Brackets and Parenthesis Usage in Writing
From the
UWF Writing Lab’s 101
Grammar Mini-Lessons Series
Mini-Lesson #21
Do not use brackets when parenthesis
are called for or parenthesis when
brackets are needed. Brackets are used
to enclose an explanation, comment,
or correction that is inserted into
quoted material.
Use the word
sic
(meaning “so” of “thus”) in brackets to
indicate that you have quoted an error in the original.
Examples:
The
supermarket ad reads, “Bostin fern’s [sic] for sale.”
“[O]ne of the best on television” is how a company spokesperson described the
Texaco commercial.
The spokesperson also said, “The Texaco station
[outside Chicago] is one of the busiest in the
nation.”
Use parenthesis to enclose explanatory or interrupting
elements
that add information but might otherwise disrupt the sentence.
Examples:
Attila the Hun (circa A.D. 406-453) invaded the Eastern Roman Empire.
No one did well on the French test (except Jacques, of course).
Roy and I travelled all day and night (he was the driver; I was the navigator) and
reached Los Angeles by dawn.
Punctuation marks (commas, periods, semicolons) that belong to the sentence
come after the parenthesis.
“[O]ne of the best on television” is how a company spokesperson described the
Texaco commercial (it’s the one with the hound dog singing “The Thrill is
Gone”).
Brackets and parenthesis serve specific purposes in writing, from enclosing explanations to providing additional information without disrupting the sentence flow. Learn when to use each and explore examples for clarity in using these punctuation marks effectively.
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Presentation Transcript
Mini-Lesson #21 Brackets and Parenthesis From the UWF Writing Lab s 101 Grammar Mini-Lessons Series
Do not use brackets when parenthesis are called for or parenthesis when brackets are needed. Brackets are used to enclose an explanation, comment, or correction that is inserted into quoted material.
Brackets Use the word sic (meaning so of thus ) in brackets to indicate that you have quoted an error in the original. Examples: The supermarket ad reads, Bostin fern s [sic] for sale. [O]ne of the best on television is how a company spokesperson described the Texaco commercial. The spokesperson also said, The Texaco station [outside Chicago] is one of the busiest in the nation.
Parenthesis Use parenthesis to enclose explanatory or interrupting elements that add information but might otherwise disrupt the sentence. Examples: Attila the Hun (circa A.D. 406-453) invaded the Eastern Roman Empire. No one did well on the French test (except Jacques, of course). Roy and I travelled all day and night (he was the driver; I was the navigator) and reached Los Angeles by dawn. Punctuation marks (commas, periods, semicolons) that belong to the sentence come after the parenthesis. [O]ne of the best on television is how a company spokesperson described the Texaco commercial (it s the one with the hound dog singing The Thrill is Gone ).
