what are brackets in quotes

Square brackets often just called brackets in American English are a set of punctuation marks that are most often used to alter or add information to quoted material. Put words that are being added to an original quote within brackets.

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Quotations -- Square brackets.

. Brackets can also be used with quotes to explain how you changed the quote from the original source. Sometimes you may wish to clarify or add to an original quote. 136 explains square brackets are used to indicate material you have addedThus if square brackets are in the original provide an explanation in parentheses after.

The words inside the brackets often explain a word or phrase within the quote. There are two main types of bracket. Square brackets indicate words that you as writer and editor insert into a quote to clarify it or make it grammatically correct.

For example you might have a quote from someone that you want to use in which the person says I enjoy cooking. Clarification If the original material includes a noun or pronoun that is unclear brackets can be used for clarification. There are also a number of more technical uses which well look at further on.

Brackets always come in pairsan opening bracket before the extra information and a closing bracket after it. For example you might write Spider webs are 25 times stronger emphasis added than the average human hair Another place brackets can be used is in a reference entry such as with this entry for a podcast. Brackets in quotes are used to mark-off phrases that have been taken out of context.

They typically accompany a quote or surrounding text to provide clarification or additional information. Sometimes when quoting a person or document adding a word or two is necessary to provide enough context for the quote to make sense. The following provides an example.

But as the MLA Handbook sec. Brackets are the only mark of punctuation that indicate that the enclosed material is not part of the quotation. Use square brackets to include words within a quote that are not part of the original quote.

The use of brackets may come in a few forms. However rather than indicating information that is supplemental or incidental brackets are usually used within quoted speech to indicate that a writer has added material to the quotation to provide clarifying or explanatory information. This should only be done if it is obvious what has been replaced.

The mayor said John is my choice for treasurer may not be clear if John has not been identified or if more than one John has been mentioned. The brackets always used in pairs enclose words intended to clarify meaning provide a brief explanation or to help integrate the quote into the writers sentence. The school board candidate then concluded.

Square brackets come in pairs as and. This means that the writer can add words if necessary to make the sentence clearer or add a correction or comment to quoted material. Bracketed words are a signal to the reader that you are replacing words with your own.

Normally when you quote from a source your reader is to assume that any styling such as italics or punctuation in the quotation is in the original text. This tells your readers exactly how you have altered the original. The brackets tell the reader that the information is added to further explain the quote.

Normally a quotation must be presented exactly as it was spoken or written. Always put the changes in brackets not parentheses. Our efforts in this direction improving graduation rates.

Parentheses within a quotation enclose material that is part of the quotation. Brackets are symbols that we use to contain extra information or information that is not part of the main content. Examples The president stated that he will not sign the bill they Republican members of the House have been talking about.

In MLA style if you change the case of a letter in a quotation you should indicate that change with brackets. Writers use brackets in academic writing to add information to a quote without changing the meaning of the sentence. For example if a quoted passage is not entirely clear words enclosed.

She said I found their services invaluable. When Brackets Are Necessary or Acceptable. Brackets allow the insertion of editorial material inside quotations.

Here are some of the most common uses for brackets in quotations. Brackets or square brackets are a common quotation mark. At the beginning of the novel David Copperfield wonders whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life Dickens.

When writers insert or alter words in a direct quotation square brackets are placed around the change. Brackets sometimes called square brackets are most often used to show that words have been added to a direct quotation. In a paper use brackets to signify important information added to direct quotes.

A common error writers make is to use parentheses in place of brackets. To explain further correct or comment within a direct quotation. Square brackets resemble and are used similarly to parentheses but these two punctuation marks are NOT used interchangeably.

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