when to use square brackets in an essay

Brackets allow the insertion of editorial material inside quotations. They can be used for the following purposes: Clarification Translation Indicating a change in capitalization Indicating errors Emphasis Censoring objectionable content Parenthetical within parenthetical If the original material includes a noun or pronoun that is unclear, brackets can be used for clarification. The president stated that he “will not sign the bill they [Republican members of the House] have been talking about.” In his memoirs, the author reveals, “The year we moved into the house [1985] was a difficult one for us, both emotionally and financially.” The media mogul was overheard saying, “I would never do a deal with [Acme Corporation's CEO,] Wile E. Coyote.” When used in this way, the bracketed information should be an addition, not a substitution. For example, if the original quotation is “She never called back,” do not change it to “[Lucy] never called back.” Instead write: “She [Lucy] never called back.” (Note: Many newspapers ignore this rule. In professional and academic writing, it is better to follow it.) In many cases, brackets can be avoided by reframing the quotation. Awkward: “Why can’t we do the same thing [provide government-funded grants to independent filmmakers] in this country?” Christina Black asks. Recast: Citing filmmaking grants provided by the Australian government, independent filmmaker Christina Black asks, “Why can’t we do the same thing in this country?” If a quotation includes a foreign word or phrase that might not be understood, provide a translation in brackets. (Use parentheses for translations of unquoted material.) Smith writes in his autobiography: “I seldom spoke in French class. When I did, I usually just said je ne sais pas [I don’t know].” In most contexts, it is acceptable to silently change the first letter of quoted material from uppercase to.
Of the fourteen different punctuation marks in English, learning how to use a bracket in grammar should be one of the easiest. Punctuation marks are a basic part of English grammar and must be understood. This particular punctuation mark has very limited usage in academic writing. Writers use brackets to add information to a sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence. This means that the writer can add words if necessary to make the sentence read more clearly or add a correction or comment to quoted material. Brackets By Any Other NameThere are a few different types of symbols that can technically be considered brackets. Each pair of marks has its own rules for academic use. Outside of academic writing, they may all be interchangeable with few repercussions. Check out the YourDictionary Punctuation Jungle infographic for an easy-to-understand visual explanation of brackets.Parentheses or round brackets ( )The most commonly used bracket in English is the parentheses. This pair of round brackets is used when a writer wants to add information to a sentence that will give greater detail to the information presented. However, the information is extra and not really necessary, which means that it can be removed with ease and without damaging the original information. Items placed in parentheses can often be set off with commas as well.Sentence examples using parentheses:George Washington (the first president of the United States) gave his farewell address in 1796. (In this sentence, the parentheses is giving additional information about George Washington.)NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched its first Mars probe (Viking I) back in 1976. (In this sentence, the parentheses is explaining what NASA stands for and giving additional information about the Mars probe.)Task representations can sometimes differ between student and instructor.
British English [  ] = square brackets American English [  ] = brackets We typically use square brackets when we want to modify another person's words. Here, we want to make it clear that the modification has been made by us, not by the original writer. For example: to add clarification: The witness said: He [the policeman] hit me. to add information: The two teams in the finals of the first FIFA Football World Cup were both from South America [Uruguay and Argentina]. to add missing words: to add editorial or authorial comment: They will not be present [my emphasis]. to modify a direct quotation: He love[s] driving. (The original words were I love driving. ) We also sometimes use square brackets for nesting, for example: Square brackets can also be nested (using square brackets [like these] inside round brackets).
They are simply used to add contextual clarity where the meaning is unclear. This is not only in quotes, but that's its most common usage: Original: I returned there yesterday, 2 hours after it happened Quote: The criminal admitted: I returned [to the crime scene] yesterday, 2 hours after [the murder] happened Square brackets are not ONLY used in quotes. They are used often in translation. For example, the bible. Although not all bibles do this, one notable bible that did do this was The Geneva Bible The Geneva Bible translators gave particular attention to retaining the flavor and sense of the original Hebrew. Words that the translators considered to be necessary additions were shown in italics, and text that had been added for grammatical clarity appeared in square brackets. Example: Daniel 1:7 And to them the principal court official went assigning names. So he assigned to Daniel [the name of] Bel‧te‧shaz′zar; and to Han‧a‧ni′ah, Sha′drach; and to Mish′a‧el, Me′shach; and to Az‧a‧ri′ah, A‧bed′ne‧go. Square brackets, whether part of a quote or just in text simply mean: Added for contextual accuracy.
Mantex > Downloads > Writing Essays > Brackets in essays sample from downloadable HTML program or PDF book Brackets come in three varieties: square brackets [these] round brackets (these) and angled brackets 1. The technical name is for what occurs inside the brackets is a ‘parenthesis’. 2. The difference between the two is that a parenthesis represents an aside, an associated remark, or an additional piece of information which is closely related to the main subject of the sentence in which it is placed. Goodwin argues that Thompson’s policies (of which he clearly disapproves) would only increase the national debt. 3. Square brackets on the other hand are used to indicate that something has been added to the original text for editorial purposes of clarification or comment. The reporter added that this woman [Mrs Wood] had suffered severe injuries. A mother wrote to the headmaster that her son was ‘fritened [sic] to go to school’ 4. A common use for the parenthesis in academic writing is to indicate a bibliographic reference within the text of an essay – particularly when using the Harvard (or the short title) system of referencing. Sartre’s account of ‘bad faith’ (Sartre 1938) differs slightly from that offered by Simone de Beauvoir (de Beauvoir 1949). 5. Notice that when a parenthesis occurs at the end of a sentence, the full stop falls outside the bracket (as this one does). 6. Any statement within brackets should be grammatically independent of the sentence in which it occurs. That is, the sentence should be complete, even if the contents of the brackets were to be removed. The republican senator (who was visiting London for a minor operation) also attended the degree ceremony. 7. If a quotation contains a mistake in the original you might wish to indicate that the error is not your own. This too is indicated by the use of square brackets. The senior.