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6.01 Introduction

Because italic (sloping) type contrasts with roman (vertical) type, a writer can require words or passages to be typeset in italics in order to call special attention to them, to give them special meaning, or to distinguish them from the rest of his or her text.

Use italics sparingly, or they lose their effectiveness.

When an entire passage is printed in italics, the punctuation (including parentheses) and any numbers (including footnote references) will also be in italics. If just a word or phrase is in italics, only the punctuation proper to it is printed in that typeface.

Note that when the main body of a text is printed in italics, roman type is used for emphasis and for the other purposes described in this chapter.

6.02 Emphasis

Italics can serve to indicate emphasis in the following cases:

  • when the writer uses an unexpected word:

    What differences might we expect to see in human behaviour if honesty were shown to be the worst policy?

  • when two words are contrasted:

    I did not say we would go: I said we might go.

  • when the writer wishes to stress a word that would not normally be stressed in the sentence:

    Why was he chosen to chair the committee?