Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

I wouldn't use quote marks.  Your paragraph would look like it had
mouse dropping scattered across it if you used enough figures of
speech.

No, but let me answer the question you're really asking....

Here, where you are *mentioning* the word "frozen", the quotation
marks (BrE: "inverted commas") are correct.  However, when actually
using that word in the way you describe, they would not be correct,
because "frozen" is widely understood as having that figurative
meaning.

Your source was either misinformed, or (perhaps more likely)
simplifying for the purpose of pedagogy.  Quotation marks are used for
a number of purposes:

1) Direct quotation of speech or writing (this is the usual use).

2) As an indication that a word (or phrase), when used as a noun, is
referring to the literal text (the word or phrase itself) and not its
ordinary meaning.  (This is called "mention" and the distinction that
a writer who does this is making is called "the use-mention
distinction".)

3) As an indication that a word (or phrase) is being used in a
non-standard way, or in a way which readers may not be familiar.

4) As a way of distancing the writer from the word or phrase being
used.  (The quotation marks are commonly called "scare quotes" -- or
sometimes "'scare' quotes" -- in these last two cases.)  Sometimes
these are used to mark a description or epithet which the writer
disagrees with; other times they may mark an idiom or figure of speech
which is not part of the speaker's idiolect, or which is viewed as
substandard.

When I was in high school, our standard reference text in English
class was a book called /Basic English Revisited/ by Sebranek and
Meyer.  /BER/ puts it this way:

    Quotation marks also may be used (1) to distinguish a word
    which is being discussed, (2) to indicate that a word is
    slang, or (3) to point out that a word is being used in a
    special way.  (/Note:/ Italics may be used in place of
    quotation marks for each of these three functions. [...])
    (Fifth Edition, p. 32, para. 182)

Some people have religious objections to the use of scare quotes.

-GAWollman

In our last episode, <1164085282.062640.314260@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>,
the lovely and talented anthonyshepard@gmail.com broadcast on
alt.usage.english:

Ii is considered poor form.

The only other common and accepted use it indicate the word itself.
"He did not know how to spell 'frozen.'"  Here, 'frozen' does not
indicate either a literal or figurative meaning, but the word itself.