Creating Emphasis Without Quotation Marks

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and in one of last week’s episodes, I said that quotation marks shouldn’t be used to show emphasis. Afterward, a listener asked me: What should we use to add emphasis if we can’t use quotation marks? The best way is to simply phrase whatever you’re trying to say in such a way that it’s clear where the emphasis lies. If you have a character yelling in battle, for example, you need to make the scene picturesque enough that italics, quotes, or other such markers aren’t necessary to signal that something important is happening. But if you’re simply writing an email, you have several options. The best is to italicize. If you’re handwriting, swap italics for underlines. If you’re trying to draw attention to a specific word that your reader absolutely must see, make it bold. Italics are generally less emphatic than bolding. Avoid all caps, unless you’re shouting. That’s your grammar minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.