Brackets, dashes and commas for extra information
You learn to put brackets around extra information.
How to do the test
- Find words that give extra information.
- Take them out.
- If the sentence still makes sense, put brackets, dashes or commas around them.
A worked example
Put brackets around the extra information. My brother who is ten loves football.
- Take it out and the sentence still works: My brother loves football.
- Brackets go around the extra information.
- Dashes or commas can do the same job.
- Who is ten is the extra information.
More examples
Put brackets around the extra information. My cat a fluffy ginger one sleeps all day.
- Take it out and the sentence still works: My cat sleeps all day.
- Brackets go around the extra information.
- Dashes or commas can do the same job.
- A fluffy ginger one is the extra information.
Put brackets around the extra information. The film which I saw twice was funny.
- Take it out and the sentence still works: The film was funny.
- Brackets go around the extra information.
- Dashes or commas can do the same job.
- Which I saw twice is the extra information.
Try it yourself
The castle built in 1250 is today.
Everest the tallest mountain is in Asia.
Watch out
You put brackets around words that the sentence needs, such as the verb.
Take the words out. If the sentence stops making sense, they are not extra information.
Tips
- Use a pair of marks: both brackets, both dashes or both commas.
Why it works
Parenthesis is extra information added to a sentence. If you take it out, the sentence still works. That is the test, and it is why you can put marks around it.