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Parentheses are used to separate off asides or nonessential
information. Material set off by commas and dashes should be pertinent
to the rest
of the sentence; material enclosed by parentheses can be a little
more discursive.
• That man (the one in the baseball cap)
just asked for my number.
Parentheses are used to cite sources.
• In the next paragraph, he writes, “Some
people show evil as a great race horse shows breeding” (Hemingway,
109).
Parentheses can be used to provide translations or
short explanations next to rare terms.
• Carl called me a jabroni (loser).
Do not italicize parentheses that enclose an italicized
word.
• The formal you (vous)
has confused students for years.
Phone Numbers
Parentheses can be used around area codes.
• If you want the best wallpaper in town,
call (212) 633-2222.
With Periods
If parenthetical matter is included in a sentence,
closing punctuation should go outside the parentheses. This holds
true even if the parentheses enclose a complete sentence.
• Sheldron refused to invite him (they’ve
been enemies since first grade).
Parenthetical expressions that stand alone and are
complete sentences get their own punctuation.
• Seymour has never been to Italy. (In
fact, he’s never left the country.)
With Commas, Semicolons, Colons
You should never place commas, semicolons, or colons
before closing parentheses; always put them outside closing parentheses.
• Whatever you do (and really, I don’t
care), don’t get me involved.
• She bid adieu to Sandy (her parrot);
then, with a sigh, she turned away.
• She listed several options (all of
them tempting): mint, chocolate, and raspberry.
With Question Marks or Exclamation Points
Don’t place question marks or exclamation points before
closing parentheses unless they are part of the parenthetical material.
• Who better to herd sheep
than Nate (the one in the cloak)?
The question mark is part of the sentence, not part
of the parenthetical.
• Neha was wondering (weren’t
we all?) when the pigs would arrive.
The question mark is part of the parenthetical, not
part of the sentence.
• The package didn’t arrive,
but don’t tell Sheila (or anyone else)!
The exclamation point is part of the sentence, not
part of the parenthetical.
• The package arrived (finally!)
after five weeks.
The exclamation point is part of the parenthetical,
not part of the sentence.
Parentheses Within Parentheses
For parentheses within parentheses, use either brackets
or parentheses; whichever you choose, be consistent.
• Mrs. Whelan refused to let her daughter
date Reg (she hated his sneering [shockingly rude, really] attitude).
• Mrs. Whelan forbid her daughter to
date Reg (she hated his sneering (shockingly rude, really) attitude).
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