How to Use Parentheses

Co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: February 21, 2023 References

Parentheses (also known as round brackets) are versatile punctuation marks that have many uses. Essentially, parentheses are used to set off information that isn't part of the main text. It could be non-essential information, or further background on a person, place, or thing mentioned in text. Parentheses also have an organizational function, such as when they are used to enclose a citation to a reference.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Parenthetical Statements

1
Enclose supplemental or biographical information with parentheses. Sometimes you have additional information about a person, place, or thing mentioned in text that would be beneficial to the reader. If that information isn't necessary to the sentence as a whole, place it in parentheses. This de-emphasizes the significance of the information, so it doesn't take away from the meaning of the sentence as a whole.^{[1]
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- Example: J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings) and C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) were both regular members of a literary discussion group known as the "Inklings." Here, the supplemental information helps the reader place the names of the authors, by listing a popular book each is known for.
- Example: "Jane Austen (1775-1817) is best known for her novels, including Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility."
2
Set off digressions from the rest of the sentence. Digressions add color and interest to your writing. They occur primarily in fiction writing, but may be found in non-fiction or research writing as well. They may provide your reader with an interesting point of trivia or background into a character, but they aren't essential to the main sentence.^{[2]
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- Example: "Sarah made bacon and eggs (her usual breakfast), then walked her dog."
- You can also set these phrases off with commas or dashes. The choice is typically a matter of personal writing style. Parentheses typically are preferred if the information is something the reader doesn't need to know to fully understand the subject of your writing. You might also choose parentheses if you're writing fiction and want to incorporate the narrator.
3
Provide an acronym for a group or organization. When writing about an organization or other group that typically is identified by an acronym, write out the full name first. Then provide the acronym in parentheses immediately after the name. For future mentions, you only need to use the acronym.^{[3]
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- Example: "Employees and volunteers with the Animal Protective League (APL) hope to reduce and eventually eliminate cases of animal cruelty and mistreatment within the community."
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Organizing Information in Text

1
Refer readers to a page, section, or visual element. In your work, you may be discussing something that is described through a chart or table that you want readers to look at. You might also briefly mention something that's discussed in more detail in another section. Put this information in parentheses so your readers know where to go.^{[4]
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APA Style
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- Example: "Polling showed that within a year after graduation, more than half of students who had a bachelor's degree considered going back to school for a master's degree (see Figure 3)."
2
Set off letters or numbers that identify items in a series. When you list a series of items in writing, you may identify each item with a number or letter. Enclose those numbers or letters completely in parentheses to alert your readers that this is a list.^{[5]
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- Example: "The company is looking to hire someone who (a) has a great work ethic, (b) knows everything there is to know about the latest photo editing and enhancement software, and (c) has at least five years of professional experience in the field."
3
Cite a reference in-text. Many common research citation styles, including Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA), require parenthetical citations in the text of a paper. These in-text citations include the name of the author, followed by either the year the work was published (APA) or the page on which the material appears (MLA). Readers can use this information to find the full citation in the paper's full reference list.^{[6]
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- APA example: "Research suggests that a link exists between migraine headaches and clinical depression (Smith, 2012)."
- MLA example: "Research suggests that a link exists between migraine headaches and clinical depression (Smith 32)."
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Punctuating Parentheticals

1
Punctuate the surrounding sentence outside the parentheses. Generally, a sentence with a parenthetical statement is punctuated exactly the same as it would be without the parenthetical. That punctuation should be outside the parentheses, even if the parenthetical statement occurs at the end of the sentence.^{[7]
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- Example: "J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings) was good friends with C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia)."
2
Punctuate inside parentheses for special punctuation. Sometimes your parenthetical statement includes a question or exclamation that needs its own punctuation. If the punctuation applies solely to the parenthetical statement, place it inside the parentheses.^{[8]
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- Example: "My sister's husband (remember him?) is planning a surprise for her birthday."
- This type of parenthetical statement is most often found in fiction writing. You might also use it in personal writing, such as if you were writing an email to a friend. However, avoid using parentheses in this manner in formal writing.
3
Include punctuation for multiple sentences, except for the last. Particularly with an aside, you may have more than one sentence enclosed in parentheses. If the aside is part of the surrounding sentence, do not use punctuation for the final sentence, unless it needs a question mark or exclamation point.^{[9]
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- Example: "Mary looked forward to reading with her grandmother after school (she wanted to read some different books. Had Granny gone to the library? Mary hoped so)."
- You can even put a whole paragraph in parentheses, although extensive parenthetical statements can make your work difficult to read and understand.
- In academic writing, content footnotes are typically preferred to extensive parenthetical asides.^{[10]
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4
Punctuate stand-alone parentheticals independently. Sometimes you will have a parenthetical statement that follows a complete sentence. If the parenthetical statement is a full sentence itself, place the punctuation inside the parentheses. Do not place any punctuation outside the parentheses.^{[11]
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- Example: "A new church was built on the grounds of the old one. (This took place 14 years after the old church had been torn down.)"
5
Use punctuation inside and outside the parentheses when necessary. Even if there is a punctuation mark inside the parentheses, you still need the period outside the parentheses to end the surrounding sentence. Remember that you punctuate the surrounding sentence the same as you would if the parenthetical statement wasn't there.^{[12]
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- Example: "Sarah waited eagerly for the cast list to go up (she so wanted to play Juliet!)."
6
Eliminate extraneous punctuation. Parenthetical information can be set off from the rest of the sentence using commas, em-dashes, or parentheses. When you choose parentheses, no additional punctuation is necessary, unless the surrounding sentence requires it.
- If you're not sure whether the surrounding sentence needs any punctuation, take the parenthetical statement out. Punctuate the sentence without the parenthetical statement, then put the parenthetical statement back in.
- Example: "The new coffee shop (on 22nd Street) also offers a selection of baked goods." Here, no additional punctuation is needed. The parenthetical statement can stand alone.
- Example: "Contrary to her previous rationale (or lack thereof), she decided to change her stance on the issue." Here, the parenthetical statement is followed by a comma, because the comma is necessary for the surrounding sentence (after the dependent clause).
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Tips for Using Parentheses and Sample Worksheet

Parentheses 101

Parentheses Worksheet

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Question

Do I put a full stop after 'red' in the following sentence? 'I get that you don't trust me, but I am not a spy (George turned red) and does it really matter who I am?'

Community Answer

This is an awkward arrangement, because a parenthetical aside has been placed inside a direct quote. Try this: 'I get that you don't trust me, but I am not a spy'... (George turned red) ... 'and does it really matter who I am?'

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Is this correct? "A man loves all kinds of sports (baseball, basketball, etc.)." Does the period go inside the parentheses to abbreviate "etc." and also outside the parentheses to end the sentence?

Donagan

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Yes, even though it seems awkward, it's correct. It would probably be better to avoid that situation. You could use a colon or a dash instead of the parentheses, or you could say something like, "(baseball and basketball among them)."

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In an opera score, stage directions are italicized and enclosed in parentheses. How are the parentheses handled when the stage directions include several paragraphs, such as at the beginning of an act?

Community Answer

They should be handled the same way, italicized and enclosed in parentheses.

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Warnings

There used to be an editing rule that numbers should be spelled out in writing, with the numerical value included afterward in parentheses. This convention was most common in legal writing. It is no longer considered good practice.^{[13]
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