Conventions of Composition Rule 26

Rule: To indicate a foreign word or word under discussion, underscore or italicize. Thoroughly Anglicized foreign words need no italics, eg. chassis, chef, et cetera, per capita.

Examples:

Correct: Napoleon III’s coup d’état.

Correct: She uses the word lovely in almost every sentence.

Correct: They had seventeen likes in one sentence.

Practice deciding which words, if any, need to be in italics:

1. When Bubbe called him a gonif, I had to look up the word to know what she meant.
2. If he had used um one more time, I might have screamed.
3. Tracy wants her perro and her gato by her at all times.

Resources for further explanation of formatting foreign words or words under review:

Daily Writing Tips' Italicizing Foreign Words

Grammar Party's When to Capitalize Foreign Words