Asked by: Jessica Roman

Do parentheses inhibit clarity? They do and they don’t, it’s all down to individual use. When used well and skillfully, parentheses fulfill a function that no other punctuation or construction can quite imitate.

Can you use parentheses to clarify?

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 effect do the parentheses () have?

Parenthesis makes the statements more convincing, as it puts the readers in a right form from the very beginning where they read it as an explanation.

How does parentheses affect the reader?

Reasons to Use Parentheses. The first function of parentheses is to offer extra information. Parentheses communicate to readers that the material inside the parentheses is not necessary to understand the main sentence, nor is it part of the grammar of the main sentence, but is pertinent enough to be included.

Is it unprofessional to use parentheses?

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.

Should I use parentheses or commas?

Commas and Parentheses Aren’t Always Used Together

Commas and parentheses are often used together, but they serve separate purposes within a sentence. Thus, commas should be used with parentheses only if the sentence would require a comma without the parentheses.

Can you use parentheses in academic writing?

Dashes and parentheses should be used sparingly in formal academic writing. Parenthetical statements especially should be avoided because if something is important enough to be in the sentence, it should be fully part of that sentence.

Should there be a space before parenthesis?

Use a space before the opening parenthesis, and either a space or a punctuation mark after the closing parenthesis. Do not put use space inside the parentheses (in the beginning, or at the end). Simply put, there should be spaces around the parenthetical clause but none between the parentheses and what they enclose.

How do parentheses work in math?

Multiplication. The first way tells us to multiply. When we see two or more numbers together that are separated by parentheses, then the parentheses are telling us to multiply. For example, when we see 5(2), the parentheses are telling us to multiply the 5 and the 2 together.

Why are parentheses used in poems?

The parenthesis in poetry might be better termed ‘par-antithesis’ for it expresses, through being the private space for a poet’s thoughts, a tangential movement to the rest of the poem, even whilst being integrated in it.

Can you put a whole sentence in 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).

What can I use instead of parentheses?

A pair of em dashes can replace a pair of parentheses. Dashes are considered less formal than parentheses; they are also more intrusive. If you want to draw attention to the parenthetical content, use dashes. If you want to include the parenthetical content more subtly, use parentheses.

Are parentheses informal?

Punctuation marks: parentheses. Parentheses are among the most useful and versatile punctuation marks in the English language. They can be used effectively in both formal and casual writing, and the rules surrounding parentheses allow writers to use them for a variety of purposes.

How do you use parentheses correctly?

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).

Can you use parentheses in a college essay?

Although our language is incorporating more and more acronyms and abbreviations, they have no place in your essay. For example, use “and others” instead of “et al.,” “Pennsylvania” instead of “PA.” Avoid exclamation points and parentheses.

When should a writer use parentheses?

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.

Do you put punctuation after parentheses?

Rule # 1: If the information in the parentheses is not a complete sentence, place the terminal punctuation outside the parentheses. Rule # 2: If the information in the parenthesis is a complete sentence, then place the terminal punctuation inside the parentheses.

Can you use parentheses in a title?

Parentheses are half moon brackets that enclose additional information within a sentence. Since they are usually used to enclose information that is not necessary to make the sentence work and titles are meant to be succinct they are not usually used in a title.

Why is a dash effective?

Like a caesura (a timely pause) in music, a dash indicates a strong pause, then gives emphasis to material following the pause. In effect, a dash allows you to redefine what was just written, making it more explicit.

What do em dashes do?

Em dashes can be used in pairs to mark off additional information that is not essential to understand the sentence. Here they function similarly to parentheses or a pair of commas. An em dash is usually written without spaces on either side, although some style guides do recommend using spaces.

Does a colon go after including?

1. Do not use a colon in a complete sentence after phrases such as “such as,” “including,” and “for example.” Because phrases like these already indicate to the reader that a list of examples will follow, there is no need to introduce them with a colon, which would merely be redundant.

What goes after colon?

You’ve come to the right place. A colon is written as two dots on top of each other (:), and it is used to separate independent clauses among other things. A space or return is placed directly after a colon. Using colons in a sentence can be tricky.

Can you use a semicolon after a colon?

Semicolon where a colon should go

Semicolons separate items within a list, while a colon precedes and introduces a list. He took three things on the hike; his lunch, his binoculars, and his trusty walking stick.

Do you capitalize bullet points after a colon?

A colon should be used to introduce the list, and the first letter of each point should be capitalised.

Should I capitalize after a colon?

When a colon introduces a list of things, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun. When a colon introduces a phrase or an incomplete sentence that is meant to add information to the sentence before it, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun.

Do you capitalize after a dash?

A dash doesn’t require any extra thought regarding capitalization. You treat the first word after a dash the same way you’d treat it if it followed a comma. On the other hand, you sometimes have to make a decision about capitalization when you use a colon.

Do we use capital letter after comma?

Don’t Capitalize After Colons, Semicolons and Commas

And because a comma doesn’t end the sentence, you don’t need to capitalize the word after it, either.