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Emphasizing and punctuation
Posted by Byewokko in
17 Oct 2010 — 10:24am
17 Oct 2010 — 10:24am
What is the correct way of emphasizing (with italics) a word followed by a punctuation mark like ,!?)" ? Do you emphasize it including the mark or only the word itself?
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17 Oct 2010 — 10:44am
I generally italicize/embolden punctuation as well. This is something you should discuss with the editor of the text because it can get weird with lots of quotations or complex citation system.
17 Oct 2010 — 11:03am
It depends on context and meaning. For example, there is difference between:
Should I emphasise everything? – and – Should I emphasise everything?
17 Oct 2010 — 12:45pm
I meant rather something like the second example. In this case should I emphasise also the comma?
I emphasised everything, but I wasn't sure.
I emphasised everything, but I wasn't sure.
17 Oct 2010 — 1:05pm
I've learned to italicize the punctuation mark - not because it is a crucial part of the emphasis but because it shouldn't draw attention to itself (like your second comma example does). I'll obviously reconsider if italicizing draws more attention to it.
17 Oct 2010 — 1:06pm
I meant rather something like the second example. In this case should I emphasise also the comma?
Strictly speaking, no: the comma is not part of the expression getting emphasis, but rather a structural element of the entire sentence. However, in some instances an italic comma will fit better than a Roman one so, aesthetically, using the italic comma might look better. If the project is not academic in nature, I would go with what looks best, rules be damned...