Commas and brackets (parentheses)

Question

Hi everybody.I've written a document and the reviewer has indicated that I should have a comma before and after my brackets. For example: "another job (listed in TOAD) which is..." becomes "another job, (listed in TOAD), which is...".Is this grammatically correct?Thanks,Gil

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I've written a document and the reviewer has indicated that I should have a comma before and after my brackets. For example: "another job (listed in TOAD) which is..." becomes "another job, (listed in TOAD), which is...".

Is this grammatically correct?

It's a question of style rather than of grammar. I'd prefer to omit the commas, as it seems to me less disruptive to the readrer's eye and mind when reading the sentence. Commas represent brief pauses, and I think the reader will also naturally pause briefly at a bracket.

Best wishes, Clive

Futurehuman11 · Answer

The brackets already show that the clause is parenthetical, so the commas are pointless.

Yoong Liat · Answer

Futurehuman11
The brackets already show that the clause is parenthetical, so the commas are pointless.

I agree.

To me, another job (listed in TOAD) which is... is correct (no commas are required.)

If you insert a comma after 'job' and after the outer bracket, you are inserting unnecessary punctuation marks.

For example, John, as well as Peter, is going to the movies is correct.

If you insert commas, the sentence becomes John, (as well as Peter), is going to the movies. (It is obvious from this sentence that commas shouldn't be inserted in the sentence posted by you.)

Anonymous · Answer

No, it is not correct. The reviewer is clearly not an English teacher and is what ias referred to as "comma happy." The use of parentheses is becoming passe. Usually in informal writiting using commas are accepted and appreciated. Your sentence should read, "Another job, listed in Toad," Regardless of the rest of the sentence, whatever TOAD is does not need to be marked off by parentheses.

Paul

Anonymous · Answer

Hello,
There is no basis whatsoever for what the reviewer has told you. Basically, what that person is suggesting is parenthesis within parenthesis, and that is not rational; what Clive says is correct in that the bracket carries with it the demarcating effect of the comma, except in that omitting the commas is not a matter of preference; one or other, but not both, may be present. Commas are used mainly to disambiguate, with the incidental effect of giving the reader pause; but this latter is not their primary application, except perhaps in poetry. Commas are used, in simplest terms, to make clear which clauses belong with which. It is a popular misconception that they are simply rhythmic devices, although that effect does arise naturally from them.
The issue is really whether, if a sentence has a clause that needs brackets, the closing bracket should be taken to completely supplant any comma. Generally it should because the parenthetic effect of the bracket is absolute, except in the case of litany (lists) where (did you see that?) separate items, some of which may or may not include brackets, still need to have commas so that the sense of their being a list is preserved and, of course, to make clear where and to what the parentheses belong. For example, "cats, dogs (small), parrots, fish, monkeys... " Without commas here, the reader will not know if we mean small dogs or small parrots.
So, in the case at hand there are two possibilities: "another job (listed in TOAD) which is..." or "another job, listed in TOAD, which is..." Notice that the commas or brackets have here the effect of making it understood that we are not talking exclusively about jobs listed in TOAD, merely remarking aside that the job in question happens to be listed there.

Regards,
Nathon.

Anonymous · Answer

Can you see the difference in meanings here? I like cars (powerful ones) as they tear along the road; I like cars (powerful ones), as they tear along the road.

Anonymous · Answer

No it is not you either use the brackets or you can take the brackets out and put in commas were the brackets were. Try are called parenthetic commas.

Anonymous · Answer

Is there a rule that determines whether you should use commas or parenthesis?

Mister Micawber · Answer

AnonymousIs there a rule that determines whether you should use commas or parenthesis?

There are some guidelines. Parentheses or brackets separate the enclosed text from its context more than commas do—so much so that parentheses are usually avoided in formal writings because the material, if enclosed within them, is considered irrelevant to the main text.

Commas and brackets (parentheses)

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