Emphasis with quotation marks

You can also emphasize words in certain situations by means of quotation marks—first, for a word you are using in a particular sense, calling into question, or intentionally misusing. Here is a neutral instance, in which the writer wants to signal that she is referring to a specific word used by Rousseau:

　　Rousseau's "freedom" is difficult for Americans to comprehend.

　　Here's a somewhat different example: "scare" quotes meant to call a word into question:

　　The "impartial" jury took less than ten minutes to find the defendant guilty.

　　Words like supposed, so-called, would-be, ostensible, and putative can replace the quotation marks:

　　The supposedly impartial jury took less than ten minutes to find the defendant guilty.

　　Other ways of presenting words may also render quotation marks superfluous:

WRONG
RIGHT

Rousseau's concept of "freedom" is difficult for Americans to comprehend.
Rousseau's concept of freedom is difficult for Americans to comprehend.

　　But don't use quotation marks to emphasize words. Not this:

　　Call for "free" details.

　　You'll "love" our food.

　　For more examples, visit the very funny Gallery of "Misused" Quotation Marks, http://www.juvalamu.com/qmarks/）, from which these come.

　　Most writers know to avoid clichés （"black as night," "strike while the iron is hot," "the truth is out there"）. Some writers, though, think it's okay to use a cliché if you put quotation marks around it. Nope. Pointing out that you know a cliché is a cliché does not immunize you against your reader's impatience—actually, it will likely make him even more dissatisfied. If you were clever enough to know you were using a cliché, why weren't you clever enough to write something more creative in the first place?