Should the Name of a Building Be Italicized in Art History

Marking Text—Choosing Between Italics and Quotation Marks

An error in the utilize of italics or quotation marks—using one rather than the other or not using either when their use is required—is not likely a trouble that will take an agent or publisher turning downwardly your manuscript, especially if your manuscript isn't bulging with other errors. Yet knowing when to use both italics and quotation marks is useful and important for writers. The cleaner the manuscript, the fewer problems it will be perceived to take. And when rules are followed, the manuscript will have consistency; if you don't know the rules, it's likely that you won't make the same choices consistently throughout a story. And if you lot self-publish, when you're the one doing the editing, you'll definitely want to know how and when to utilise both italics and quotation marks and know how to choose betwixt them.

To starting time off, I volition betoken out that there is no need to underline anything in a novel manuscript. Writers used to underline text where they intended italics, but because it's now so easy to see and notice and place italics, underlining is no longer necessary, not for fiction manuscripts.

Notation: Underlining may exist required for schoolhouse or college writing projects or other purposes. I'chiliad strictly addressing fiction manuscripts here.

Without underlining, the choices are italics, quotation marks, and unmarked or apparently text.

Allow's commencement with the last option—plain text—first.

________________________

Plain Text

Not all text that seems to require italics or quotation marks actually does. Most words in your manuscript will be roman text—unchanged by italics—and, apart from dialogue, will not be enclosed past quotation marks. Yet sometimes writers are dislocated nigh italics and quotation marks, especially when dealing with named entities. A quick rule: Simple names need but be capitalized—no other marks are necessary.

This is i writing question that's easy to overthink once you brainstorm editing, but a name normally merely needs to be capitalized; it typically doesn't require italics or quotation marks. (There are exceptions, of course.)

Capitalize names of people, places, and things. This means that Bob, Mr. Smith, Grandma Elliott, and Fido are capitalized merely not italicized or put in quotation marks. The aforementioned is true for Disney World, the G Canyon, Edie's Bistro, and the World Serial. When a person's championship is paired with a name—Prime Government minister Winston Churchill, Reverend Thomas—both proper name and title are capitalized. But when a title is not used as a proper noun—the president is young, the pastor tin sing—no capitalization is required.

Nouns are typically the words that you'll capitalize, but not all nouns are capitalized. Capitalize named nouns. So Fido is capitalized, but dog is not; Aunt Margaret (used as a name) is capitalized, just my aunt is non; my aunt Margaret gets a mix of capitalization.

Make names and trademarks are typically capitalized, but some have unusual capitalizations (iPad, eBay, TaylorMade, adidas). Refer to dictionaries and to company guidelines or Cyberspace sources for correct capitalization and spelling. Note that abode pages of websites may feature decorative text; expect at pages with corporate details for correct information.

Yous may make a style conclusion and capitalize such words according to established rules, and that would be a valid decision. Withal a name is a name, and spelling or capitalizing it the fashion its creators intended may well be the improve choice.

That's it for nigh named people or things or places—most are capitalized but practice not require italics or quotation marks. A quick rule:Names (of people, places, and things) need to be capitalized, but titles (of things) need both capitalization and either quotation marks or italics.

Items in the following categories need neither italics nor quotation marks (unless italics or quotation marks are an intrinsic part of the title). This is only a very short list, but nigh named nouns are treated similarly.

machine manufacturers Full general Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota

car brands or divisions: Buick, Chevrolet

car names: Riviera, Touareg, Camry

restaurants: Chili'due south, Sally's Place, Chuck's Rib House

scriptures and revered religious books: the Bible, Koran, the Book of Common Prayer

books of the Bible: Genesis, Acts, the Gospel according to Matthew

wars and battles: Korean War, Russian Revolution, the Boxing of Antietam, the Battle of Hastings

companies: Coca-Cola, Amazon, Barclays, Nokia

production names: Coke, Kleenex, Oreo

shops: Dolly's Delights, Macy's, Coffee Business firm

museums, schools and colleges: the Loftier Museum, the Hermitage, Orchard Simple School, the Academy of Notre Matriarch

houses of worship: First Baptist Church building of Abbieville, the Cathedral of St. Philip, Temple Sinai, City Heart Community Masjid

Notation: At that place is much more to capitalization, yet that topic requires an commodity (or five) of its ain. Look for such an article in the futurity.The Chicago Manual of Style has an in-depth chapter on capitalization; I recommend you lot search it for specifics.

