What is the meaning of using quotes around certain words in automated email responses?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from LinkedIn comments that using quotation marks in a response can be to express uncertainty or a lack of full agreement with the statement being made.
Email marketers from Reddit discuss that using quotes can add sarcastic emphasis or highlight the writer's disbelief in the quoted term, often conveying a negative connotation.
Email marketer from Grammar Girl explains that quotation marks can distance the writer from a word's conventional meaning or indicate that the term is being used in a special, non-standard way.
Email marketer from ProWritingAid notes that scare quotes serve as a signal to the reader that the writer is using a word ironically, sarcastically, or with some degree of skepticism or distance.
Email marketer from WordReference Forums explains that putting words in quotes often implies the writer thinks the term is being used incorrectly or inappropriately by someone else.
Email marketer from LinkedIn shares that using quotation marks may indicate that the author is being cautious in using a specific term or concept, especially if it is controversial or lacks clear definition.
Email marketer from DailyWritingTips details that scare quotes are used to express irony, skepticism, or disapproval towards the enclosed word or phrase, setting it apart from the writer's actual viewpoint.
Email marketer from X explains that using quotation marks around a word is a way to express doubt or disagreement without directly stating it.
Email marketer from Quora shares that using quotation marks around a word often implies skepticism or disagreement with the conventional usage of the term.
Email marketer from StackExchange explains that using quotes around words can indicate sarcasm, passive-aggressiveness, or an attempt to distance oneself from the word's meaning.
What the experts say1Expert opinion
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that quotation marks around a word can mean that the writer is being skeptical of the term used or is trying to distance themselves from it.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from APA Style explains that quotation marks can indicate irony, skepticism, or other special usages that deviate from the standard or accepted meaning of a word or phrase. It is important to use them sparingly to maintain clarity.
Documentation from Wikipedia describes that 'scare quotes' are used to express skepticism or disagreement towards a term, indicating that the writer may not fully endorse its use. They suggest that the term is inexact or misused.
Documentation from Purdue OWL shares that quotation marks can indicate that a word is used in a nonstandard, specialized, or ironic way and to signal the use of nicknames or invented words.
Documentation from Grammarly clarifies that quotation marks around a single word can indicate a unique, specialized, or non-literal usage, setting it apart from its ordinary definition. Also covers when to avoid this use.