Square bracketsare used when words within a quotation are
not part of the original material.
The lecturer stated, ‘I consider this play [Hamlet] to be
Shakespeare’s greatest.’Explaining parentheses
Extra ideas that are inserted in this way to expand the
sentence are known asparentheses. If said aloud, they are
spoken in a lower tone and there is a pause either side of
them. They resemble ‘throwaway’ lines.
Do not use parentheses too frequently or they will lose their
impact. They will interrupt the ‘flow’ of your work and
irritate your reader. Used sparingly, they are effective but
usually it is better to rework them into the main structure of
your sentence. Think carefully before you use them and
make sure they are used correctly and add something to your
sentence.
Remembering the question mark
Aquestion markisalwaysplaced at the end of a question.
Doremember it. So many people forget to include it. If you
have used a question mark, you donotrequire a full stop as
well.
Where are you?
It’s not raining, is it?If you are reporting a question that someone else has said,
you do not need a question mark.
MAKING SENSE OF PUNCTUATION / 93