The Art of Brackets: How to Use Parentheses in Your Writing

Now that we know what brackets are let us know about different types of brackets in the next section. Keep reading to learn more about brackets!

Round Brackets/Parentheses: Definition, Description, Examples, and Rules

Round brackets are parentheses that are the most commonly used brackets which are very helpful in enclosing additional information for clarification or explanation in the sentence or these speeches. These enclosed brackets are not said aloud in the sentence and are only used for personal references for additional information. 

Examples of round brackets

Examples of these bracket types are as follows:

1. She is very angry (becoming  red) with her boss.
   
   
2. We used to sip up the best juice (orange flavour) in the auditorium.
   
   
3. We are very happy that we have booked the (expensive and last sale) ticket for the concert.
   
   
4. Your (black) cat is very cute.
   
   
5. Your (green) eyes are very shiny and glittery.

Rules for using round brackets in writing and grammar

There are certain rules that you have to follow accordingly when writing these brackets. Look out for the rules below.

1. Only that kind of information is to be enclosed in the round brackets, which are not important and only provide clarification or additional information to the sentence. Anything unique to the sentence should not be indicated in the bracket.
   
   
2. Round brackets can also indicate a series within the sentence or a paragraph indicating numbers and letters as continuation. For example, (A), (B)… and (1), (2). 
   
   
3. Round brackets can also be used to indicate translations of different languages such as Amigo (friend in Spanish). 
   
   
4. Citations and references in academic writing as also seen around round brackets.

Common mistakes to avoid when using round brackets

Here are some common errors that one should always be off while using brackets. 

1. People should be very careful when bracketing and use it only when necessary, as too many brackets in sentences can be confusing.
   
   
2. One should never use round brackets to enclose essential information.
   
   
3. Never incompletely use brackets. It comes in pairs. Hence, one should always use closing and opening brackets simultaneously to enclose the sentences.
   
   
4. One should never use different kinds of brackets simultaneously instead of a particular bracket, as every bracket has a different meaning and function in English grammar. 

Square Brackets: Definition, Description, Examples, and Rules

Square brackets are also known as box brackets which are commonly used to enclose information which is added by someone other than the original author. We can say that square brackets are used for enclosing the reference of original information written by someone else.

Examples of square brackets

Examples of these bracket types are as follows:

1. Here is a [new] software version that includes various features. 
   
   
2. The report states that the economy is expected to [grow by 2%] this coming year.
   
   
3. The author [Taylor Swift] is an expert in this field.
   
   
4. According to [William Shakespeare], English writing is an art rather than academia. 
   
   
5. Here is a [old 6.2] software version with many glitches. 
   
   
6. [Jones Road] Life is a place to discover your true value. 

Rules for using square brackets in writing and grammar

There are certain rules that you have to follow accordingly when writing these brackets. Look out for the rules below.

1. Square brackets can also enclose corrections in the sentence. 
   
   
2. It can also enclose editors’ comments and editorials or changes made by the writer.
   
   
3. It can also include different kinds of omissions while correcting the passage.
   
   
4. One should never use brackets to enclose any kind of essential information to provide in the sentence. 

Common mistakes to avoid when using square brackets

Here are some common errors that one should always be off while using brackets.

1. Never incompletely use brackets. It comes in pairs. Hence, one should always use closing and opening brackets simultaneously to enclose the sentences.
   
   
2. The square bracket should never be used differently from the paragraph it is indicating.
   
   
3. Stand-alone sentences should not be written to indicate an entire paragraph.
   
   
4. One should never use different kinds of brackets simultaneously instead of a particular bracket, as every bracket has a different meaning and function in English grammar. 
   
   
5. People should be very careful when bracketing and use it only when necessary, as too many brackets in sentences can be confusing.

Squiggly Brackets: Definition, Description, Examples, and Rules

A Squiggly bracket Is used to indicate bifurcation in the sentence in terms of series or set. It is also known as curly brackets. 

Examples of squiggly brackets

Examples of these bracket types are as follows:

1. The {apple, banana, orange} are my favorite fruits.
   
   
2. The {x,y,z} coordinates of the point are (3,4,5).
   
   
3. In programming, a {for} loop is used to repeat a sequence of instructions.
   
   
4. I’m planning a party and trying to decide on the menu. So far, I’m thinking of serving {chips and dip, vegetable crudites, and cheese platter} for appetizers, {grilled chicken, baked salmon, and vegetable skewers} for the main course, and {chocolate cake, fruit salad, and ice cream sundae bar} for dessert. What do you think?
   
