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Brackets Brackets are punctuation marks that we use in pairs. We use the brackets to show explanations, insertion, corrections, clarification, and comments in direct quotations. They are also used in mathematical equations to show the order of operation. Lisa says, “He [my brother] encouraged me to start a new business.” 2[5 + 6{3 + 2(1 – 1)}] Uses of Brackets In Quotations To Explain Something Sometimes, we need to add words within a quote from our side for clarification. The words are not spoken by the original speaker. Adela says, “She [Lisa] disturbs the whole class.” To Indicate Errors We use the word “sic” inside the brackets to show that the text in the quotation is in its original form. It tells that the error was in the original text. Ali said, “He dicturbs [sic] me every day.” To Replace Something We often use brackets when we want to replace words or pronouns in quotes. This makes the reader understand what the words are referring to. Our principa...

Parentheses Parentheses (a pair of punctuation marks) are used to add additional information or used for complementary explanations. The teacher (who has given us homework) is absent today. The movie (which I watched last night) was amazing. You must write the following information: (1) name, (2) father’s name, (3) class, and (4) registration number. Uses of Parentheses   For Additional Information Different punctuation books note that we use parentheses to add additional information. The additional information can be explanatory, supplementary, or illustrative. The additional information is non-essential information. We can omit the additional information without affecting the meaning of a sentence. One of my teachers (Mr. John) supported me a lot. We arrange different events (e.g. parents’ day, culture day, or prize distribution ceremony) in our school. Around Numbers or Figures in List We use parentheses in a list of items around numbers or figures. It is als...

Dash One of the punctuation marks is the dash which is a horizontal line longer than a hyphen. A dash shows a pause in meaning or indicates a range. A dash represents missing words or letters and separates groups of words. Types of Dashes Typically, dashes are categorized into two types em dashes and en dashes. If we set aside their functions, the visual difference between the two types is their length. The length of the en dash equals the length of the uppercase letter N and the length of the em dash equals the length of the uppercase letter M. En Dash A dash that is used to show ranges in numbers and dates and to clarify more complex compound words is called the en dash. Its length is equal to the length of the capital letter N. By Tuesday, you have to compose 50 –60 pages. Part–time laborers work 4–5 hours per day.   Em dash The em dash is used alternatively as a comma, semi-colon, colon, or parentheses, and to mark a sharp turn in thought. Its length is equal ...