In the age of texting and social media, we often find ourselves in need of a way to show emphasis, but italicizing isn’t always an option. Instead, we use asterisks, underscores, all caps, and quotation marks because we want to do something to set the word(s) apart. But when I see a movie title in quotation marks, I often wonder if the typist is saying, “I know that this needs to be distinguished as a title, but I can’t italicize it!” or if the typist might need a refresher on the difference between quotation marks and italics. We all need to be reminded of the grammar rules once in a while, so let’s take a look at some of those differences!

The most obvious use of quotation marks is, of course, found in their very name: quotations. When we’re directly quoting someone else or writing dialogue, then we (those of us in the US) use quotation marks. For example, my friend told me, “You’re the best friend in the world!” They’re also used to quote material from an outside source. For example, in one of my previous articles about commas, I said, “We all have our pet peeves when it comes to grammar, and mine, ladies and gentlemen, is known as the Oxford comma.”

But quotation marks have more uses than just to set off quotations. They can also be used for certain titles, specifically titles that compose a larger body of work. The titles of poems, short stories, chapters, songs, and episodes of TV shows are set off in quotation marks, but we use italics with books, movies, plays/musicals, TV shows, and newspapers. For example, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” my favorite short story, was first published in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine, and my favorite song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is “All I Ask of You.” (Note that commas and periods go inside the closing quotation mark.)

Quotation marks are also used as scare quotes. Scare quotes indicate that a word is used sarcastically, ironically, jokingly, etc. For example, when my dad said he was going to the store for “milk,” I wasn’t expecting him to come home with ice cream.

It’s important to note that when using quotation marks within quotation marks, the American practice is to use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks. For example, “When the waiter asked, ‘Would you like dessert?’ I answered reluctantly, ‘No, thank you.’”

To reiterate the motivation behind this article, italics should be used for emphasis whenever possible. I know that social media and texting have yet to acknowledge this fact, but when you are writing your manuscript, italics are readily available. For example, “I told him that he was not, under any circumstances, to leave the house.” But be careful that you don’t overuse italics. As for those times when italics aren’t available (I’m talking to you, Facebook!), I would not recommend quotation marks—we’ve just seen that quotation marks have their own specific uses. In this editor’s opinion, asterisks do the job well, just make sure that you use them sparingly.

Are there times when either quotation marks or italics would be accurate? Yes! Though italics tend to be more common, quotation marks can be used when talking about words. For instance, you could use quotation marks when discussing the difference between “its” and “it’s,” but it’s more common to use italics: its and it’s. But if we’re using foreign words as words, such as hola and bonjour, then the practice of italicizing foreign words takes precedence. And we also use italics to set off letters used as letters, such as the letter b. The main concern when either italics or quotation marks will suffice is consistency. If you choose one style at the beginning of your work, maintain that style throughout.

So, I hope this article has served as a refresher for the differences between italics and quotation marks. As always, for more nuances of English grammar, check out the Chicago Manual of Style and stay tuned for the next article!