Answer: b. or c.

Explanation:
If you want to emphasize the word excellent, you want to do just about anything but put it in quotation marks. Really. The use of italics is standard but you can underline, bold, use a different color — do what it takes, if you feel a word needs a little extra oomph. Just don’t do what many small-business people do — put the words they want to shout in quotation marks.

It’s quite ironic: People often use quotation marks to add emphasis to certain words but they’re actually subverting their intended meaning. Quotation marks around words can instruct the reader to think the words mean something other than what they say. It’s like adding a wink to your statement, so people know you’re kidding. If your message is that your iPhone sale is excellent, you don’t want to write that it’s “excellent.”

Want more information? The Yahoo! Style Guide provides an excellent (no quotes!) entry about when to use — and when not to use — quotation marks.

Amused by grammar gaffes? The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks is always good for a giggle.

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Answer: a

Explanation:
According to AP style, a question mark is inside quotation marks if that part is the question and outside the quotation marks if the whole sentence is a question. (The same rule applies to exclamation marks and dashes. Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.)

Grammarbook.com has more information about quotation marks and punctuation.

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Answer: b

Explanation: The quotation marks here indicate that we’re referring to JeOS as a word (and just enough operating system as a phrase), not what it stands for. You can use either italics or quotation marks to indicate use of a word as a word.

What we’re saying is: The word “JeOS” stands for the phrase “just enough operating system.” However, as long as we use quotation marks or italics, we can omit “the word” and “the phrase.”

I like this explanation from Wikipedia:

Either quotation marks or italic type can emphasize that an instance of a word refers to the word itself rather than its associated concept.

Cheese is derived from milk.

“Cheese” is derived from a word in Old English.

Cheese has calcium, protein, and phosphorus.

Cheese has three e‘s.

The entry also explains other circumstances in which to set off words and phrases with quotation marks.

When not properly understood, the use/mention distinction can lead to all sorts of unfortunate circumstances. For example, Brandeis University found Professor Donald Hindley guilty of racial harrassment because University officials failed to understand the difference between using a word and mentioning it. That is sad, on multiple levels.

So, to cheer us up, let’s go look at The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. I feel better already!

Answer: b

Explanation: Don’t use quotation marks to set words off unless the meaning is unclear and the word known only in certain contexts.

I was inspired to write today’s question by a document I came across online referring to “turmoil” in the financial markets. It’s often unclear why people chose to use quotation marks. I’m still not sure what they were trying to convey. In business writing, of course, clarity is especially important. The meaning of the sentence isn’t subverted here but the use of superfluous quotation marks doesn’t reflect well on the writer.

We all have a pretty good idea about what continuing turmoil in financial markets means. Otherwise, you might use quotation marks to express irony — for example, if you said “stability” of the financial markets.

David Davies’ AP style tip sheet offers more information about when — and when not — to use quotation marks.

I love The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. (Note: I did not say that I “love” it — that’s because it would throw the whole affair into question.)