Using Brackets

Brackets [] are not to be confused with parentheses ( ). They are different punctuation marks with different uses. Never use them interchangeably.

1. Use brackets to include your own words or punctuation within a direct quotation. When you omit words from a quotation by using an ellipsis, you will often have to add a word or two in brackets to make the syntax correct. Ellipses are also included in brackets to clarify that they are the document writer's ellipses and not the source's. A bracket is also often used to clarify a pronoun in a quotation. A bracket is used to mark a grammatical, spelling, or punctuation error in a source with the Latin sic to clarify that the error belongs to the source and not to the document's writer.

Ex. A, create correct syntax:

Incorrect syntax: "But man postpones or remembers; [ . . .] heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future" (Emerson 393).

Correct syntax: "But man postpones or remembers; [ . . .] heedless of the riches that surround him, [he] stands on tiptoe to foresee the future" (Emerson 393).

Explanation: The first quote had no subject for the verb stands. To create a proper syntax, the writer adds he in brackets to the quote to create correct syntax.

Ex. B, to clarify a pronoun:

No clear pronoun reference: "She forgot even her sorrow at the sharp report of his gun and the sight of thrushes and sparrows dropping silent to the ground, their songs hushed and their pretty feathers stained and wet with blood" (Jewett 1168).

Clarified pronoun reference: "[Sylvia] forgot even her sorrow at the sharp report of his gun and the sight of thrushes and sparrows dropping silent to the ground, their songs hushed and their pretty feathers stained and wet with blood" (Jewett 1168).

Ex. C, to indicate an error in a source:

"So I've went [sic] and bought him a new washer and dryer" (Glover).

"Caroline continusly [sic] has fits about the new boyfriend" (Glover).

 

2. Use brackets to insert a parenthetical expression inside a parenthetical expression.

Ex. A: Therefore, Roberta (you remember her--the woman who sat behind me in History of Education [wasn't that an awful class!]) left the profession to pursue a career as a stand-up comedienne.

Ex. A: The children no longer ignored Eppie (black and white hair [Ok, fur]) because they learned that she was not only intelligent, but also very brave.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." 1841. The American Tradition in Literature. Ed.

George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. Shorter ed. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-

Hill, 2002. 385-401.

Glover, Sally. Letter to the author. 15 Jul. 2004.

Jewett, Sara Orne. "The White Heron." 1886. The American Tradition in Literature. Ed.

George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. Shorter ed. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-

Hill, 2002.1162-68.

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