Some Rules of Interest from Bill Carrigan
Emphasis
- Italicize (or underline) a word or phrase for emphasis. Boldface is unacceptable. Possible: Rhythm is characteristic of stylistic prose, but rhyme is verboten. Better (no italics needed): Stylistic prose has rhythm but shuns rhyme.
- Don’t italicize the heading of a story or chapter. But in running text, italicize the title of a major work: book, periodical, play, epic poem, symphony, opera, statue, painting, film. Titles of short works, such as songs and stories, take quote marks.
Forengn words
Use italics for a word or phrase not adopted into English. The following words are in Webster’s II and should not be italicized: a priori, au jus, baroque, bête noire, crèche, crème de menthe, de novo, élan, fait accompli, hacienda, haiku, hoi polloi, hors d’oeuvres, kibitz, maître d’, mea culpa, nolo contendere, nom de plume, recherché, rococo, sturm und drang, tête-à-tête, weimaraner, zeitgeist.
Words used as words
- Italicize words used as words: Data is the plural of datum and must be used with a plural verb, as in “The data are incomplete.”
- Use quote marks in definitions: Histrionics means “exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect.”
- Use quotes marks in reference to speech: He said “brave” when he might have said “reckless.”
Special sense
- Words used in an ironic sense may be placed in double or single quotes: The “rally” became a riot. Tito was said to be ‘our kind’ of Communist.
- The same rule applies to slang, though not in dialogue: Country-western is lush with ‘sob’ notes. “With his jones, he’d do anything for junk.”
- A word or phrase introduced in quote marks is subsequently used without them.
- Words following so-called receive no special treatment: The so-called freedom fighter is a rebel to the opposition.
- Minimize quotes and italics in these senses, trusting the reader to catch the innuendo. You might prefer single quotes as less ‘horsy’. If so, the period goes outside, but other punctuation is standard. The French for dandelion, pissenlit, reads “piss in bed” to ‘Frogs,’ whose salade de pissenlit is a known diuretic.
Letters as letters
- Italicize letters used as letters: A terminal s or es designates the plural in English. The rhyme scheme of an English sonnet is abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
- Certain conventional usages are exceptional: Mind your p’s and q’s. Alpha to omega. An I-beam in an A-frame house. A song in A minor.
- Spell out numbers in fiction, especially dialogue. Exceptions: exact time (2.45 A.M.), dates (May 1, 2005), calibers (a .22 rifle), big money ($3.5 billion).
Miscellanea
Blond, blonde; brunet, brunette
Her parents are blond Nordics. Though her mother is a blonde, her father likes brunettes. (Blonde, a noun, can refer only to females. Brunettes are dark-haired women. Brunet as a noun, as well as blond and brunette as adjectives, apply to males or females.) He admired brunet Italians (those with dark skin, hair, or eyes).
A while, awhile; alright, already
- He took a while to do it. (While is a noun.)
- He stayed awhile. (Awhile is an adverb meaning for a while.)
- Alright is nonstandard for all right and should be avoided. Already is all right.
Due to
Use due to after a noun but not after a verb.
- His hesitancy was due to fear. (Good.)
- He hesitated due to fear. (Unacceptable. Use because of or on account of.)
Omission of that
It was one of those things (that) her husband refused to discuss. (That may be omitted if the meaning is clear. Don’t replace it with a comma.)
Proved, Proven
“Proved” is the past participle of the verb “prove.”
Example: The professor has proved his strengths in biology.
“Proven” is an adjective.
Example: Physicians use this proven treatment for asthma.
Capitalization of family members, other appellatives
- I was there when my dad arrived. (Lower case dad, mom, etc., after a pronoun.)
- I was there when Dad and Sis arrived. (Here Dad and Sis are proper names.)
- All right, dear. Okay, chief. (Don’t capitalize terms of endearment or familiarity.)
Titles of works in running text
- For books, periodicals, plays, long poems, operas, paintings, statues, movies, use italics. (She liked H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. He reads the New York Times.
- For short poems, songs, and radio and television programs, use roman type and quote marks: (He learned Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees.” We watched “The Sopranos.”)
- For signs and mottoes, capitalize but don’t use italics or quotes. (There was a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. The flag bore the motto Dont Tread on Me.)
Possessives with and without s
- With few exceptions, add ’s to singular nouns: Marx’s theories, Burns’s poems. To plurals, add an apostrophe only: the Joneses’ store, Fiction Writers’ Forum.
- But: appearance’ sake, Jesus’ name (traditional); Euripides’ plays (polysyllabic name). And drop the s where euphony insists: Dickens’ stories, Gibbons’ studies.
Plural nouns with single attributes
- They wore it on their arm. (Arms to mean both arms.)
- Some of the ladies brought cookies. Others brought a cake. (Probably not cakes.)