For today’s Can I Get a Ruling: the dread “quotation marks” for “emphasis.”
As I’m sure you all know, quotation marks either denote a direct quote or to show irony or euphemism. They’re not used for emphasis. So…. I don’t care what your sign says, I’m not eating your “fresh” mozzarella.
The improper use of quotations is properly skewered in the hilarious site The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. My particular favorite is the sign that “pool” “closed”, which definitely leaves a lot to the imagination.
What I find especially “odd” about “improper quotation marks” is that it seems to be mainly a generational thing: it’s most common among people over the age of 50. Was there a golden era of quotation marks where they were used for emphasis and we “younguns” just don’t know what we’re “talking about?”
What’s the story on “incorrect” quotation marks? Anyone?
Nathan –
Yes, I think it's an interesting discussion! Do different generations tend to make different types of grammatical errors? I thought some people had some really interesting points. I liked Marilyn's points alot, and thought what she said about the typewriter was interesting.
I remember typewriters. I remember carbon paper and liquid ink. Instruments of the dark side, they all were. Much more constricting than computers – well, there's no comparison. 🙂
"Laser."
nathan @5:29 –
So "that's" how you post awesomeness every day, without fail: you lock yourself in a cave and write a bunch of posts in a row — and then schedule them to publish each morning.
The best "quotation marks" are the ones you make with two fingers curved in on each hand, holding them up on either side of your head as you are talking.
"Love" the use of these. Especially by guys I am "dating"
I blame the nuns! (We boomers abuse exclamation points too!!!)
I remember being afraid I would plagiarize someone unintentionally and God would send me to "Hell."
So I figured if I put quotes on everything, I would be innocent, escape eternal damnation and therefore only have to pass through Purgatory, like St. Theresa. So, hell or quotation marks?
"God," no wonder we are freakin' "nuts"!!!!!
I'm with Rick on this one:
Therefore I don't think it's "incorrect" it's just "annoying."
That was my first thought – "how annoying!" – but as I read through the comments, such as Sandra's 84 year old grandma, I understand why some people choose to use quotation marks as emphasis. I'm just not one of them.
All right, I can't help it. I'll crawl out of my hole for a second day in a row…
To the youth out there(I'm considered one) grammer is def becoming a once upon a time thing. I see younger writers making more mistakes with grammer. I think it has to do with not needing to know grammer as well as the older generations thanks to grammer/spell check.
I do think that the older generations, probably older than 50,do use quotations for emphasis because they didn't have italics and bold print on computers. They used a pen, so quotes probably carried a different meaning. My Great Grandmother use to do it, and my father's mother does it. But these were women who never really used computers.
So my vote is, that it is generational and something that people who never really used a compture would tend to do more often. And for the younger people out there silly enough to make this mistake (yes, its a mistake and a highly annoying one if you're asking my opinion.) probably picked it up from their grandparents or parents.
Anyway, have fun with this conversation!!
Justine
Mira – your comment about typewriters and liquid ink remind me of how lucky us writers are today. Yay MS Word!!!
Steph,
I've been thinking that too. Seriously…I don't think I would've attempted any of this if I didn't have it. God bless my MS Word program!
I always thought it "came from a Chris Farley Skit" on "Saturday Night Live." 😉
Yes. It was Chris Farley. "Math problem"
"Emphasis" = actually + really + irreguardless. Over fifty, taught by the sisters.
well i have to admit that i use quotation marks only when the character is speaking, this way it keeps it sort of separate from the rest of the work.
I use itallics to stress a word.
Although not yet 50… I have never been taught to use quotation marks the way you have described them. Maybe its due to the fact that if hand printing, there is no other way to "highlight" the stressed point.
my "quarter's worth" due to inflation and no income. lol
Rhyanna
I try never to use quotation marks for emphasis, and don't think that I ever do at all (though I won't guarantee that it's never happened). For "real" writing (those were air quotes, by the way), I use italics to emphasize. For casual writing, like blog comments, tweets, emails to friends, I use CAPS quite often. And, of course, for things where you can't do proper italics–like some blog comments that don't allow HTML tags–I'll use something like *asterisks*, a habit which I picked up from message boards.
