Culture: scare quotes

Sometimes in English writing, double quotation marks " " will be used as 'scare quotes' to show a type of sarcasm or scepticism.

Why is this sarcastic? Let's look at some examples.

Trina's at home "doing her homework".

Why is 'doing her homework' in quotation marks? Probably, Trina said she was going to do her homework, so the writer is quoting her. But the writer knows she is not doing her homework - she's probably doing something not so innocent. Maybe she's with her boyfriend, or doing something she's not supposed to.

This new TV show provides "entertainment" for the whole family.

A TV show is usually a piece of entertainment. Here, 'entertainment' is in quotation marks, because the writer does not think the TV show is entertaining. Or perhaps the entertainment is very strange and the writer does not approve.

The "doctors" used "science" to "prove" their argument in this study.

Here are three scare quotes in one sentence. This shows the writer thinks the doctors may not be serious doctors, the science is not good science, and the proof is not strong. In summary, the writer really doesn't trust the study.

These quotes are also very common in conversation. A person speaking may make a gesture with their fingers (look at 'air quotes' on Google Images) to show quotation marks.

Thanks for all your "help". (here, the speaker gestures with their fingers).

This means the listener was not helpful.

So, you are quoting somebody else, but you are being sarcastic. The word in quotation marks is something you don't really believe.