WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: Scare Quotes, Emphasis, and Sarcasm

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

Use quotation marks wisely ... or you may end up adding sarcasm to an already awkward situation. Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds out of time. I'm Lauren Smith, and quotation marks are not used to create emphasis. People often use italics or bolding or caps lock to indicate that something is super important, especially on signs. Think, do not enter. Those are all correct ways to indicate emphasis, though they're not appropriate for formal full-length writing projects. The wrong way to indicate emphasis is to put the phrase in quotation marks. When used to indicate something besides a direct quotation, these marks are called scare quotes, and they typically indicate some kind of irony or sarcasm.

So do not enter becomes do not answer. For short messages on signs, you can use italics, bolding, larger font, colorful font, or caps lock. For longer, more formal writing, structure your sentences to make the emphasis clear without resorting the fancy fonts. That's your Grammar Minute. Visit Thegrammer Minute.com for more tips and tricks.