Parenthesis (rhetoric)
Encyclopedia
In rhetoric
, a parenthesis (plural: parentheses; from the Greek
word παρένθεσις, which comes in turn from words meaning "alongside of" and "to place") is an explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence inserted into a passage with which it doesn't necessarily have any grammatical connection. Parentheses are usually marked off by round or square bracket
s, dashes, or commas
A dog (not a cat) is an animal that barks.:The phrase not a cat is a parenthesis.
My umbrella (which is somewhat broken) can still shield the two of us from the rain.:The phrase which is somewhat broken is a parenthesis.
Please, Gerald, come here!: Gerald is both a noun of direct address and a parenthesis.
called parentheses, their use principally around rhetorical parentheses has made the punctuation marks the only common use for the term in most contexts.
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, a parenthesis (plural: parentheses; from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word παρένθεσις, which comes in turn from words meaning "alongside of" and "to place") is an explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence inserted into a passage with which it doesn't necessarily have any grammatical connection. Parentheses are usually marked off by round or square bracket
Bracket
Brackets are tall punctuation marks used in matched pairs within text, to set apart or interject other text. In the United States, "bracket" usually refers specifically to the "square" or "box" type.-List of types:...
s, dashes, or commas
Examples
Billy-bob, a great singer, was not a good dancer.:The phrase a great singer, set off by commas, is both an appositive and a parenthesis.A dog (not a cat) is an animal that barks.:The phrase not a cat is a parenthesis.
My umbrella (which is somewhat broken) can still shield the two of us from the rain.:The phrase which is somewhat broken is a parenthesis.
Please, Gerald, come here!: Gerald is both a noun of direct address and a parenthesis.
Punctuation
While a parenthesis need not be written enclosed by the curved bracketsBracket
Brackets are tall punctuation marks used in matched pairs within text, to set apart or interject other text. In the United States, "bracket" usually refers specifically to the "square" or "box" type.-List of types:...
called parentheses, their use principally around rhetorical parentheses has made the punctuation marks the only common use for the term in most contexts.