My aunt, though? Who's around 80? She misuses quotation marks ALL the time, it drives me mad.
I have no explanation as to how unnecessary quotation marks originated, but I do have a favorite.
A building in nearby Pawtucket, Rhode Island – a building of what purpose I have no idea – has a marquis on it that for the past two years has had this message:
Room for "rent"
This is followed with a phone number.
The first time, and every time since, I have laughed as I drove past. This past weekend, my wife noticed that the quotation marks had been removed, so someone must have told them how silly it looked.
A small part of me died that day.
Great site. Those photos go well with the ones at National Punctuation Day.
I am of the generation of manual typewriters, carbon paper, liquid ink, and hectographs (which made mimeographs look high-tech). One emphasized by underlining, which meant pulling a lever and repositioning the typewriter platen to the beginning of the text to be underlined. One could also press the Backspace key repeatedly.
(The Backspace key also let me type an exclamation point, which some manual typewriters didn't have. Type a period, backspace, and type an apostrophe above the period.)
Nowadays, if I can't italicize, underline (alas, I can't use underline tags here), or boldface for emphasis, I use asterisks to set a word or phrase *apart* in informal usage. Or I'll do a faux underline, like _this_.
For the whippersnappers out there, a hectograph consisted of a pan into which one poured a gelatinous substance that held an ink impression. One typed a master copy onto special paper that held the ink and then pressed the sheet onto the gel, which transferred the impression in reverse. One then pressed a sheet of regular bond onto the reversed image to create non-reversed text. The ink lasted through several copies.
My mother had been a high school English teacher. She used a hectograph at home to produce exams in the early 60s, turning our dinette table into an assembly line of sorts.
Is anyone still reading comments? I have to add my opinion, I guess, even if you're not!
Yes, I agree with the commenter who said, "Aaaaaaaaagh!" It's like fingernails on a chalkboard when I see blatant misuse of quotation marks. Even in conversation, when someone uses their hands to add them!!
I am a fan, however, of the misuse of capitalization. This was common in all the Winnie the Pooh books, but I was reminded of it tonight when I read to my son "Blueberries for Sal". (I think the period goes after that quotation mark, as the quotes are there to indicate a title, not an actual quote. Am I right? I'm pretty picky, so I think I'm right.) Anyhow, Little Bear ate a Tremendous Mouthful of blueberries from Little Sal's mother's bucket.
I like that. Does that work for you?
Oh, but not To Excess, of course.
Had to share this one, it was reader comment posted on Dick Cavett's latest article. 🙂
# 64. September 12, 2009 8:50 am Link
A “victim” of innumeracy? Maybe, like me, you indulge it. (I hear there’s a cure.)
— Tom Dolan
What could this possibly mean?!?!?
T-shirts are always right:
https://www.zazzle.com/unnecessary_quote_tee_tshirt-235417828717947309
I prefer "italics" myself.
Random quotes don't bug me in casual emails and whatnot. I like to use them for snarky, wink-wink thoughts to friends. You know….Nice "hair" that guy was sporting, what's with the combover??? Stuff like that. Italics are lame…way too proper or something.
And personally…I like to throw in my "…" everywhere just to drive people crazy that I never end a sentence…you know, as if my mind never stops…which it never does….especially on email comments! Har har.
If we're going to nit pick about grammar, I actually am most perturbed about the "me vs. I" thing, the "their, there, they're" and especially….."your the greatest!" ACK!
It's all a mess, and most of it is fine via the email world and blog world. The publishing world….not so much.
I'm no big fan of quotation marks being used in this way. I think it looks ugly. And in the internet age, we have italics. Probably even worse, I know, but there you go. Sometimes I'll use single quotation marks for 'real' effect. bad example.
But you're right — this is definitely an older person thing, from the days when you almost had to apologise for being witty/rude/"whatever" — covering your tracks with the conventions of formality.
