Posted in Grammar Unveiled

Have you ever had the question of whether to use brackets [  ]  or parenthesis (  ) in a sentence?  Well I am, unfortunately a bit of a parenthesis "over-user,"  and have learned to rely on the use of them far too long.  So in an effort to understand this area of my obsessive/compulsive writing life, I found a website that puts it all in perspective [Grammar].  It is called PainInTheEnglish.com .  It is stated to be a forum for the gray areas of the English language.  Ahhhhh, finally a place that makes sense :-). 

Okay . . . so here is the difference between brackets [  ] and parenthesis (  ). 

(1) Parenthesis (  ) are for secondary thoughts, or thoughts that come after you have written the word or sentence. 

Ex:     I was walking down the street (and what a long street it was) when I noticed my friend Lynn.

Ex2:   Sally and Dan came over last night (a fun couple), and we played    Blokus till midnight.

(2) Brackets [  ] are for editorial notes, which brings clarity to what was already written.

Ex:       I was walking down the street [Park Avenue] when I noticed my friend Lynn.

Ex2:     Sally and Dan came over last night [Saturday] and we played Blokus till midnight.

I am sure more information can be found on this topic, but as for me . . . the question has been answered, and it makes sense now.  Feel free to share your comments on this topic below, as I am always open to learning more.

Happy Writing,

<>< Kelly