Italics: Which Titles?

Anthon939

What are some of your favorite ways of hanging out with your dog(s) at home? What activities do you do at home? What does your dog do when you have no time for him?

The title of the discussion should be italicized.

Nelli512

In general, you should italicize the titles of long works, like books, movies, or record albums. You can also italicize the title of a television series, like Game of Thrones.

There are some exceptions, though. For example, you don't need to italicize the Bible or other sacred texts. You also don't need to italicize the names of the planets.

maureen_holmes

In general, titles of long works should be italicized while shorter works should be enclosed in quotation marks. That said, there are always exceptions to the rule. As a general rule of thumb, if you can't decide whether or not to italicize a title, err on the side of caution and italicize it.

Here are some examples of titles that should be italicized:

Books: The Great Gatsby, One Hundred Years of Solitude

Long poems: The Odyssey, Paradise Lost

Plays: Hamlet, Waiting for Godot

Television shows: Game of Thrones, Mad Men

Movies: The Godfather, The Silence of the Lambs

Some examples of titles that should be enclosed in quotation marks are as follows:

Short stories: "The Lottery," "The Cask of Amontillado"

Essays: "Capital Punishment in America," "The Equality of Women"

Newspaper articles: "Trump Promises to Make America Great Again," "Clinton Wins New York Primary"

Songs: "The Times They Are a-Changin'," "Hey Jude"

As you can see, there are a few exceptions to the rule. If you're ever unsure about whether or not to italicize a title, the best course of action is to ask your teacher or professor.