Practise Using Parentheses

A parenthesis is a word or a phrase that is inserted into a sentence to add information or explain something.

We generally put extra information inside commas.

 My friend, who is called Jo, loves dogs.

However, if we want the extra information to stand out more, then dashes or brackets can be used.

My friend - who is called Joe - loves dogs.

My friend (who is called Joe) loves dogs.

Sometimes people use the word parenthesis to refer to the brackets themselves, but strictly speaking the parenthesis is the information, not the punctuation.

The sentence should always make sense without the parenthesis, whether commas, dashes or brackets are used.

Commas are most suited to longer, descriptive sentences. 

Brackets tend to be used in a more formal or professional setting.

Dashes are generally more informal and are often used in emails or other casual writing.

The plural of parenthesis is parentheses.

In this activity, we will look at how to use these correctly, so if you are ready, let's get started!