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Italics refers to fonts where the
letters slant to the right, like so. It is used to
set off certain titles and emphasized expressions.
Titles and Names
Italicize the titles of novels, books, movies, and
plays, and the names of newspapers, magazines, and journals.
• The Village Voice found As
Good As It Gets jejune and boring.
Oh, and ships too!
• The Nina, the Pinta,
and the Santa Maria sailed the ocean blue.
When making a title plural by adding s,
do not italicize the s.
• The library has sixteen Anna
Kareninas.
If the original title ends in s, keep
it italicized in the plural.
• Brian sold sixteen New York
Times in half an hour.
Legal Cases
Italicize the names of legal cases.
• The judge heard Emmett v. Green in
March.
Foreign Words
Italicize words from foreign languages.
• Anyone who likes shrimp should try mandu
bok kum.
Foreign words that are frequently used in English do
not need to
be italicized.
• “Ciao, dollface!” called the movie
producer.
Do not italicize proper names from foreign languages.
• Every time Mike goes to the Prado,
he checks out the Goyas.
Words as Words
If you’re referring to a word, rather than actually
using that word as a grammatical part of your sentence, italicize
it.
• Hector has always been baffled by the
term jumbo shrimp.
Note that you can also put quotation marks around words
used in this way, rather than italicizing them. Whichever method
you choose, be consistent.
Letters
Italicize single letters.
• Rhoda triumphed with a six-letter word
that included an x and a q.
• Pamela signs her name with a dramatic
capital P.
Letter grades need not be italicized.
• You will never get an A.
Emphasis
Italics can be used to show emphasis.
• “I didn’t say ice, I said rice,”
explained Maria.
Marks Following Italics
Only italicize titles and names themselves. Do not
italicize punctuation marks, letters, or words that follow italicized
titles and names.
• Tom, who just reread The Talented
Mr. Ripley, is planning a trip to Italy.
• The New Yorker’s Ben
McGrath wrote an article about knuckleball pitchers.
Emphasis Added
If you want to add emphasis to a quotation, italicize
the words you wish to emphasize, and then add parentheses after
the quotation in which you say “emphasis added,” “italics mine,”
or something similar.
• Paine wrote, “Society in every state
is a blessing, but government even in its best state is
but a necessary evil” (emphasis mine).
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