Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and quotation marks are not used to create emphasis.
That’s it. That’s the episode.
Okay, to be a little more elaborate: People often use italics or bolding or caps lock to indicate that something is super important. This is especially true on signs. Think DO NOT ENTER. Those are all correct ways to indicate emphasis, though they’re not appropriate for formal, full-length writing projects. The WRONG way to indicate emphasis is to put the phrase in quotation marks. When used to indicate something besides a direct quotation, these marks are actually called “scare quotes” and they typically indicate some kind of irony or sarcasm. DO NOT ENTER! becomes “Do not enter.”
For short messages on signs, you can use italics, bolding, larger font, colorful font, or caps lock. For longer, more formal writing, you should phrase and structure your sentences to make the emphasis clear without resorting to fancy font styles.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.