Revised as of
18 Mar 2023
Brackets are essentially explanations providing background information. There are a few other tasks they do: computer programming and the hardworking parenthetical.
They can be round (parentheses), square ([ ]), curly ({ }), or angled (< >).
In formal writing, this punctuation mark has fairly limited usage, which is why the rules should be easy to learn. For informal writing, the brackets, braces, or parentheses can be used anywhere.
Credit to: Gunner
The Properly Punctuated explores . . .
. . . the proper use of quotation marks, commas, semicolons, colons, ellipsis, etc., including how to properly mark dialogue, ahem. As Properly Punctuated is in no way complete, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on punctuation with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.
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| Brackets, [ ] | ||||||
| Punctuation: [ ] | ||||||
| Definition: Each of a pair of marks used to enclose words or figures so as to separate them from the context.
General Rule: Symbol used as a pair. Always. A.k.a. brace, parenthesis, square bracket |
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| Explain, Clarify | Rule: Use to:
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Drew Andrews, the head librarian at We Read Books, said that Jackson’s version of Tolkien’s Middle Earth trilogy [the Lord of the Rings] would encourage more people to read the books.
It doesn’t matter what she [Helen of Troy] actually looked like, what matters is that she was an excuse for war. He was hoist with his own petard [no one to blame but himself]. It doesn’t matter if they’re [the kittens are] weaned. |
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| Parenthetical | Rule: Set off:
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Legend:
“Four score and seven [87] years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” is the start of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (one of the world’s most famous speeches [presented on November 19, 1863] with those last five words the most spoken at all levels of society) given at a cemetery dedication in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. |
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| Phonetic Explanation | Rule: Encloses a phonetic transcription. | |||||
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Phonetic [fə’netik] is an adjective relating to speech sounds or the correspondence between symbols and sounds. | |||||
| Program-ming | Rule: Used in computer programming. | |||||
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function total() { var theform = document.forms[“myform”]; var total = (+theform.elements[“val1”].value) + (+theform.elements[“val2”].value); alert(total); } |
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| Quotation | Rule: When leaving out sections of a quote, an ellipsis is used to let the reader know that there is missing text (preferred by APA and Chicago).
MLA prefers that you enclose the ellipsis in brackets to indicate that the brackets are not part of the original text. Using brackets is not a commonly used option. |
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Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. |
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| Changing a Quote | Rule: If quoting material and you have to make changes, such as the capitalization of a word, change a verb tense, add a name, or change a pronoun to make the material fit into your sentence, enclose that changed letter or word(s) within brackets. | |||||
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“. . . she’d discovered . . . [that] . . . she wasn’t just content, but happy.”
– Nora Roberts, The Perfect Hope John Quincy Adams once said [i]f your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. |
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| Adding Your Own . . . to a Quote | Rule: If you add your own italics or underlining in a quote, you must note the changes in brackets at the end of the sentence or paragraph, using italics mine, italics added, or emphasis added. | |||||
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“‘Why did I marry you again [emphasis added]?’
‘To be honest, Fran, I have no idea. But I am thankful every single day that you did [italics mine].'” – Seanan McGuire’s “Sweet Poison Wine” |
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| sic | Rule: Use [sic] to indicate that the mistake isn’t the writer’s doing.
CAUTION: It’s rude to use this to show up another writer, so only do it if it is absolutely essential to leave the error as is. |
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The hunters gave chase to the hair [sic] at last Wednesday’s hunt. | |||||
| Transcription | Rule: When transcribing, use tags to indicate how a speaker meant something, indicate reactions by others, or indicate what noise is being spoken over. | |||||
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Properly Punctuated posts on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Brackets
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Burckmyer, Becky. Awesome Grammar. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press, 2008. <https://amzn.to/3HT5NSX>. Print.
Gunner, Jennifer. “How To Use Braces { } as Punctuation.” Punctuation. Grammar. YourDictionary.com. n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2023. <https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/punctuation/grammar-braces-usage.html>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Looks like Antsy and his friend haven’t read the instructions . . . yet.