I was in Japan and saw a little hole in the wall place to eat that said:
Americans "welcome" here. I wondered if there was a small gang of yakuza inside waiting to kill tourists.
Hey maybe they're right. Maybe they
"Walked up hill both way's in 5 feet of snow" and I just strolled in a northernly fashion in a particulary plush blanket of fresh snow.
https://lilithotham.blogspot.com/
MS Word is watching!! LOL just for you, Nathan!
I detest quotation marks for emphasis.
Although once, in college, a few friends and I were playing 'If I were a punctuation mark, what would I be?' and we concluded that one friend would definitely be quotation marks for emphasis. You'd have to know him, but it fitted perfectly, so for that reason if no other, I am glad this punctuation abberation existed at one point.
Time for it to die, though.
Hi Nathan,
could you please blog sometime about the proliferation of unnecessary commas? They´re everywhere! Maybe it´s because nowadays our info-swamped brains can only deal with little nibbles of sentences at a time.
One of the reasons I enjoy your blog is because you haven´t succumbed to this disease, so maybe you´re the person to adress it.
I'll admit it: I've used many unecessary quotation marks. And while the older generation (almost used "" there!) may have picked up the habit, as Catharine suggested, through pen and paper/typwriter emphasis limitations–I believe the newer generations were firmly entrenched in militant quotational dynamism through that fount of high literacy: Mike Meyers' Austin Powers movies.
Yes, if you ever saw those movies you know what scenes I refer too, and you too must acknowledge that I can "rest my case".
bwahahahahaha!
I think you make an "excellent" point. 🙂
Okay — not to make this more complicated — but I will. Think about how people use quotation marks in verbal language. Either with the double finger wag when they emphasize — or when they say, "quote un-quote."
The blog on "Unnecessary" quotations was funny.
I've never seen this habit in my family or much at all.
But I do like my exclamation points. They were verboten in hard news. Forbidden fruit is sweet!!!!
Although I use there's all the time. Is that really wrong?
It must be subconscious. I use quotation marks a lot and then when I reread my draft pull them out because it irritates me. This is then followed by the decision whether something is important enough to italicize. It rarely is.
The Victorians capitalized words they wanted to emphasize. Queen Victoria's diary is rife with capitals.
Seeing written quotation marks or air quotes used for emphasis doesn't drive me nearly as crazy as hearing Quote and Unquote.
"My dachshund said, quote, 'I'm six inches tall, not seven' unquote."
Using "said" before a direct quote pretty much defines whatever is about to follow as a direct quote.
I always thought the accepted style for emphasis is to use italics?
I prefer this over “quotation marks”.
Got me. I'm "over" fifty and don't recall using quotations for emphasis. I'm more of an "italics" kinda guy to denote emphasis…usually when my characters are "YELLING!"
A someone on the shady side of 60, I can tell you that I have never heard of such a use of quotation marks. Maybe it came in with the hippies in the 60's, but we were taught that quotation marks were used for–well–quotes. In my opinion, when I see a non-quote in quotes, it means that the word means the opposite of what it says, so that "fresh" ingredients, means they are previously-frozen, freeze-dried, or just plain old.
I'm one of the over fifty crowd and hate the use of quotes, especially air quotes they just make the speaker look and sound dorky. What I apparently have a problem with is ellipses.
Fifteen years ago I accompanied a small group of high school students on a trip to Australia (two kids were mine) and I wrote and printed out the itinerary. It started with, Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean…
Hey, I thought it was cute. : ) To this day whenever any of the group are together one will always say, "Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, dot, dot, dot." Then they'll crack up. I'm not sure what that all means…
Interesting question Nathan. I don't think I've ever used quotes to denote emphasis before. I could see using quotes to indicate a descriptor that is someone's opinion.
For example: the thrift store employee showed my wife a pair of bright orange shoes that she swore were "like new".
But see, used in that sense, it's almost like a quote…not really for emphasis.
