Italics versus Capitals

[Aizar]

In dialogue, when someone is talking really loudly, the text can be eitherr capitalized or put in italics. And sometimes it's even both. I was wondering what the rule is, because I've seen it all ways, even all in the same book.

Examples:

"Watch out!"

"WATCH OUT!"

"WATCH OUT!"

Is there an actual difference between those three sentences? Or is it just more up to the author's preference?

[PFA]

I always thought it had more to do with the author's personal preference than any sort of actual rule. XD Though I myself use italics for emphasis ("haha, no, it's really not that bad"), capitals for shouting ("WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!")--or sometimes emphasis, like I do italics ("that shirt is SO yesterday")--and both if I reeeaaally want to get the point across ("GET DOWN!").

...While I'm thinking about it, does anyone else not include the final punctuation mark in my italics like I just did there? I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do it, so I'm sort of curious now. XD;

[Gelquie]

Hmm, whenever I do emphasis with italics or capitals, I always take into account how the character would say it. That said, I try to stay away from capitals unless they're really shouting because I hate excessive use of capitals. I don't mind them occasionally, but I don't want to read multiple sentences full of them.

However, I have to be careful about using pure italics because I'll embed the entire sentence in italics whenever it represents what a character thinks. I otherwise mostly do one-word emphases with them. ...So yeah, it's rather difficult.

Although, if someone's shouting super loudly or is otherwise really mad, I'll sometimes make the text bold, as an alternative.

As for punctuation, I've never taken notice. I guess it depends on whether the whole sentence is taken over by the font or whether it's just one word. The former, yes; the latter, probably not.

[Joker]

In my head, there's a huge difference between italicized and capitalized words - one is emphasis, the other is a SHOUT.

[Killix]

It depends on preference, but not everyone will read it the same way.

For me: Italics emphasise, while capitals SHOUT.

[Breakingchains]

I never use capitals in prose; when I'm reading, they tend to distract me from the story, because I start looking at the print on the page rather than staying absorbed in what's happening. (Incidentally, that's the same problem I have with things like "!?!", "!!!!!", and "") I realize not everyone has that reaction, but if you want to convey a shout, I don't know why you can't just say "s/he shouted" and use a single exclamation point.

So I use italics for emphasis (though sparingly), dialogue tags for shouting, capitals never.

...While I'm thinking about it, does anyone else not include the final punctuation mark in my italics like I just did there?

I'm also curious about that. I always include the final punctuation mark so it won't run together with the last letter, but I wonder if there's a hard-and-fast rule about it.

[Nut]

I agree with Breakingchains--no capitals in prose, period. It's distracting and looks unprofessional to me. I restrict the use of caps lock to being silly on the internet, and keep it out of serious work.

I read the difference between italics and caps the same way as everyone else, emphasis versus SHOUT versus EMPHASIZED SHOUT. I already avoid overusing emphasis, and seeing the latter two in writing just makes me think that the author doesn't know a better way to convey dialogue tone.

That question about the punctuation is interesting though, because I have actually always left the punctuation mark unitalicized like PFA does, but I always assumed that the correct way to do it was to italicize it and that's what I'd do if I were preparing an official work for printing. The only reason I don't italicize the punctuation is because of the way the highlighting in MS Word snaps to certain areas of the sentence (or seems to for me) and it feels somehow easier to alter text if I italicize only the words.

So now I wonder if anyone italicizes quotation marks in those sentences? I don't; I think quotation marks should only be italicized if they're part of a larger body of italicized text.

[Chao]

I would never use capitals that way in prose. Capitals are for abbreviations and nothing more. This shouting-thing in caps is chat-speak, which shouldn't be used at all in prose-writing (unless one is inserting purposefully a scene which takes place in a chatroom). I simply use normal letters and one exclamation mark. (Thankfully I got over the phase of using more than one exclamation mark. ) If I want to make sure people know what kind of shouting it is, I describe it afterwards like: "Get down!" X shouted at the top of his lungs, while rushing towards his friend, hoping C would hear him over the general noise of the crowd.

Italics are for emphasis or special foreign words, like Latin spells when writing a Harry Potter fanfiction ("Why don't you use the levitation spell?" vs. "Why don't you use the Wingardium Leviosa?").

