Brackets allow you to add important information without overemphasizing it. As with all punctuation marks, there are correct and incorrect ways to use parentheses.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Common Use
Step 1. Use parentheses for additional information
If you want to include information about the main sentence, but it doesn't fit the sentence or paragraph, you can put it in parentheses. By placing them in parentheses, you reduce the emphasis of their meaning, so that they do not distract attention from the main topic of the text.
Example: J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings) and C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) were both members of a literature discussion group called "Inklings"
Step 2. Write down the digits in parentheses
Very often, when you write a number in word, it can be useful to write it down also in numerical form. You can specify it by putting it in parentheses.
Example: "You have to pay seven hundred dollars ($ 700) in rent by the end of this week."
Step 3. Enter numbers or letters for a list
When you need to list a variety of information in a paragraph or sentence, numbering each bullet point can make it clearer. You must put the numbers or letters used to mark each point in the list in parentheses.
- Example: "The company is looking for a person who (A) has a great work ethic, (B) knows all about the latest photo editing software, and (C) has at least five years of professional experience in this field."
- Example: "The company is looking for a person who (1) has a great work ethic, (2) knows all about the latest photo editing software, and (3) has at least five years of professional experience in this field."
Step 4. Indicate the plural
In a text, it may happen that you speak in the singular, but you realize that the same information also applies in the plural. If it is useful for the reader to know that you are referring to both the singular and the plural, you can report this by putting the name in the singular and then in parentheses an addition indicating the plural of that name.
Example: "The festival organizers are hoping to have a big crowd this year, so bring a friend (or as many friends as you want) with you."
Step 5. Specify an acronym
When you talk about a company, organization, product or other that is referred to using an acronym, you must also write the full name the first time you refer to this company, product, etc. If you want to use the acronym in the text thereafter, you must write the acronym in parentheses so that readers can see it later.
Example: "World Widlife Found (WWF) volunteers hope to eliminate or at least reduce cases of animal cruelty and mistreatment."
Step 6. Mention important dates
While not always necessary, in some contexts you may need to indicate the date of birth and / or death of a person you mention in the text. If this happens, put these dates in parentheses.
- Example: "Jane Austen (1775-1817) is famous for works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility."
- "George R. R. Martin (1948) is the creator of the famous Game of Thrones series."
Step 7. Put the citation data in parentheses
In academic texts you must put in brackets the data of all citations of other works that you mention directly or indirectly. These citations include bibliographic data and should be placed in parentheses immediately after the borrowed information.
- Example: "Researchers hypothesize that there is a relationship between migraine and clinical depression (Smith, 2012)."
- Example: "Researchers hypothesize that there is a relationship between migraine and clinical depression (Smith, p. 32)."
- For more information on using quotations in parentheses, read How to Write Quotes Within Text.
Part 2 of 2: Grammar Rules
Step 1. Put punctuation outside the brackets
Usually, information in parentheses is placed within a sentence. If parentheses are at the end of a sentence or just before another punctuation mark, that punctuation mark must be placed after the closing parenthesis and NOT inside the parenthesis.
- Correct example: "J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings') was close friends with C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia)."
- Incorrect example: "J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings') was close friends with C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia.)"
Step 2. The text inserted in brackets must always be expletive
This means that it must be able to be removed without the remaining sentence being syntactically damaged. Furthermore, the text in brackets is interposed in the speech, it must be inserted in a sentence to add a clarification or a clarification, and cannot exist outside of it in a completely independent way.
- Correct example: "A new church was built on the site of the old one (this was 14 years after the old church was demolished).
- Incorrect example: "A new church was built on the site of the old one. (This was 14 years after the old church was demolished)."
Step 3. Include all necessary punctuation marks in the parenthesis
Commas, colons or semicolons that appear in the text in parentheses must be included. Similarly, if you need to put a question mark or exclamation point at the end of the sentence in parentheses, instead of at the end of the period that contains the parenthesis, you need to put these punctuation marks inside the parenthesis.
- Correct example: "J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and more) was a member of a literature discussion group called" Inklings "."
- Correct example: "My sister's husband (do you remember?) Is preparing a surprise for her birthday."
- Incorrect example: "My sister's husband (do you remember him)? Is preparing a surprise for her birthday."
Step 4. Use only the punctuation required by the main sentence
The brackets insert themselves into the period. You do not have to introduce them or follow them with any punctuation marks. The only time you need to put a punctuation mark before or after the parentheses is when the sentence would have included that punctuation mark if there hadn't been the information in the parentheses.
- Correct example: "Contrary to his previous thought (or in his absence), he decided to change his mind."
- Incorrect example: "Contrary to his previous thought (or in his absence) he decided to change his mind."
- Correct example: "The new coffee shop (on 22nd Street) also offers a selection of baked goods."
- Incorrect example: "The new coffee shop, (on 22nd Street), also offers a selection of baked goods."
