how to use italics and quotation marks

Style & Punctuation

How to use italics and

quotation marks

Italicizing = Underlining•One should always italicize when typing/word processing

•When one is handwriting, underlining takes the place of italicizing.

•You should only underline when the rules of style dictate it.

Organize your notes•Good idea to make 2 columns

•Some call this a T-Chart•1 column for things italicized

•1 column for things that in quotation marks

• Novels• Newspapers• Anthologies• TV Shows• Albums• Plays• Movies• Vehicles• Artwork• Court Cases

• Chapters• Articles• Short Stories• TV Episodes• Songs• Poems• Essay titles (not

yours)

Italics Quotation MarksVs.Style Notes

TITLES OF BooksItalicize titles of published books

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most popular destinations on Sparknotes.Com.

TITLES OF newspapersand Magazines

Italicize titles of newspapers and magazines

The New York Times is my favorite paper to read.

TITLES OF PLaysItalicize titles of plays

I saw Hamlet last week at the Fox Theater.

TITLES OF MoviesItalicize titles of Movies or TV shows

This summer my daughters couldn’t wait to see Monsters University.

TITLES OF TV ShowSItalicize titles of Movies or TV shows

I caught up with the last season of Lost by renting the DVD’s.

TITLES OF Albums/cdItalicize titles

of operas, albums, and CD’sAll Eyez on Me by Tupac Shakur is Sultan Mozip’s all-time favorite album.

TITLES OF VehiclesItalicize titles of the names of spacecraft, aircraft, shipsThe USS Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

TITLES OF artworkItalicize titles of:

works of art

I had to analyze how color is used in Starry Night for the midterm.

TITLES OF WORKSItalicize titles of works of art

If you travel to Paris be sure to see Venus de Milo at the Louvre Museum.

TITLES OF court cases

Italicize titles of legal cases

The Brown v. Board of Education was an important Supreme Court decision to challenge segregation in public schools.

TITLES OF articlesUse quotation marks around titles of articles in periodicals (magazines) and newspapers

Anyone who read “Dewey Defeats Truman” got a big surprise the next morning.

TITLES OF short storiesPut in quotation marks titles short stories

Just for fun, I read “There Will Come Soft Rains” over the summer.

Note: Short stories are published with other stories inside books referred to as anthologies.

TITLES OF chaptersUse quotation marks around titles of parts and chapters of books

I have to read “Westward Expansion” for Mr. Whalen’s history class by Thursday.

TITLES OF episodesUse quotation marks around titles of television episodes

My favorite episode of Lost is “There’s No Place Like Home” which has a great cliff-hanger.

TITLES OF PoemsPut in quotation marks titles poems

“Cats Don’t Care” is a poem that rhymes.

TITLES OF songsUse quotation marks around titles of songs

“Someone Like You,” by Adele is the Top iTunes Pop Song in many European countries.

TITLES OF EssaysPut in quotation marks titles of (someone else’s/not your own essay titles) essay

Kyle simply called his impromptu essay “Football.”

• Novels• Newspapers• Anthologies• TV Shows• Albums• Plays• Movies• Vehicles• Artwork• Court Cases

• Chapters• Articles• Short Stories• TV Episodes• Songs• Poems• Essay titles (not

yours)

Italics Quotation MarksVs.Style Notes