Page 170 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking

nickname for a person, place, or thing.

■ Don “The Sphinx” Mossi, who pitched for the Cleveland Indians, was
also known as “Ears.”

■ They call the neighborhood “Loisaida,” a corruption of “Lower East

Side” by Spanish speakers.
■ Shakespeare’s Macbeth is called “The Scottish Play” by superstitious
actors.

By the way, some fiction writers do not use quotation marks when they’re
trying to show what a character is thinking.

■ We’re in a heap of trouble now, Paul Bunyan told himself. I better go
stock up on supplies.

An informal use of quotation marks shows doubt or sarcasm about a concept

or thing by using them around a word or short phrase. It’s not appropriate for

formal writing.

■ She invited me into her “castle,” which was a stack of old packing
crates.

■ Oh, you have a “bestselling novel” on the way, do you? How nice for
you.

On casual signs, you will often see quotation marks used to emphasize a
word or phrase.

■ Buy ’em by the “sack”!
■ “Please” close the door on exiting.

Although this is incredibly common, and is easily understood unless you

prefer to pretend to misunderstand it, it is also highly informal and should be
avoided in most writing. Instead, capitalize, underline, bold, or italicize words to

emphasize them.