quotation marks: reference to words as such

Most writers prefer to place words referred to as such in italics or to underline them rather than to use quotation marks, but consistency in form is the golden rule.

When referring to a word’s form rather than its meaning, you can use quotation marks to draw the reader’s attention. Usually such a word is preceded by a term such as means, marked, specified, as, referred to as, the word, the phrase, entitled and designated.

Words being defined, French terms and foreign words are set in italics, and their definition or translation is placed in quotation marks:

• The Canadian International Development Agency will be referred to as "the Agency" in this Agreement.
• The French word dotation means "staffing."
• Ibid., short for ibidem, meaning "in the same place," is used when references to the same work follow each other without any other intervening reference.

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TERMIUM Plus^®, la banque de données terminologiques et linguistiques du gouvernement du Canada
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