Italics are the colloquial name for each letter in which the letters are italicized (in this way); italics are used to highlight words, write titles for books, newspapers, films, etc., save quotes, and foreign phrases. How to write in cursive?
What is cursive
It comes from hand-written Carolingian writing and developed in 15th-century Italy. Most (but not all) italics are tilted to the right at an angle of approximately 2-20 degrees. Typically, italics are one of the three basic typeface variations, along with the straight (antiquarian) and bold variations.
How to write in cursive
To type in italics on your computer, click the “Italic” button or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + I. You can also type in italics on popular messengers such as Messenger or Whatsapp. In this way we can distinguish both individual words and entire sentences. To highlight the right piece of text, start and end it with the appropriate character: asterisk, underscore or tilde. Formatting can be combined with each other:
- Bold message
- Slanted message _
- ~ Crossed out text ~
- * ~ Combinations! _ ~ *
Where to use cursive
Italics are much slower to read than antique books, and in large quantities is tiring for the reader, which is why it is usually used to highlight certain elements of the text. It is used primarily for:
- book titles, dramatic works, and poetry (they can also be enclosed in quotation marks, then we do not use italics);
- movie titles, non-cyclic television and radio programs;
- titles of works of art, songs and musical works;
- foreign words and phrases, with the exception of those incorporated into the native inflection system;
- stage directions;
- specific elements of the publication, such as quotes, dedications, short preface, mottoes.
Italics are also sometimes used to emphasize a selected motif in a work or to highlight an important word or phrase – important fragments that significantly affect the reception and understanding of sense, reflecting the creator’s intention and vision. The decision to use italics therefore largely depends on the author’s intention and will and interpretation of the text.
When not to use cursive
Do not use italics to highlight the following (they should be enclosed in quotation marks):
- titles of newspapers, magazines,
- titles of publishing series,
- foreign words and phrases commonly known, statements used ironically, standing out from the background of the text.
Italics should therefore not be used to write titles of cyclic television and radio programs, magazine titles, publishing series, chapters. In these cases, we use quotation marks.
Italics are also used to emphasize places that are to draw the reader’s attention, it is also used in scientific publications, e.g. for Latin constellation names or symbols of physical quantities. In fiction, it can be used to isolate the unspoken thoughts of characters. Often it is used in the composition of letters, because its character refers to handwriting.