How do you use parentheses?

Parentheses

Use parentheses around nonessential information or abrupt changes in thought.
If the information in parentheses requires a question mark or an exclamation mark, use the mark inside the parentheses only if the sentence ends with a different mark.
Use parentheses to clarify preceding words.

What are parentheses?

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. Whatever the material inside the parentheses, it must not be grammatically integral to the surrounding sentence.

What are parenthetical statements?

A parenthetical expression is a word or words added to a sentence without changing the meaning or grammar of the original sentence. Parenthetical expressions give extra information but are not essential. You can add and remove a parenthetical and the sentence works just the same.

What is a brackets and examples?

Brackets are typically used to explain or clarify the original text by an editor. Example: She [Martha] is a great friend of us. In this example “Martha” was not part of the original sentence, and the editor added it for clarification. Many sheeps [ships] left the port.

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. …

How do you format a parenthesis?

Use parentheses

The patterns were significant (see Figure 5).
(When a complete sentence is enclosed in parentheses, place punctuation in the sentence inside the parentheses, like this.)
If only part of a sentence is enclosed in parentheses (like this), place punctuation outside the parentheses (like this).

How do you explain parentheses to a child?

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.

What is the effect 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 are the words in parentheses called?

Common uses of parenthetical statements are equivalent to i.e. or e.g. appositives. This includes elaboration or examples that clarify but don’t change the meaning of the larger phrase or sentence they appear in. Many definitions of “parenthetical” or “parenthetical statement” include only this type of use.

Where do parentheses go in a sentence?

Punctuation with parentheses is very similar to punctuation with quotation marks. If the information in the parentheses is a separate, complete sentence, the period at the end of the sentence goes inside the parentheses. We spent two hours at the zoo. (Most of us could have spent two hours watching the otters.)

Do you put a comma after parentheses?

The question is: Do you place the comma after parentheses or before? Generally speaking, commas should never be placed before parentheses.

Can you start a sentence with parentheses?

If your sentence starts with an opening parenthesis, then what’s inside your parentheses is a complete sentence. However, when you have a sentence that contains another complete sentence within parentheses, the punctuation could become confusing.

What are parentheses used for in writing?

Parentheses are used to explain the statement or provide explanatory information in the sentence.

How do you use parentheses and brackets?

Punctuation Junction: 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).

Where does period go in parentheses?

Periods and Parentheses When a complete, independent sentence is entirely enclosed by parentheses, the period goes inside the closing parenthesis.