What do italics do?

As a language expert with a keen eye for typographical conventions, I can tell you that the use of italics is a nuanced and important aspect of written communication. Italics are a style of type that is characterized by slanting characters to the right, which can serve various purposes in written text. Here's a detailed look at what italics do and how they are used in different contexts:

1. Emphasis: Italics can be used to emphasize certain words or phrases within a sentence. When you want to draw attention to a particular part of the text, italics can be an effective tool. For example, in the sentence "I love *italics*," the word "italics" is emphasized.

2. Titles of Works: Italics are commonly used to denote the titles of longer works such as books, plays, movies, and albums. For instance, when referring to Shakespeare's play, you would write "*Hamlet*" in italics.

3. Foreign Words: When incorporating foreign words or phrases that are not commonly used in English, italics can be used to set them apart. This helps to indicate that the word is not of the same language as the rest of the text.

4. Words as Words: Italics are also used when referring to words as objects. For example, if you're discussing the word "love" as a concept, you might write "The word *love* has many meanings."

5. Names of Ships and Planes: The names of certain vehicles, particularly ships and sometimes airplanes, are often italicized to distinguish them from other nouns in the text.

6. Poetry and Lyrics: Italics can be used to indicate that a section of text is a poem or a song lyric.
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Mathematical Variables: In academic writing, particularly in mathematics, italics are used to denote variables and coefficients.
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Botanical and Zoological Names: Scientific names for plants and animals are often italicized to distinguish them from common names.
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Legal Documents: Italics are sometimes used in legal documents to highlight specific clauses or sections.
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Highlighting Changes: When revising a document, italics can be used to indicate additions or changes made to the original text.
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1. Citations: In some citation styles, italics are used to format the titles of articles, papers, or chapters within a book.
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2. Punctuation and Italics: It's important to note that while italics and underlining serve similar purposes, they are not used together. The convention is to choose one or the other, and in modern typography, italics are preferred over underlining for the reasons mentioned above.
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3. Technical Writing: In technical writing, italics can be used to indicate the first use of a term that is later explained in the text.
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4. Academic Writing: Italics are often used in academic writing to denote a new term or concept that is being introduced to the reader.
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5. Literary Devices: Italics can also be used to highlight literary devices such as irony or satire within a text.
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6. Dialogue Tags: In some writing styles, italics are used for dialogue tags, such as "he *whispered*" or "she *shouted*."
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Thoughts and Feelings: Italics can be used to represent a character's thoughts or feelings, especially when they are not spoken out loud.
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Letters and Diaries: Italics are sometimes used to indicate that a section of text is from a letter or a diary entry.
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Newspaper and Magazine Articles: In journalism, italics are often used for headlines or subheadings to distinguish them from the body text.
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Quotes Within Quotes: When quoting a source that itself contains a quote, the inner quote may be italicized to differentiate it from the outer quote.

Using italics effectively can enhance the readability and clarity of your writing. It's a subtle but powerful tool that, when used correctly, can add depth and meaning to your text.

We use italics (characters set in type that slants to the right) and underlining to distinguish certain words from others within the text. These typographical devices mean the same thing; therefore, it would be unusual to use both within the same text and it would certainly be unwise to italicize an underlined word.