Word
parentheses
Phoneticsparen·the·ses
/pɝˈɛnθəˌsiz/
Plural noun
Definition
n. a pair of curved marks ( ) used in writing. You use them to separate extra information or a side comment from the rest of the sentence.
n. a pair of curved punctuation marks used to enclose incidental information or a qualifying remark. Often used to separate non-essential clauses from the main syntactic structure.
Examples
“The date of the event is in parentheses.”
“The author included the original Greek term in parentheses after the English translation to help academic readers.”
“While commas can set off minor asides, parentheses are more effective for enclosing technical data or citations that might otherwise disrupt the narrative flow of the paragraph.”
Examples
simple
“The date of the event is in parentheses.”
contextual
“The author included the original Greek term in parentheses after the English translation to help academic readers.”
complex
“While commas can set off minor asides, parentheses are more effective for enclosing technical data or citations that might otherwise disrupt the narrative flow of the paragraph.”
Usage
Plural form of 'parenthesis'; takes a plural verb. The marks are almost always used in pairs.
Pitfall
The information are in a parentheses
The information is in parentheses
Parentheses is the plural form; the singular is parenthesis. Learners often use the plural form with a singular article.
Real-World Examples
“You are to see what the relation is between the first two words, and find one word in the parentheses that is related in the same way to the third word.” Etymology
By surface analysis, par- + en- + theses.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/parentheses