Parentheses, Square Brackets, and Quotation Marks

Parentheses

We have all seen parentheses () and know what they are. However, in this lesson we will learn how and why we use parentheses.

Parentheses allow writers to add information to a sentence that is not necessary to the structure or meaning of the sentence. Parentheses add additional information that is useful for the reader to understand the sentence further. Material that is crucial or grammatically necessary to the text should not be placed in parentheses.

Let’s take a look at some examples that show the correct use of parentheses:

• Example → “Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) was an American novelist who significantly defined and influenced 20th century fiction.”

Parentheses are often used to note dates, typically birth and death dates.

• Example → “I am writing another paper (hopefully, the last) for my Theology class.”

In this example, “(hopefully, the last)” is not crucial to the meaning of the sentence, but it communicates to the reader that the speaker believes this will be their last paper to write.

• Example → “Take a look at Chapter 5 (pages 30–45) for more information on JavaScript.”

Parentheses are often used to note pages.

Let’s also take a look at an incorrect use of parentheses.

• Example → “The original version of the film was (shot in 1995) and is considered more accurate to the remake filmed (in 2007).”

This is an incorrect way to use parentheses. In this example, we are comparing two versions of a film. The sentence does not read correctly if the information within the parentheses is removed.