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Kook j Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Brackets

Hi, teachers I have a question.

I've occasionaly met brackets on capital letters in some books(normal books,not text books).

[W]e misused energy and overpopulated the earth...

t was late at night and I was pretty sure that nobody could see...

I can't see any necessity for using the brackets here.

Would you let me know what are they placed there for, please?
  

Top answer

I expect you have seen these in quoted material. It means that the quoted material did not have a capital letter there, but the grammar of the sentence in which it was placed required one. You migh also see this replacing a pronoun with a name.

— BarbaraPA

  • I expect you have seen these in quoted material.
  • It means that the quoted material did not have a capital letter there, but the grammar of the sentence in which it was placed required one.
  • You migh also see this replacing a pronoun with a name.
  • "
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3 Answers
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I expect you have seen these in quoted material.

It means that the quoted material did not have a capital letter there, but the grammar of the sentence in which it was placed required one.

You migh also see this replacing a pronoun with a name.

The original quote was "He was very helpful" and the revised version is "[Adams] was very helpful."
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Hi,

A poetic abbreviation for It was is 'Twas. Note the apostrophe.

Perhaps that is what the brackets are meant to show, ie that the I is or can be omitted.

Clive
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Grammar GeekI expect you have seen these in quoted material
That's right. I found them in quated material. Thanks.

And Clive,thank you for your information. I'll remember it.
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