Parentheses (also called brackets in British English) are a punctuation mark used
to contain text that is not part of the main sentence
, but that is too important to either leave out entirely or to put in a footnote or an endnote.
What is the function of parenthesis?
Parentheses are used
to enclose incidental or extra information
, such as a passing comment, a minor example or addition, or a brief explanation. The writer may choose to put additional information within parentheses or to set off the text using dashes or commas.
What is parentheses and examples?
Parenthesis is
the use of a phrase, word or sentence that’s added into writing as extra information or an afterthought
. It’s punctuated by brackets, commas or dashes. For example, ‘his favourite team – whom he had followed since the age of five – was Rockingham Rovers’.
What is the effect of parentheses in writing?
Parentheses also
signify a break in thought
, but they mark an addition of information rather than an interruption like dashes do. Rather than a surprise (like dashes), parentheses are a gentler insertion in your sentence. Also like dashes, parentheses should be used sparingly.
Where are parentheses used?
Parentheses are used
to enclose incidental or supplemental information or comments
. The parenthetical information or comment may serve to clarify or illustrate, or it may just offer a digression or afterthought. Parentheses are also used to enclose certain numbers or letters in an outline or list.
What is a () called?
Fun fact: one of them is called a
parenthesis
, and as a pair, the plural are parentheses. … Outside of the US, these can be called round brackets. The use of parentheses in printed English dates back to at least 1572.
Are parentheses unprofessional?
Parentheses ( ) are used to enclose nonessential or supplemental information in a sentence. Parentheses
are always used in pairs
; you must have both an opening and a closing parenthesis. In formal academic writing, it is a good practice to use parentheses sparingly.
How do you write an example in parentheses?
Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside
. Example: He finally answered (after taking five minutes to think) that he did not understand the question. If material in parentheses ends a sentence, the period goes after the parentheses. Example: He gave me a nice bonus ($500).
What’s the difference between parenthesis and parentheses?
The singular form is
parenthesis
, but the plural parentheses is the word you’re more likely to see. Both words have a wide range of related meanings, and what some people identify as a parenthesis, others call parentheses.
What is the difference between brackets and parentheses?
Parentheses are punctuation marks that are used to set off information within a text or paragraph. Brackets, sometimes called square brackets, are most often used to show that words have been added to a direct quotation. …
Why do poets use parentheses?
Why Do Writers Use Parenthesis? Writers use parenthesis
when they want to convey information that’s secondary to the main point of their writing
. This might be to explain something they’ve already said, add something to it that’s interesting but not necessary.
What do parentheses look like?
A parenthesis is a punctuation mark used to enclose information, similar to a bracket. The open parenthesis, which looks like (, is used to begin parenthetical text. Parentheses are also called curved brackets, especially outside of the United States. …
What does it mean when you put something in parentheses?
parenthesis Add to list Share. … When you use parentheses to set off material in a sentence, you say that the material is “
in parenthesis
.” Put something in parentheses if it’s a comment, an afterthought, or additional information that is possibly interesting but not essential to the subject.
Do you put a comma after parentheses?
Commas may be placed after the closing parenthesis
but not before either the opening or the closing parenthesis. If the sentence would not require any commas if the parentheses were removed, the sentence should not have any commas when the parentheses are present.
How do you use parentheses and brackets?
- Use brackets inside parentheses to create a double enclosure in the text. …
- Separate citations from parenthetical text with either semicolons (for parenthetical-style citations) or commas around the year (for narrative citations).
Do parentheses go inside period?
The period is a strong punctuation mark—think of it as controlling the action in the sentence, which occurs outside the parentheses. 2.
When a whole sentence falls inside parentheses, the period goes inside.
Correct: (Several other courses were offered, but they were not as popular.)