________________________

Quotation Marks and Italics

Beyond capitalization, some  nouns are as well distinguished by italics or quotation marks. Call up in terms of titles here, but typically titles of things and not people.

So nosotros're talking book, motion picture, song, and TV show titles; titles of newspapers and magazines and titles of articles in those newspapers and magazines; titles of artwork and poems.

1 odd category included here is vehicles.  Non brand names of vehicles but names of individual craft: spaceships, airships, ships, and trains.

But which titles get quotation marks and which get italics?

The general rule is that titles of works that are made upwardly of smaller/shorter divisions are italicized, and the smaller divisions are put in quotation marks. This means a volume title is italicized, and affiliate titles (but not chapter numbers) are in quotation marks. A Television receiver show title is italicized, just episode titles are in quotation marks. An anthology or CD championship is put in italics, just the vocal titles are in quotation marks.

Note:  This rule for chapter titles in books is not referring to chapter titles of a manuscript itself, which are not put in quotation marks inside the manuscript. Utilise quotation marks in your text if a grapheme or narrator is thinking about or speaking a chapter title, not for your ain affiliate titles.

Quotation marks and italics are both as well used for other purposes in fiction. For example, we typically utilise italics when we apply a word as a discussion.

My stylist ever says rebound when he means rebond.

I counted only half a dozen umsouth in the chairman'due south spoken language. (Note that the s making um plural is not italicized.)

Since a listing is quick and like shooting fish in a barrel to read, let's simply listing categories for both italics and quotation marks.

Barring exceptions, items from the categories should be italicized or put in quotation marks, every bit indicated, in your stories.

________________________

Utilise Italics For

Titles : Titles of specific types of works are italicized. This is true for both narration and dialogue.

books

Television shows

radio shows

movies

plays

operas and ballets

long poems

long musical pieces (such as symphonies)

newspapers

magazines

journals

works of art (paintings, sculptures, photographs)

pamphlets

reports

podcasts

blogs (but non websites in general, which are just capitalized)

Odds and Ends: Titles of cartoons and comic strips (Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Pearls Before Swine) are italicized. Exhibitions at pocket-sized venues (such as a museum) are italicized (BODIES . . . The Exhibition) simply fairs and other major exhibitions (the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition) are only capitalized.

Examples: To Kill a Mockingbird (book), Citizen Kane (motion-picture show), A Prairie Home Companion (radio show), La bohème(opera), Paradise Lost (long poem), Rhapsody in Bluish (long musical piece),Washington Post (newspaper), Motorcar and Driver (magazine), Starry Night (painting), The Historic period of Reason (pamphlet), This American Life (podcast), The Editor's Web log (blog)

Exception: Generic titles of musical works are not italicized. This includes those named by number (op. 3 or no. 5) or by key (Nocturne in B Major) and those simply named for the musical form (Requiem or Overture). If names and generic titles are combined, italicize only the proper name, not the generic title.

Exception: Titles of artwork dating from artifact whose creators are unknown are not italicized. (the Venus de Milo or the Seated Scribe)

Transport names :  names of ships on h2o, in space, in the air

Examples: HMS Illustrious, USS Nimitz, infinite shuttle Effort, Hindenburg,Spruce Goose

Notes: 1. The abbreviations for Her Majesty'south ship (HMS) and U.s.a. send (USS) are not italicized.

two. The current recommendation of The Chicago Manual of Manner is to not italicize train names. CMOS may be differentiating between physical ships with individual names and railroad route names, which is typically what is named when we think of trains; the specific grouping of train cars may not exist named and may actually modify from one trip to another. Locomotives, however, may have names. If they do, you lot would be safe to italicize that name.

