parentheses

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See synonyms for parentheses on Thesaurus.com

Punctuation marks — ( ) — used to separate elements in a sentence. Parentheses subordinate (see subordination) the material within them so that readers save most of their attention for the rest of the sentence: “Aunt Sarah (who is really my mother's cousin) will be visiting next week.”

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby parentheses

parental leave, parent cell, parent company, parent compound, parenteral, parentheses, parenthesis, parenthesize, parenthetical, parenthetically, parenthood

How to use parentheses in a sentence

Danielewski uses experimental typography, elliptical descriptions, and color-coded parentheses.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Oct. 7, 2012|Nicholas Mancusi|October 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On my computer, there was a contented little stream of smiley faces, made from colons and parentheses.
First Lady Michelle Obama’s Magnum Opus|Patricia J. Williams|September 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Last summer came Between Parentheses: Essays, Articles and Speeches, 1998-2003.
Beyond Another Bolaño Release: Other Great Latino Writers|Robert Birnbaum|April 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A posthumous collection of his essays, Between Parentheses, will be published in May.
Robert Bolaño's European Adventures|Roberto Bolano|April 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

On some reading devices, inline stage directions are set off from the text by parentheses added by the transcriber.
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger
Clicking on the words in parentheses will take show the text as edited.
Daisy Ashford: Her Book|Daisy Ashford
Spelling corrections: (number in parentheses) indicate the number of times the word was spelled correctly in the original text.
The Red City|S. Weir Mitchell
The numbers in parentheses in the sequel refer to the preliminary propositions above given.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik
The word "is" in the translations, although marked with parentheses, is not deemed wholly gratuitous.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

parentheses

Words nearby parentheses

Words related to parentheses

How to use parentheses in a sentence