What Is a Parenthetical Statement?

Complex writing sometimes requires clever use of punctuation to convey a large volume of information in one sentence. Parenthetical statements are one way to combine multiple thoughts into a coherent sentence.

Description

A traditional parenthetical statement is a thought enclosed in parentheses that interrupts the normal flow of a sentence. The thoughts presented in a parenthetical interruption are not crucial to the sentence, but directly or moderately relate to the primary statement, according to "The Handbook of Effective Writing" by Walter K. Smart.

Purpose

Parenthetical statements allow a writer to insert additional information without creating a separate sentence. The extra information can be a fragment too short to require a full-sentence or so remote that it could direct the composition off-topic. It is also useful to organize a thought that is too long to separate using commas.

Example

Examples of parenthetical statements include the following: The first time I traveled by plane (I think I may have mentioned this before), I was so overwhelmed that I fainted. Double-check all materials listed (located on sidebar) before starting the experiment.

Considerations

Brackets and em dashes are also used to demonstrate parenthetical statements, author Sumita Roy points out in "Whiz Kid Letter Writing."For example: The neighbor's new car---a cherry red 2010 Camaro---was still parked in the driveway.

References

• Capital Community College: Capitalization and Punctuation: Parentheses
• Handbook of Effective Writing: Walter K. Smart; 1922
• Whiz Kid Letter Writing; Sumita Roy; 2009