While I sympathise this reasoning, I run into no trouble with italicizing a railroad train's (or a train route'south) commonly known name—Trans-Siberian Express, Majestic Scotsman, California Zephyr—as writers take done in the by. This is strictly a personal stance.

3. The definite article is unnecessary with ship names—they are names and not titles. Then Yorktown rather than the Yorktown. It'due south likely that characters with military backgrounds would follow this rule, but many civilians may non. If your grapheme would say the Yorktown, then include the article.

Words as words:  As already noted, words used as words are unremarkably italicized. This helps preclude confusion when these words are not used in the usual manner.

Examples: The word haberdashery has gone out of style.

Edith wasn't sure what lugubrious meant, but it sounded slimy to her.

Messages every bit letters : Letters referred to equally messages are italicized.

Examples: The i in my name is silent.

On the faded treasure map, an X really did marker the spot.

All the men in his hometown accept at least 3 s's in their names.

Notes: ane. Simply the letter of the alphabet itself is italicized for plurals. So nosotros haves'south, capital Ls, and a dozen m's. (The apostrophe and concluding due south are not italicized.)

2. An apostrophe is used for the plurals (lowercase messages only) to forestall defoliation or the misreading of letters as words; a's rather thanas andi'due south rather than idue south.

3. Familiar phrases including p's and q's and dot your i's and cantankerous your t's do not crave italics. (They are italicized hither because I'1000 using them as words, not for their significant.)

iv. Letters for school grades are not italicized, though they are capitalized.

Sound words : Italicize words that stand in for sounds or reproduce sounds that characters and readers hear.

Examples: The whomp-whomp of helicopter blades drowned out her frail voice.

An annoying bzzz woke him.

C-r-rack! Something heavy—someaneheavy—fell through the rotted floorboards.

Foreign words : Uncommon or unfamiliar foreign words are italicized the offset time they are used in a story. After that, roman blazon is sufficient. Strange-language words familiar to almost readers do not need italics. Proper names and places in foreign languages are never italicized.

Examples: The words amigo, mucho,coup d'état, risqué, nyet, and others like them are mutual enough that you lot wouldn't need to italicize them in fiction. (I italicized them because in my example they are words used as words.)

"Use circumspection, my love. That pretty flower you like and so much is velenoso. It slows the middle."

Information technology was something my grandmother e'er said to me.Sie sind mein kostbares kleines Mädchen.

Edifice sites on the Potsdamer Platz went for a lot of money once the Berlin Wall came down.

Accent : Apply italics to emphasize a discussion or part of a word. Yet don't overdo. A graphic symbol who emphasizes words all the time may sound odd. And the italics may annoy your readers.

Examples: I wanted a new dress, merely I needed new shoes.

She quickly said, "It's non what you think."

"Sal invited everyone to the party at his uncle's beach firm. And I hateful every single studentfrom his school."

Something—someane—shattered all the street lights.

Character thoughts : Graphic symbol thoughts can be expressed in multiple ways; italics is one of those ways. (But it isn't the only way and may not be the all-time way. Meet "How to Punctuate Grapheme Thoughts" for details.)

Example: I expected more than from her, he idea. But he shouldn't accept.

---

You can observe many more tips and suggestions for cleaning upward your text in The Magic of Fiction.

---

Use Quotation Marks For

Titles :  As is done with titles and italics, titles of specific types of works are put inside quotation marks. This is truthful for both narration and dialogue.

book chapters (named, not numbered, chapters)

Idiot box show episodes

radio show episodes

songs

short stories

brusk poems (most poems)

newspaper, magazine, and journal articles

blog articles

podcast episodes

unpublished works (dissertations, manuscripts in collections)

Odds and Ends: Signs (and other notices) are typically not put in quotation marks or italicized, though they are capitalized—The back lot was marked with No Parking signs. They don't fifty-fifty require hyphens for compounds—The gardener was putting upward Do Non Walk on the Grass signs. However, long signs (recollect sentence length or longer)are put in quotation marks and not capitalized. Consider them as quotations—Did you meet the handwritten sign? "Take your shoes off, line them up at the door, and walk without speaking to the 2nd door on the left."

