Emphatically emphatic
We have all encountered individuals who when talking insist on using their fingers to gesture quotation marks in the air around certain words, hoping to add emphasis to their statements. This habit has trickled into some authors’ writing and should be discouraged. It not only confuses the reader but can also take away from the accurate use of quotation marks and italics to set certain words and phrases apart.
Used to tell the reader “this isn’t mine” or “I know this is wrong” are called scare quotes. Used with discretion, the device can be effective. But once is enough. Avoid surrounding a term with scare quotes repeatedly throughout a narrative. Scare quotes used in an ironic way can backfire, because they can create a patronizing or sarcastic effect that risks alienating the reader.
by T.M.
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