# parentheses

/pɝˈɛnθəˌsiz/ (US) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/parentheses
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

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.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The information are in a parentheses" but "The information is in parentheses" — Parentheses is the plural form; the singular is parenthesis. Learners often use the plural form with a singular article.

## Usage notes

- Plural form of 'parenthesis'; takes a plural verb. The marks are almost always used in pairs.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.