1. #1

    Small Grammar Question

    I tried googleing and didn't get the answer I wanted. It might be because of how "wordy" this question is.

    I was wondering if I should put into quotations the movie names and names of newspapers if they appear in a paragraph that is wholly italicized. I know according to MLA, traditionally you italicize these sorts of things but I was wondering if this case, with an entire paragraph italicized, that I should put them in quotations or just leave it italicized with the rest of the paragraph.
    Last edited by TidesOfBlood; 2013-01-26 at 01:01 AM.

  2. #2
    I think you would just do the reverse and not italicize it. That is, have the Movie Name written in like this.
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  3. #3
    Cool. Thanks!

    I'm been going crazy looking through the chicago and mla site haha.

  4. #4
    Elemental Lord Reg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TidesOfBlood View Post
    I tried googleing and didn't get the answer I wanted. It might be because of how "wordy" this question is.

    I was wondering if I should put into quotations the movie names and names of newspapers if they appear in a paragraph that is wholly italicized. I know according to MLA, traditionally you italicize these sorts of things but I was wondering if this case, with an entire paragraph italicized, that I should put them in quotations or just leave it italicized with the rest of the paragraph.
    You could just go old fashioned and use underlines.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Regennis View Post
    You could just go old fashioned and use underlines.
    I was going to do that, but I wasnt sure if it was "grammatically correct". Fun note, Grammar rules change over time (I didnt know that), we italicize now because typewriters back then didnt have that option which is why they underlined.

    Where is a grammar nazi when you need one :P

  6. #6
    Nah underlines are only used for short stories and poems. Or vice versa.

    Just do what that hair dye guy said.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TidesOfBlood View Post
    I was going to do that, but I wasnt sure if it was "grammatically correct".

    Where is a grammar nazi when you need one :P
    Underline and italics are both acceptable for titles, but underlining has kind of gone the way of the dodo because of the advancement of word processors. Italics looks more professional.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-25 at 08:07 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Blueobelisk View Post
    Nah underlines are only used for short stories and poems. Or vice versa.

    Just do what that hair dye guy said.
    Not true at all.

  8. #8
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    I was always taught to use underlines for all standalone publications, while articles and short stories that might appear in books get quotations. I've never ever used italics for this sort of thing ever.

    But if italics is the new thing, then yeah, I'd just say de-italicize the thing you want to note.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  9. #9
    Hm...So far from the information above, I'm stuck between underlining and de-italicizing. XD

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    I was always taught to use underlines for all standalone publications, while articles and short stories that might appear in books get quotations. I've never ever used italics for this sort of thing ever.

    But if italics is the new thing, then yeah, I'd just say de-italicize the thing you want to note.
    Yeah, the rule used to be underline for full-length works and quotations for smaller works. With the advancement of word processing and printers, italics has been replacing underlining as it looks more professional. Remember, these rules were developed when writing by hand was still prevalent. It's pretty tough to right italics by hand lol

    So now the rule is to use italics for full-length works, and if that is not possible, underline. As the entire text is in italics, you should treat it as if none of it is.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Regennis View Post
    Yeah, the rule used to be underline for full-length works and quotations for smaller works. With the advancement of word processing and printers, italics has been replacing underlining as it looks more professional. Remember, these rules were developed when writing by hand was still prevalent. It's pretty tough to right italics by hand lol

    So now the rule is to use italics for full-length works, and if that is not possible, underline. As the entire text is in italics, you should treat it as if none of it is.
    Hm okay. So in this case I'll underline it? (I didn't get the second sentence of the bolded, sorry)

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by TidesOfBlood View Post
    Hm okay. So in this case I'll underline it? (I didn't get the second sentence of the bolded, sorry)
    Yes, underline it.

    May I ask why the entirety of the paragraph is italicized?

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Regennis View Post
    Yes, underline it.

    May I ask why the entirety of the paragraph is italicized?
    I feel like if I tell you, I'm going to be on your sh#*tlist haha. DONT JUDGE MEEEE!

    I did it because there were some resumes in this resume builder book that did it and I thought "cool, i guess ill do that too". I usually woudlnt make a big deal about tiny stuff like this but the I'm sending it to a newspaper company...so you can see why I would be sorta anal about that.

    Don't you dare "/smh" >.<

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Garnier Fructis View Post
    I think you would just do the reverse and not italicize it. That is, have the Movie Name written in like this.
    This sounds correct to me, but have you double checked that its correct for the entire paragraph to be italicized? its been a while since learning MLA, but that seems like that was a no-no.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by TidesOfBlood View Post
    I feel like if I tell you, I'm going to be on your sh#*tlist haha. DONT JUDGE MEEEE!

    I did it because there were some resumes in this resume builder book that did it and I thought "cool, i guess ill do that too". I usually woudlnt make a big deal about tiny stuff like this but the I'm sending it to a newspaper company...so you can see why I would be sorta anal about that.
    I wasn't going to judge lol So it's for a resume for a job you applying for with a newspaper company? Good luck with that, editor's are usually crazy people! (I bet that didn't help lol)

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-25 at 08:23 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Brewface View Post
    This sounds correct to me, but have you double checked that its correct for the entire paragraph to be italicized? its been a while since learning MLA, but that seems like that was a no-no.
    I hate MLA format as they keep changing shit -.- The latest I learned in college was to underline as underlining and italics represent the same thing.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Regennis View Post
    I wasn't going to judge lol So it's for a resume for a job you applying for with a newspaper company? Good luck with that, editor's are usually crazy people! (I bet that didn't help lol)

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-25 at 08:23 PM ----------



    I hate MLA format as they keep changing shit -.- The latest I learned in college was to underline as underlining and italics represent the same thing.
    How else are they going to keep selling you new editions of the MLA guidelines?

    You know they tortured me with MLA in high school, saying I would need to know it for college. They would go to the point where if you missed a single period in a work citation, you'd lose a third of a letter grade. Then I got to college, and they didn't care as long as it didn't hurt their eyes to read.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    How else are they going to keep selling you new editions of the MLA guidelines?

    You know they tortured me with MLA in high school, saying I would need to know it for college. They would go to the point where if you missed a single period in a work citation, you'd lose a third of a letter grade. Then I got to college, and they didn't care as long as it didn't hurt their eyes to read.
    The only time I was required to use strict MLA formatting was in my English classes, but when you go to college for English, there are quite a few of them lol

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Regennis View Post
    The only time I was required to use strict MLA formatting was in my English classes, but when you go to college for English, there are quite a few of them lol
    Well in most of my classes, including my English classes, the professors would mumble something about doing the assignment in APA format, but the students just ignored that and turned in their papers in a reasonably professional looking format, and the professors never batted an eyelash.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  19. #19
    Its funny and I don't mean to derail my own thread but in Political Science, they hammered me more on grammar than in English. English was a little more forgiving (depending on the prof. you had of course. One of them was an a prof from India and he graded like a beast when it came to grammar).

  20. #20
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by TidesOfBlood View Post
    Cool. Thanks!

    I'm been going crazy looking through the chicago and mla site haha.
    MLA recommends switching to roman type, while chicago (8.184) specifies the use of quotation marks. I only studied french orthotypography in college so I can't really give a more informed opinion, but I only underline as a substitute for italics when handwriting, it just looks odd on print.

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