Halloween is approaching, so it’s time to visit the pumpkin patch.
You might see scarecrows there.
Just like scarecrows can deter birds from crops, scare quotes can deter readers from text.
Scare quotes are a nickname for quotation marks used around a word or phrase when quotation marks are not needed.
It’s not a good idea to overuse scare quotes. They obscure meaning. They make your readers doubt the reality of the word or phrase. They’ll think you don’t intend the actual meaning and that you consider the quoted word or phrase to be odd. It’s in this confusion where your message may get lost.
Farmers place scarecrows in their fields to scare away birds that may eat the crops. (Those birds are probably irritated too.) I don’t think writers place scare quotes in their text with the intention of scaring away or irritating readers, but this is what ends up happening.
If you want to indicate irony or nonstandard usage of a word or phrase, it’s ok to use scare quotes occasionally. But The Chicago Manual of Style says scare quotes “lose their force and irritate readers if overused.”
When should you always use quotation marks?
- When you’re borrowing phrases verbatim from another text
- For a translation following a foreign word, phrase, or title (parentheses without quotation marks can also be used)
- To indicate the titles of articles, chapters, and other short works (this is according to The Chicago Manual of Style; use of quotes for titles varies by style guide)
- To indicate a title appearing within an italicized title
So how should you emphasize words or phrases?
- Use the surrounding text. Structure your sentences so your words effectively emphasize your meaning.
- Use italics (but only occasionally to supplement the effective way you have already structured your sentences and never for an entire passage).
- Use boldface (but sparingly so as not to distract or confuse your readers).
If the pumpkin patch is full of scarecrows, the birds will hesitate to try eating the pumpkins. If your text is full scare quotes, your readers will hesitate to try understanding your message.
Try not to spook your readers by overusing scare quotes.
