: Re: How to express sarcasm in non-dialogue text? You know how sometimes we say something sarcastically, and do the double-finger twitch that's supposed to symbolize quotation marks? How do you write

Don't use quotation marks.

They just look as if you don't know what word to use. It makes you (the author, not the narrator) look lost for words. That's not your intent.

One option is to change the sarcastic part to something that makes it clear that the intention is sarcastic:

He gave him an oh-so-playful look.

A neutral narrator wouldn't say it like that, so the sarcastic tone comes through clearly.

Another option is actually to use air quotes in the same way people use them when you cannot see them: say them out loud.

He gave him a quote-unquote playful look.

Both options are perfectly fine, it's really more a question of the character of your narrator which one they would use. In my mind, the second option sounds a bit more "gossipy", while the first one sounds more sardonical and mocking.

I realize that the question is quite old, but I do think the accepted answer has unintended connotations and is therefore a bit problematic.

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