Parentheses: When to Use Parentheses in Writing Examples

Specifically, brackets show that new information, usually from the author or editor, was added to the original quote. If you ever need to put parentheses within parentheses (this usually only happens in bibliographic citations), you use brackets for the second set. Brackets can also be used in place of parentheses, but this occurs mainly in bibliographic citations. Numbered or lettered lists should use a pair of parentheses to enclose the numbers or letters. Parentheses, ( ), are punctuation marks used to set aside text that’s not necessary but is still related to the topic.

Some details are missing, but the main idea is the same, and the sentence is grammatically correct. In special situations where a word can be either singular or plural, add an s in parentheses at the end of the word. Less commonly, an author of a text may use parentheses to add personal commentary, as if speaking directly to the reader. Sometimes, you might have to use parentheses within parentheses. According to the APA style, in this case, you will need to create these two levels of enclosure by using brackets inside of parentheses. Additionally, remember that the parenthetical information is not part of the subject.

1. The following sentences give just a few examples of the different ways we can use parentheses.
2. Learn how and when to use Parentheses with example sentences and ESL images.
3. Here, if we remove the text in parentheses, the sentence still makes sense.
4. If there are any punctuation marks that surround them, they never go inside the parentheses.

They’re generally used by writers and editors to separate the original wording from any additions. You can use parentheses to enclose numbers or letters when you’re using them to show the order in your text. The following sentences give just a few examples of the different ways we can use parentheses. Brackets are square versions of parentheses — they also enclose text inside a sentence. But they function a little differently than their curved counterparts.

Dictionary Entries Near parenthesis

So below, we explain the difference between brackets and parentheses. So, the sentence “My best friend (and his parents) traveled to Belgium last spring” is acceptable. index of applicable federal rates However, the sentence “My best friend (and his parents) have recently been to Belgium” is not and should be adjusted; for instance, you can remove the parentheses altogether. Use parentheses when you want to add extra information, but be very careful with the grammatical structure of the sentence.

✏️ Examples of parentheses in a sentence

If it remains grammatically correct, the parentheses are acceptable; if it doesn’t, the punctuation must be accounting equation definition altered. Parentheses can enclose a single word, a sentence fragment, a complete sentence, or even multiple complete sentences. When using parentheses, you should keep in mind all the other punctuation marks that surround them. If the parenthetical material goes at the very end of the sentence, the closing punctuation mark needs to go after the parentheses.

With this type of numbered list, you should put parentheses around each numeral. When including the equivalent of a numbered list within a sentence, you are creating what is referred to as a horizontal (across) list. This should be done in a manner consistent with the particular style guide required by your instructor or the scholarly journal or conference to which you plan to submit your work.

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The information within parentheses could be removed in all the examples above, and the reader would still understand what you meant. While parentheses refers to a pair of parentheses, parenthesis refers to only one of them. Use brackets to add text that is missing from or helps clarify the original quote. Brackets are mainly used to add text to quotations, so if you’re adding text to something that’s not a quote, use parentheses instead.

(Point Choose the right parenthetical punctuation.

Another common use of brackets is when you want to capitalize the first letter of a quotation that is not capitalized in the original. As long as the part of the sentence you’re using is not a sentence fragment, you can use brackets around the first letter to capitalize it. Remember that, if you remove the parentheses, your sentence should still both make complete sense and be grammatically correct.

If you’d like to know more about parentheses and how to use them, you’ve come to the right place. This article will teach you everything you need to know to use them properly and when.

Now that you know how these versatile punctuation marks work, use these tips to decide when you need them. Brackets are often found inside quotations to show text added to the original quote. When referencing someone else’s work, it’s best to use only the passages that are relevant to your topic.

Parentheses (always used in pairs) allow a writer to provide additional information. The parenthetical material might be a single word, a fragment, or multiple complete sentences. Like punctuation, the rules of capitalization when using parentheses often depend on the style guide or grammar resource that you use. In general, the first word inside parentheses is typically capitalized if it is a proper noun or it begins a new complete sentence. Parentheses and brackets are punctuation marks used to set apart certain words and sentences.

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Then, at the end of your paper, you’ll have a reference list where all your citations are referenced to their broader source (this will also make use of parentheses). But the difference is that the information contained within parentheses is nonessential. In other words, removing it wouldn’t affect the overall meaning, and the reader could still understand your point. When parenthetical content occurs at the end of a larger sentence, the closing punctuation mark for the sentence is placed outside the closing parenthesis.

In the second sentence, you might argue that the parenthetical information (the fact that the boss saw an accident) is key to understanding the sentence. In the third sentence, the parenthetical word district is an English translation of the French word arrondissement. Though the word district is parenthetical, it might be important in helping a non-French-speaking reader understand the sentence. Notice how we have a mixture of content types within the parentheses. We have a dependent clause in the first example, a single word (proper noun) in the second, and an independent clause in the third.

Learn how and when to use Parentheses with example sentences and ESL images. Parentheses (US) or Brackets (UK) are used to set off a part of a sentence that adds information to or is less important than the main body of a sentence. One of the most important things you’ll ever learn – a rule that spans the entire grammar spectrum – is always ensuring subject-verb agreement. Now that we’ve covered all our bases on when to use parentheses, let’s see how we can make good use of punctuation in and around them. It’s pretty straightforward as long as you understand a few rules.