College Composition / Unit 8 CMP 0189 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Parentheses
Captions available
The idea
Parentheses enclose nonessential information such as explanations, asides, examples and dates.
In practice
"He graduated with high honors (magna cum laude) and found a job." Parentheses quiet the information; dashes emphasize it.
Where people slip
A sentence should still read correctly if the parenthetical words are removed, so never put a required part of the sentence inside them.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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