The aforementioned rule applies for mottoes and maxims. An example: To Protect and Serve was the department'south old motto. Now it's "Comprehend your tracks, lie if you get defenseless, blame your behavior on drugs, and vilify the victim."

Examples: They read through "The Laurence Male child" in ane sitting. (chapter three of Niggling Women)

He said he thought it was "The One With Phoebe's Cookies." (an episode of Friends)

My mother suggested nosotros both read "The Souvenir of the Magi." (short story)

"The Princess Bride—Storytelling Done Right" was written in 2 hours. (blog article)

Exception: Titles of regular columns in newspapers and magazines are not put in quotation marks (Dear Abby, At Wit's End).

Dialogue : Enclose the spoken words of direct dialogue (not the dialogue tags or action beats) between opening and endmost quotation marks. Do not use quotation marks for indirect dialogue.

Exception : When dialogue continues into a new paragraph, practise non include a closing quotation mark at the end of the first paragraph; use the endmost quotation mark but at the terminate of the spoken words. (If dialogue continues uninterrupted for several paragraphs, you volition take a number of opening quotation marks just just one closing quotation mark.)

Examples: "I told you I loved you. You never believed me."

"I told you I was there," he said. But I never believed him.

"He tried," I said, waving my fingers, "but he failed."

"My canis familiaris ate the first page"—Billy pointed at Dexter Blueish—"merely I saved the residual."

Exception Instance: "I needed to do it, but I just couldn't. So you lot know what happened—Bing threw his knife and I ducked and he hitting the minister'due south wife. And and so pandemonium broke out, everyone running every which manner. It was madness.

"And afterwards that, we raced out before the cops could get there."

Notes: ane. American English language (AmE) always uses double quotation marks for dialogue. If yous have a quotation inside dialogue, the inner quotation gets single quotation marks.

two. British English (BrE) allows for either unmarried or double quotation marks, with the opposite for quotes inside other quotes or dialogue.

Words used in a nonstandard manner or equally sarcasm, irony, or mockery : Employ quotation marks to point out irony or words used in an unusual mode, mayhap as slang or mockery. Most slang wouldn't demand to exist put in quotation marks, merely words unfamiliar to a character could exist put in quotation marks. Ever utilize double quotation marks for AmE and typically utilize singles for BrE (doubles are acceptable).

Instance: Yeah, I guess he was on time. If iii hours late is "on time" in his book.

Andy said his brother "skived off" 2 days this calendar week. I didn't tell him I had to bank check the Internet to figure out what he meant.

Fabricated-upwards words or new words : Utilise quotation marks for the first employ of made-upward words. After that, no special punctuation is necessary.

Example: He's a "rattlescallion," a cross betwixt a rapscallion and a snake.

Words every bit words : We often employ italics for words used equally words, but we can also utilize quotation marks.

Example: He used "I" all the time, as if his stance carried more than weight than anyone else's.

 ________________________

When you're deciding between italics and quotation marks, e'er recall the rules of clarity and consistency: brand it clear for the reader and be consequent throughout the story. If you lot have to brand a choice that doesn't fit a rule or you lot choose to flout a rule, do so on purpose and do so each time the circumstances are the same. Include unusual words or special treatment of words in your way sail and so everyone dealing with your manuscript works from the aforementioned foundation.

Rewrite any diction that is likely to misfile the reader or that tin exist read multiple means. There's always a way to clear up confusing phrasing, ofttimes more than one way. Reduce distracting punctuation and italics when yous can, but use both quotation marks and italics when necessary.

Put writing rules to work for your stories.

*******

This article is a long one, but I hope information technology proves useful. Let me know if I omitted a category you wondered well-nigh.

***

Tags: capitalization, italics, quotation marks Posted in: Grammar & Punctuation

martinezfighou.blogspot.com

Source: https://theeditorsblog.net/2014/05/12/marking-text-choosing-between-italics-and-quotation-marks/

Share this post