Parenthesis

An additional comment inserted into a sentence and separated by commas, brackets or dashes.

The insertion of extra information or an aside into a sentence, often marked by paired commas, dashes or brackets.

Brackets or paired dashes can create parenthesis; a single dash may introduce an abrupt turn or an afterthought. An ellipsis can suggest hesitation or a thought trailing off. Decide which function fits the actual sentence before discussing its effect.

An additional comment inserted into a sentence and separated using commas, brackets or dashes.

Read a sentence containing parenthesis without the inserted words. Its main grammar should still work.

An additional word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence and separated from its main grammar by commas, dashes or brackets.

Additional information inserted into a sentence and separated from its main structure, often by commas, dashes or brackets.

A word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence as an aside or additional comment, often separated by commas, dashes or brackets.

Parenthesis, such as ‘Our choices — even the small ones — help us discover who we are’, adds a brief aside without losing the main sentence.

An additional comment inserted into a sentence and separated using brackets, dashes or commas.

Additional information inserted into a sentence, often enclosed by commas, dashes or brackets.

An interruption within a sentence that adds explanation or other information, often enclosed by brackets, commas or dashes.

Sandow’s parenthesis ‘and by strength I mean health, vitality, and a general sense of physical well-being’ explains an important term within the sentence. Its list broadens ‘strength’ beyond muscular power: readers are invited to think about energy and everyday wellness. This makes the guide relevant to people who do not want to become athletes.

An additional comment inserted into a sentence, often set apart with commas, brackets or dashes.

An additional word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence, often enclosed by commas, brackets or dashes.

Additional information inserted into a sentence and set off with commas, brackets or dashes.

Parenthesis is additional information inserted into a sentence.

An additional word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence and set apart with commas, brackets or dashes.

Parenthesis inserts an extra thought into a sentence.

An additional word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence and separated by commas, dashes or brackets.

Additional information or an aside inserted into a sentence, usually set off by brackets, commas or dashes. Removing it leaves a grammatically complete sentence.

Extra information inserted into a sentence, usually enclosed by commas, brackets or dashes. The surrounding sentence should still work when it is removed.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Language · 8700

Exam tips

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Edexcel GCSE English Language · 1EN0

Edexcel GCSE English Language 2.0 · 1EN2

OCR GCSE English Language · J351

Eduqas GCSE English Language · C700