Types of Punctuation – Parentheses and Brackets – Beginner

Parentheses
Parentheses ( ( ) ), sometimes called round brackets, are used to separate parenthetical information that has no grammatical bearing on the structure of the overall sentence. This can be a clause, phrase, word, or even just a punctuation mark. For example:
“As I have said before (on numerous occasions), we must find a longterm solution to this problem.”
“The goal by Hendrickson (and what a goal!) secured the team’s entry into the championship finals.”
“She said I had behaved ‘like a yak’ (?) as she was leaving.”

Brackets
Brackets ( [ ] ), sometimes called square brackets, function similarly to parentheses but are only used within quoted text, indicating clarifying or explanatory information that has been added to the quotation by the author:
“She [the governor] insisted that the restructured budget would not result in funding shortfalls for schools.”
“The acting president has confirmed that ‘[t]he U.N. will ultimately have oversight over reunification.’”
“In his analysis of the play, Thompson claims that ‘the entire second act serves to underscore the persistence of hope that is always present in our subconscious mind’ [emphasis added].”

Brackets are also used to distinguish parenthetical information that appears within another set of parentheses. (Informally, though, it is quite common to simply use a second set of parentheses.) For example:
“At least I’ll have some extra spending money this summer. (My
cousin got me a job at my uncle’s [his dad’s] warehouse.)”

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