Most word processors can produce italics, which are slanted letters — like these. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow.  Using a letter or number as a noun . All four contain detailed rules on when to use italics. ", "Thank you for assisting me in checking my teammates for an interim report. For example, italics are used to draw attention to key terms and phrases when providing definitions and to format parts of reference list entries (e.g., titles of books and periodicals). If you add emphasis to a direct quotation, place the words “[emphasis added]” in square brackets after the words you have italicized. “I read it in the New York Times.” 5. ", http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/italics/, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/45/, http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/bible.doc.html, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/03/, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/566/01/, http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/italics.htm, https://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/5-000.htm, https://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/bluebook/citing-cases.cfm, http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWlatin.html, https://www.apstylebook.com/?do=ask_editor&pg=faq, http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/italics, http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/how-to-use-italics?page=1, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/609/01/, http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15782, http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Punctuation/faq0013.html, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow, An exception to italics exists for citing titles that incorporate other titles. Italics and quotation marks are used to draw attention to text. The syntax to use Block Quotes is > or >>> followed by a space. In most cases, you should italicize the titles of complete works, like books: The Great Gatsby, Beloved, and The Catcher in the Rye. (Stories or chapters from within a book are considered PARTS of the book.) He had managed to eat ten cookies. Owing to the influence from calligraphy, italics normally slant slightly to the right. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. When defining an unfamiliar term, you may want to italicize its first appearance: “The scientific term for sneezing is, Use italics to emphasize a letter on its own: I got an, When he moved to the Denver Broncos, quarterback Peyton Manning retained his famous. Italics are typically used to emphasize titles of stand-alone works or to distinguish certain words from others within your writing. Italics are used primarily to denote titles and names of particular works or objects in order to allow that title or name to stand out from the surrounding sentence. An author should use italics when denoting words in a foreign language. Never do both. Knowing when and when not to use italics can be confusing, but don’t worry. Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Julietis a classic tragedy. The use of italics for emphasis is less intrusive than bold and more subtly suggestive. If it is something handwritten you should underline it instead of using italics. This approach is now considered outdated, because thoughts are thought, not spoken.  The names of ships and aircraft; eg: The Caribbean Cruiser sank yesterday. The trend of presenting types as matching in typefounders' specimens developed also over this period. A general rule of thumb is that if the foreign word is in an English dictionary, you do not need to italicize it. The only time underlining still comes in handy is if you’re writing by hand (say on an exam). However, do not overdo their use. His favorite book is Catcher in the Rye. Do NOT use quotation marks, underline, or italics together. As a general rule, use italics sparingly. When writing a family history, is it okay to put a direct quote from a deceased person in italics? You might use them when you want to emphasize that your friend ate ten burritos, or to write about an interesting article you read in the New York Times. Do not use italics for the following cases in APA Style papers: The punctuation mark after an italicized word or phrase or between elements of a reference list entry (e.g., the comma after a periodical title or issue number, the period after a book title). Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Using Bold, Italics & Strikethrough together in 1 comment. Italics are a way to emphasise key points in a printed text, to identify many types of creative works, to cite foreign words or phrases, or, when quoting a speaker, a way to show which words they stressed. They are tools for emphasis. Their favorite term of endearment was mon petit chou. Italics for Direct Thought. However, some academic styles such as the American Sociological Association (ASA) recommend that you italicize the titles of specific public documents, but not well-known documents (e.g., the Constitution). But last week I went five times. New York: Bedford/St. They are also used for certain titles. New York: Bedford/St. For example, the question, "Are you going to wear that?" In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. His favorite book is Catcher in the Rye. (If you're writing something out in longhand, the equivalent of italics would be underlining.) According to the manual, italics are appropriate for: titles of books, journals and periodicals, webpages, films, and videos The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is… He had managed to eat not nine, but ten cookies. Here, italicizing best shows that we feel strongly about italics. Today’s Standards. Editor’s Answer: Here’s the thing about italics—they have many uses, but it is also very easy to overuse them. The rest are a little more nuanced, but you’ll be relieved to know that we won’t be listing all the rules here in the podcast. They were going to the party that everyone always talks about. - [Voiceover] So we use it for emphasis and titling. Nearly all Markdown applications support the basic syntax outlined in John Gruber’s original design document. Many writers for the web prefer to use underlining or quotation marks to highlight text. Additionally, remember to italicize foreign words that haven't been integrated into English, like the Latin phrase "Semper fi," and use italics when referring to legal cases.