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Word for Wednesday: Parenthesis

For the month of March, we are theming our Word for Wednesday blog posts around types of punctuation. Last week we chose the word apostrophe, and our word this week is 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 punctuation marks used to mark of a parenthesis:  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 (...

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How to Use Brackets

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. Round brackets Daisy’s parents (Sally and James) are visiting France next mo...

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Five Tips for Using Commas

Do you find commas confusing? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. Commas have a variety of functions yet many people are uncertain of how to use them. The main purpose of a comma is to clarify meaning by grouping together specific parts of the sentence. Each group within the sentence is separated by a comma which marks a slight break. Let’s look at five instances when you need to use a comma in more detail: Use commas as part of a list When you’re writing a list, the most common way to differentiate between each item by using a comma between them. For example:   My favourite foods are jacket potatoes, quiche, spaghetti and fish and c...

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