39 | Italics
39|Italics
Italic type—as in this line—slants to the right. In handwriting, indicate italics by underlining. Slightly harder to read than perpendicular type, italic is usually saved for emphasis or other special uses.
39aItalicize certain titles, names, and words. Use italics for the types of titles, names, and words shown in the box below.
We read the story “Araby” in James Joyce’s book Dubliners.
The Broadway musical My Fair Lady was based on Shaw’s play Pygmalion.
39bUse italics sparingly for emphasis.
When you absolutely must stress a term, use italics. In most cases, the structure of your sentence should give emphasis where emphasis is due.
He put the package under the mailbox, not into the mailbox.
People living in affluent countries may not be aware that nearly sixteen thousand children per day die of starvation or malnutrition.
For titles that need to be placed in quotation marks, see 33e.
Italics at a Glance
Titles
MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, AND SCHOLARLY JOURNALS
| Newsweek | the Oregonian | Film & History |
LONG LITERARY WORKS
| The Bluest Eye (a novel) | The Less Deceived (a collection of poems) |
FILMS
| Psycho | Casablanca | Mad Max: Fury Road |
PAINTINGS AND OTHER WORKS OF ART
| Four Dancers (a painting) | The Thinker (a sculpture) |
LONG MUSICAL WORKS
| Aïda | Handel’s Messiah |
ALBUMS
| 25 | The Chronic |
TELEVISION AND RADIO PROGRAMS
| House of Cards | All Things Considered |
Other Words and Phrases
NAMES OF AIRCRAFT, SPACECRAFT, SHIPS, AND TRAINS
| the Orient Express | the Challenger |
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE WORD OR PHRASE NOT IN EVERYDAY USE
Gandhi taught the principles of satya and ahimsa: truth and nonviolence.
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE WORD OR PHRASE IN EVERYDAY USE
I prefer provolone to mozzarella.
LETTER, NUMBER, WORD, OR PHRASE DEFINED OR REFERRED TO AS A WORD
The neon 5 on the door identified the club’s address.
The rhythmic motion of the alimentary canal is called peristalsis.
What do you think fiery suggests in the second line?
For a synonym or translation—a definition of just a word or so—italicize the word and put its definition in quotation marks.
The word orthodoxy means “conformity.”
Trois, drei, and tres are all words for “three.”
EXCEPTION: The names of the Bible (King James Version, Revised Standard Version), the books of the Bible (Genesis, Matthew), and other sacred books (the Qur’an, the Rig-Veda) are not italicized.
EXERCISE 39–1 Using Italics
Add or remove italics as needed in the following sentences. Some sentences may be correct. Example:
Hiram could not believe that his parents had seen the Beatles’ legendary performance at Shea Stadium.
During this year’s First Night celebrations, we heard Verdi’s Requiem and Monteverdi’s Orfeo.
It was fun watching the passengers on the Europa trying to dance to Blue Moon in the midst of a storm.
Jan can never remember whether Cincinnati has three n’s and one t or two n’s and two t’s.
My favorite comic bit in “The Pirates of Penzance” is Major General Stanley’s confusion between “orphan” and “often.”
In Tom Stoppard’s play “The Real Thing,” the character Henry accuses Bach of copying a cantata from a popular song by Procol Harum.
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