "collision" to refer to the exact point in time and space at which particles collide. An "event" is a snapshot of what happens after a collision; an event is picked up by the detector: particles decay and their decay products form tracks or deposit energy in the detector. Event displays from the detectors show the collision point in the middle – everything around it makes up the event. Read more |
style |
collision point |
The point in space within a particle detector at which two or more particles collide to form an event. Read more |
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colloquium, colloquia (pl.) |
Don't use it in web texts. Use seminar instead. See Words to avoid in web texts. Read more |
style |
colour |
translation | |
commas |
Don’t use an Oxford comma in straightforward lists with no risk of ambiguity: The good, the bad and the ugly, NOT the good, the bad, and the ugly. Do use it in lists of long phrases each containing their own punctuation, or in cases in which it is essential to convey the correct meaning: I dedicate this book to my parents, J.K. Rowling, and Martin Amis not I dedicate this book to my parents, J.K. Rowling and Martin Amis. If possible try to remove the need to use an Oxford comma in your writing. Read more |
style |
common law (noun), common-law (adj.) |
translation | |
communiqué |
(no italics) Read more |
translation |
COMPASS |
Common Muon and Proton Apparatus for Structure and Spectroscopy (NA58 experiment) Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier, translation |
compel, compelled, compelling |
spelling, translation | |
competence |
spelling, translation | |
comprise |
spelling, translation | |
compromise |
spelling, translation | |
concertation |
use italics Read more |
style, translation |
connection |
spelling, translation | |
consensus |
spelling, translation | |
consortium, consortia (pl.) |
spelling, translation | |
contractions |
Contractions such as “there’s” “they’re”, “didn’t”, “he’ll” and “she’d” do not automatically make a story more accessible. Contractions can appear annoyingly chatty, and can be imprecise too (“it’s” can stand for “it is” or “it has”) and so detract from clarity. If anything, contractions make a story harder to understand, especially if there are several of them in the same sentence. Read more |
grammar, style |
converter |
spelling, translation | |
cooperate, cooperation, coordinate, coordination |
no hyphen, except in the CERN Courier Read more |
Courier, spelling, style, translation |
corrigendum, corrigenda (pl.) |
spelling, translation | |
cost accounting (noun), cost-accounting (adj.) |
translation | |
cost allocation (noun), cost-allocation (adj.) |
translation | |
cost centre |
translation | |
cost-benefit (adj.) |
use hyphen Read more |
translation |
cost-effectiveness (noun), cost-effective (adj.), cost effective (pred.) |
style, translation | |
cost-oriented |
use in preference to cost-orientated Read more |
spelling, translation |