Brackets

1. Brackets Created by Ashley Massie April 2012

2. Brackets vs. Parentheses • Like parentheses, brackets are enclosures. • Brackets have fewer and more specialized uses than parentheses. • Brackets and parentheses are usually not interchangeable.

3. Use Brackets 1. As Parentheses Within Parentheses • Use brackets to avoid the confusion caused by one set of parentheses falling within another. • Turn the inner pair of parentheses into brackets. Example: • Johnny went to the store with his list of items (bread, milk [fat free], peanut butter, and jelly) but came home with only the bread.

4. Use Brackets 2. To Indicate Capitalization Changes in Quotes • In quoted material, use square brackets to indicate that a letter has been changed from uppercase to lowercase, or vice versa. • To avoid awkwardness, consider rewording the sentence so that no change in capitalization is needed. Example: This unusual animal was once believed to be a myth because “[s]kepticsinsisted that the duck-billed platypus was simply a duck bill sewn onto a beaver’s body” (35). (“Skeptics” changed to “skeptics”)

5. Use Brackets 3. To Indicate Other Changes to Quotations • Use brackets to show any changes made to quotations in order to retain grammatical correctness. • Use brackets in quotes to add a word, prefix, or suffix in order to fit the quote into your sentence. • Use brackets to change the tense of a verb in a quote so that it will fit into your sentence. Examples: • I tried to make a dish mild enough for everyone, but my idea of "add[ing] Cayenne pepper to taste" was not the same as my friend's idea. (“add” changed to “adding”) • In Thomas Jefferson's time, there was definitely a notion that "A little rebellion now and then [was] a good thing.“ (“is” changed to “was”)

6. Use Brackets 4. To Add Additional Information to Quotations • Use brackets to insert necessary information, comments, corrections, opinions, clarifications, or explanations of your own into direct quotations. • Brackets are used within quotations to tell readers that the words enclosed are yours and not those of your source. • Don’t overdo it! Readers will resent the explanation of obvious details. • Do not use brackets when inserting additional information into your own writing. Use parentheses or dashes. Examples: • “He [George Lucas] reminded me a little of Walt Disney’s version of a mad scientist.” • “Dues are being raised $1.00 per week [to $5.00],” the treasurer announced. • “The miles of excellent trails are perfect for [cross-country] skiing.”

7. Use Brackets 5. To Acknowledge Errors in Quotations • Quotations must be copied accurately, word by word, from your source—errors and all. To show that you have copied a passage faithfully, place the word sic (the Latin word for “thus” or “so”) in brackets one space after any mistake. • APA and Turabian handbooks state that sic must be italicized within the brackets, while the MLA handbook does not specify. • If sic can be placed outside the quotation itself, it appears between parentheses, not brackets. • Molly’s paper was titled “King Leer” (sic). Examples: • Mr. Vincent’s letter went on: “I would have preferred a younger bride, but I decided to marry the old window [sic] anyway.” • The sign over the cash register read, “We don’t except [sic] personal checks for payment.”

8. Information gathered from… • The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers, 5th Edition • Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, Thirteenth Edition • Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, Sixteenth Edition • Writing: A College Handbook, 4th Edition • The Holt Handbook, Third Edition • MLA Handbook, 7th Edition • APA Handbook, 6th Edition