[Aizar]

I tend to italicize the ending punctuation, but not the quotations if it's in quotations. That's another rule of grammar that I'm not sure which is correct. ;D

[Sq]

I like using capitals. XD For shouting. I probably use them more than italics, to be honest. When used correctly I think it can be really effective and bring the dialogue to life.
It kind of bothers me when italics are overused, or are in places where caps would make more sense. Or when neither are used and everything is just plain and boring. >o

[PFA]

Mar 7, 2010 3:23:45 GMT -5 Nut said:

That question about the punctuation is interesting though, because I have actually always left the punctuation mark unitalicized like PFA does, but I always assumed that the correct way to do it was to italicize it and that's what I'd do if I were preparing an official work for printing. The only reason I don't italicize the punctuation is because of the way the highlighting in MS Word snaps to certain areas of the sentence (or seems to for me) and it feels somehow easier to alter text if I italicize only the words.

So now I wonder if anyone italicizes quotation marks in those sentences? I don't; I think quotation marks should only be italicized if they're part of a larger body of italicized text.

Well, I guess when I'm italicizing the whole sentence, I'm more likely to include the punctuation in the italics, but uh... for one, I don't italicize whole sentences much, and two, I guess I've always thought it made more sense to emphasize the words I'm italicizing and not the punctuation. I dunno if that makes sense when I say it, though.

As for the quotation marks, no, I don't italicize the quotation marks unless I've got a specific reason to, e.g. a character is remembering something someone said, someone is speaking through some device/magic/psychics and is (probably) not physically there, or it's already part of a larger body of italicized text. I also sometimes use it for characters who are there but can't be seen (yet), but I've been cutting back on that a bit--for instance, I used to use it for those dramatic moments when a character shows up and says something before the other characters turn around and see "oh my gosh! This character has arrived!", but now usually don't.

[Deleted]

I generally use italics, but I (on very rare occasions) will use capitals if the character is really, really shouting, since I don't think italics always get it across.

For instance.

-

"Well, that's obvious enough," she said, leaning against a nearby tree.

"Hands off!"

"Hey Sarin, what do you th--WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!"

-

This would be why I hate seeing caps in chat. >.< It feels like someone's got the volume on their voice always turned up to max. I would only use capitals if the shouting's enough to make a guy go deaf.

[Breakingchains]

Hmm, if someone is yelling really loud, that's where I would use a dialogue tag (describe the voice as a "deafening scream" or somesuch thing) and *maybe* italics along with it. I just hate the distracting qualities of capitals, and they seem to call internet chat rooms to mind

They also tend to give me the feeling that I'm reading a book for little kids. Weird of me, I know, but there's just something campy about them.

[Nimras]

I'm on the bandwagon for italics meaning emphasis for only one or two words (inside quotation marks) or a character's thoughts when a whole sentence and without quotation marks.

Pretty much the only time I'll use all caps in speech is if death is talking.


"What were you thinking?" she hissed. "You could have been killed!"

Right, he thought, her and her paranoid thoughts of Death being out to get us.

_{"I'M ALWAYS WATCHING... WAITING..."} Death whispered.

[Tiger]

I used to use caps for shouting, especially to emphasize a single shouted word in a fully italicized sentence; "Watch OUT, *name*!". I ended up just adding "he shouted" to the end of sentences like these, italicized the most emphatic word, and figured the dialogue tag and exclamation point would take care of the rest. I now feel like caps robs dialogue of its seriousness. Which's okay, if you have a comedic character/piece (I can imagine Storm from Avalon talking in caps just fine), but I'm a serious, grim-faced person who doesn't normally go that route =P

I also use italics for thoughts...but I put thoughts in quotes, and then reverse-italics emphasized words. I think it looks a little odd for thoughts to randomly be without quotes; they're kind of a form of dialogue, after all =/

And I second Chao's point, of using italics for foreign language words (unless they're a name of a landmark or whatever). I also (well, I plan to) use entirely italics dialogue and proper tags to indicate when someone's speaking a different language and I'm translating it to English right then and there (or the language just doesn't exist, because I don't have the appropriate linguistic skills to make them up XD)