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Handling Titles of Works

1/15/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
My mother's favorite book is "Pride and Prejudice."

Does that book title look funny to you? Your answer may depend on which style guide you use. I'm a fan of The Chicago Manual of Style, so the quotation marks appear odd to me. In that style guide, book titles are italicized. On the other hand, in the Associated Press Stylebook, quotation marks are correct.

In The Chicago Manual of Style, a shorter work (such as a song, poem, or short story) generally appears in quotation marks, while longer works have italics. In AP style, nearly every type of composition uses quotation marks.

The table below shows how to handle different kinds of composition titles in Chicago and AP styles.
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Pride and Prejudice will always look better to me than "Pride and Prejudice," but at least by referring to the table, I'll know the quotation marks aren't necessarily wrong.
2 Comments
Brian Keefer
1/15/2015 10:01:35 pm

Although I've spent most of my career adhering to AP style, you've spotlighted a great example of when I prefer Chicago style. The key is to be consistent -- in a publication, on a website, in your own writing. Pick a style or a blend of styles, then apply the rules evenly and consistently.

Reply
Rose Ciccarelli
1/17/2015 11:02:34 am

I agree. Consistency is crucial, which is why having a style sheet and a checklist is so handy. Most of my work is in Chicago style, so when I have to switch over to AP or APA, a checklist is a necessity. With AP style, the quotation marks in titles look odd to me, but I miss my beloved Oxford comma the most!

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    Rose Ciccarelli offers writing and editing services through Rosebud Communications.

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