PARENTHESIS AND BRACKET.

The use of the PARENTHESIS ( ) is to enclose interpolated words or

sentences which serve to strengthen the argument, although the main

sentence would be complete without the interpolated matter.

Parentheses are not as much used as formerly: authors place their

intercalations between commas,—frequently with a dash at the beginning

and ending,—which make them quite as intelligible as though they were

enclosed between parentheses.

Brackets [ ] are seldom made use of, except to indicate that the word

enclosed within them had been carelessly omitted in the old MS. or copy,

and was now inserted by the editor.