1) EMPHASIS
Occasionally, italics are used to stress certain words or phrases. This usage is more common in dialogue than in formal writing and should be kept to a minimum.
Example:
- “I didn’t blue paint; I wanted lavender paint!”
- “Mr. Lloyd, you told the prosecutor that you didn’t meet Mrs. Young until last month, is that right?”
- On the basis of the field inspector’s report, I recommend that we shut down off shore drilling platform #45.
2) FOREIGN WORDS AND PHRASES
Foreign words and phrases that are not part of common usage are italicized.
- The motto of the Coast Guard is simper paratus—always prepared.
- As they say, Ende gut, alles gut: all’s well that ends well.
NOTE: However, many foreign words have been in common use long enough that they are no longer italicized.
Example:
- His clothes are very avant-garde.
- At one time the motto caveat emptor—let the buyer beware—was the rule in business.
- Her hat is chic, her shoes passé.
- The military junta declared a 7:00 P.M. curfew.
3) TITLES
The titles of plays, books, magazines, newspapers, movies, and other types of periodicals and publications are italicized when they appear in print. If the first word of a title is a, an, or the, it is italicized only if it is part of the actual name.
Example:
- The Wall Street Journal (newspaper)
- The Los Angeles Times (newspaper)
- Chorus Line (play)
- The Insider (corporate publication)
- Editorial Eye (newsletter)
- Esquire (magazine)
- The Color Purple (movie)
- Redbook (magazine)
- The Yearling (book)
4) VEHICLES
Use italics for the names of ships, spacecraft, airplanes, and other well-known vehicles.
Example:
- The battleship Excalibur.
- The spaceship Enterprise.
- The titanic.
- The president’s jet Air Force One.
