Round brackets are primarily used in four situations.
- Secondary or marginal informationUse round brackets to indicate information that is secondary or marginal to the main idea of the sentence.
The documentary was produced by Spotlight Films (a production company connected to the University’s film school). - Explanations or abbreviations of preceding informationUse round brackets to expand on or explain preceding information.
EU-OSH (the European workplace safety and health agency) works to ensure that these regulations are respected. The project was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). When a passage within round brackets is at the end of a sentence, of which it is only a part, place the full stop after the closing bracket. However, when the bracketed passage is a complete sentence, place the full stop before the opening bracket and then add a second full stop before the closing bracket.
The number of students entering arts degrees is declining (according to recent reports). The number of students entering arts degrees is declining. (According to recent reports, it has dropped by over 25% in the last nine years.) - OptionsUse round brackets to represent options.
Please write your surname(s) in block capitals. The opinions of the author(s) are not shared by the publisher(s). - Enumerations in a body of textUse round brackets to enclose numerals or letters in an enumeration in the body of a text. Use roman type rather than italics for the numerals and letters.
A project proposal should include (1) a description of the project, (2)an identification of the target audience, (3) an explanation of why the project deserves funding and (4) a comparison with similar projects implemented in recent years. The preview of your class paper should include (a) an abstract, (b) a sample of each chapter, (c) a selected bibliography and (d) details on funding.