While we're on the topic of bad habits, I feel it's the perfect time to admit to you and the world that I tend to use commas, elipses and hyphens like they're going out of style.
I think we all try to convey pauses and emphasis through words so the reader will hear the story as though we're speaking it.
But, in the end, we…probably only make the–otherwise simple–text, much, more…difficult to read. 😉
"Quotation marks?"
for "emphasis?"
Never
(Point being: there are so many other ways to emphasize something (two used above)).
This was a hilarious thread. I've most frequently seen improper quotes on signage. Stores doing things like putting "Apples" in quotes for a sale. It always makes me laugh.
Now I have a week's worth of Nathan's posts to catch up on after vacation.
I believe it all goes back to the days of pens and pencils and their inability to jot proper italics.
I believe as a tot I was taught to put the names of magazine articles and short stories in quotes (Novels and other book titles underlined.
But no one writes on loose leaf anymore, and quotes have even gone out of style when, well, quoting someone. See Saramago.
So no more quotes – ever. Unless you're writing a post-WWII through the 1980s period piece. Then the whole book should really be in quotes. Just for nostalgia's sake.
"WOW" pass the prozac. There are way too many other things to worry about than the differences in writing techniques.
We all just need to agree that our differences need to be celebrated, because it would be a boring world if we all wrote alike.
As someone pointed out, 'Wikepedia' says it is not wrong.
I seriously doubt this subject would ever cross the average reader's mind. Writers tend to notice grammar, readers tend to just notice the story.
(Please tell me there are no grammar errors in my post.)
Actually Wikipedia says it "is" wrong.
Nathan,
I don't recall ever learning or teaching the use of quotation marks for emphasis, but this reminds me of a 4th grade grammar lesson I taught at a school where every teacher was observed and evaluated on a weekly basis.
My lesson, on parentheses, was going quite well, I thought. The students were engaged. The evaluator was smiling.
Every lesson ends with a final check of understanding. You have to make sure the students actually learned something, right?
Me: “So, what do we call this type of punctuation?”
The class, in hearty unison: “Quotation marks!”
"Either quotation marks or italic type can emphasize that an instance of a word refers to the word itself rather than its associated concept.
either of a pair of punctuation marks, either in double (" ") or single (' ') form, used around direct speech, quotations, and titles, or to give special emphasis to a word or phrase"
I must have missed something then.
anon-
You are missing something: you're reading the wrong section. That refers to a specific case where you're referring to the word itself instead of the concept that the word means.
Here's the section on emphasis:
"Emphasis (incorrect usage)
Quotes are sometimes used incorrectly for emphasis in lieu of underlining or italics, most commonly on signs or placards. This usage can be confused with ironic or altered-usage quotation, sometimes with unintended humor. For example, For sale: “fresh” fish, “fresh” oysters, could be construed to imply that fresh is not used with its everyday meaning, or indeed to indicate that the fish or oysters are anything but fresh. And again, Teller lines open until noon for your “convenience” might mean that the convenience was for the bank employees, not the customers."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Emphasis_.28incorrect_usage.29
Nathan,
I think you and I were responding to two different situations. Several of the bloggers are talking about just for emphasis, not just signs.
Sheesh, anon, it doesn't just go for signs.
Anon,
The people writing the signs were trying to use the marks for emphasis, but it doesn't work because they imply an ironic understanding of the word. So, rather than emphasizing the word they're actually undercutting its meaning through the use of irony.
I had "fun" at the party.
This is not emphasis, this is a wry statement hinting that I didn't have fun at all.
I had a friend my age that did this (29 for the record) and I sat staring at her email trying to figure out why she was being sarcastic when the situation didn't call for it. It took me a good fifteen minutes to realize she should have bolded or at least CAPITALIZED for me to understand her.
Using quotation marks incorrectly can strain a relationship. For instance, in Ryan's comment, his mom used quotes on "Love,"…I think I would be offended. 😀
If I use quotations, I'm almost always being sarcastic. But sometimes, just "sometimes", I'm actually quoting someone. 😉
Jenn