   
5. I’m really excited for the upcoming music festival. There are so many great bands playing, including {The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and Twenty One Pilots}. I’m especially looking forward to seeing {Billie Eilish}, she’s one of my favorite artists. It’s going to be an amazing weekend!

Rules for using squiggly brackets in writing and grammar

There are certain rules that you have to follow accordingly when writing these brackets. Look out for the rules below.

1. One should never use brackets to enclose any kind of essential information to provide in the sentence. 
   
   
2. It is always used to relate similar group items together. 
   
   
3. Curly brackets enclose options or choices with similar sets, such as ABC 123.
   
   
4.  It is also used in mathematical contexts for arrays, sets, and code blocks.

Common mistakes to avoid when using squiggly brackets

Here are some common errors that one should always be off while using brackets. 

1. Never incompletely use brackets. It comes in pairs. Hence, one should always use closing and opening brackets simultaneously to enclose the sentences.
   
   
2. One should never use different kinds of brackets simultaneously instead of a particular bracket, as every bracket has a different meaning and function in English grammar. 
   
   
3. People should be very careful when bracketing and use it only when necessary, as too many brackets in sentences can be confusing.
   
   
4. Never use different kinds of objects which are not related in terms of groups when using curly brackets.

Angle Brackets: Definition, Description, Examples, and Rules

Angle brackets are also known as chevrons, similar to greater than and lesser than science together in a pair. The signs are practically used in technical languages such as coding and programming. But it is also used to court and refer to various connotations and quotations. 

Examples of angle brackets

Examples of these bracket types are as follows:

1. The  <quote> life never comes back is given by her in the classroom.
   
   
2. HTML code <p>  is used to indicate a paragraph.
   
   
3. The designer asked for the colour code, similar to <321>.
   
   
4. People should use different kinds of programming languages which indicate different simple functions such as <quote>, <b>, <run>, etc.
   
   
5. One should never be ashamed of their life <quote> affirmations.

Rules for using angle brackets in writing and grammar

There are certain rules that you have to follow accordingly when writing these brackets. Look out for the rules below.

1. One should never use brackets to enclose any kind of essential information to provide in the sentence. 
   
   
2. Angle brackets can be used to provide direct definition and quotation in the sentences.
   
   
3. Angle brackets are also used in HTML coding and other programming languages.

Common mistakes to avoid when using angle brackets

Here are some common errors that one should always be off while using brackets. 

1. Never incompletely use brackets. It comes in pairs. Hence, one should always use closing and opening brackets simultaneously to enclose the sentences.
   
   
2. One should never use different kinds of brackets simultaneously instead of a particular bracket, as every bracket has a different meaning and function in English grammar. 
   
   
3. People should be very careful when bracketing and use it only when necessary, as too many brackets in sentences can be confusing.
   
   
4. Never use angle brackets to denote lesser than and greater than signs. 

Braces: Definition, Description, Examples, and Rules

Braces are opposite brackets similar to curly brackets. These brackets are used to write elements of the same group or objects together.

Examples of braces

Examples of these bracket types are as follows:

1. The group includes {1, 2, 3}.
   
   
2. The vegetables we require are {Tomato, guard, potato}.
   
   
3. The farm has three types of birds {hens, pigeons, parakeets}.
   
   
4. We are lucky to have brought picnic baskets {pink, green, red}.
   
   
5. Are you sure about these elements {1, 2, 3}. Are these correct?

Rules for using braces in writing and grammar

There are certain rules that you have to follow accordingly when writing these brackets. Look out for the rules below.

1. One should never use brackets to enclose any kind of essential information to provide in the sentence. 
   
   
2. It should not be mistaken for curly brackets even if the function is similar.

Common mistakes to avoid when using braces

Here are some common errors that one should always be off while using brackets. 

1. People should be very careful when bracketing and use it only when necessary, as too many brackets in sentences can be confusing.
   
   
2. Never incompletely use brackets. It comes in pairs. Hence, one should always use closing and opening brackets simultaneously to enclose the sentences.
   
   
3. One should never use different kinds of brackets simultaneously instead of a particular bracket, as every bracket has a different meaning and function in English grammar.

Comparison of different bracket types

The key differences between all the five brackets we have learnt above is that each has a specific function which is helpful to denote a specific information non essential to the sentence. All of the five brackets are in pairs and used as punctuations.