How to Use Brackets

blog home

There are two types of brackets: round brackets and square brackets. Round brackets are used for parenthesis while square brackets are used for clarification. This week, we’ll look at how to use both types of brackets as well as other ways to offset a parenthesis.

Parenthesis

A parenthesis is a word or phrase inserted into a grammatically-complete sentence as an explanation or afterthought. The sentence would still make sense if the parenthesis was removed.

There are three main ways to mark off a parenthesis:

Click here to make sure you don’t confuse em dashes with hyphens.

  1. Round brackets
    • Daisy’s parents (Sally and James) are visiting France next month.
       
    • Spellzone users have access to a variety of word lists (word lists, spelling tests, etc.).
       
  2. Em dashes
    • Daisy’s parents – Sally and James – are visiting France next month.
       
    • Spellzone users have access to a variety of resources – word lists, spelling tests, etc.
  3. Commas
    • Daisy’s parents, Sally and James, are visiting France next month.
       
    • Spellzone users, whether they’re individual subscribers or part of an establishment, have access to a variety of word lists.

    Click here to for our top tips for using commas.

Square Brackets

Square brackets (and sometimes round brackets) are used when someone who isn’t the original writer of a text wants to add words to clarify meaning.

    • They [Sally’s parents] are visiting France next month.
       
    • The Spellzone website has many word lists [over 500 000].

If a pair of brackets fall at the end of a sentence, a full stop should be added after the closed bracket.

If you found this article useful, you may also be interested in our other articles on punctuation and grammar:


19 Nov 2018
blog home

Try Spellzone for free

Recent Blogs

How to Recognise and Overcome Tricky Spelling Patterns With Clarity and Confidence
How to Recognise and Overcome Tricky Spelling Patterns With Clarity and Confidence
Spelling for Mindfulness: How Slowing Down Can Help You Focus and Learn
Spelling Slip-Ups: Everyday Words People Often Get Wrong (and Clever Ways to Get Them Right)
Jamie Oliver’s Dyslexia Revolution: Why Schools Must Do More Than Just Listen
Embedding Spelling Practice Across All Subjects in Primary Schools: Supporting Literacy Beyond English Lessons
How to Teach Spelling to Reluctant Learners: Engaging and Low-Stress Methods
Why English Spelling Is So Hard And What You Can Do About It
Spelling Tricks for Words That Don’t Sound How They’re Spelled
From Spelling to Pronunciation: Why English Words Don’t Always Sound How They Look
How Spelling Tests Can Be a Positive Learning Opportunity: Encouraging a Healthy Relationship with Assessments
Why Some Words Have Double Letters: Spelling Rules and Tips
Why Spelling Rules Matter: How Patterns Simplify Learning
Spellzone Earns High Praise in Independent Pedagogical Quality Report
Spelling Through Visualisation: Using Imagery to Remember Words
How Reading Improves Spelling: The Power of Context
Tricky English Spelling Patterns: How to Teach Common Letter Combinations
How to Create Effective Spelling Word Lists for Students: A Guide for Educators
Understanding Root Words: Unlocking the Meaning of Complex Words
Navigating the World of Hyphenated Words in English

"I have just subscribed and look forward to continuing to use Spellzone. I have been really impressed with the program during the trial period and the students gave very positive feedback. Many thanks."

Teacher, International School, Geneva