Use of Brackets
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Use of Brackets
Brackets are used for a number of purposes:
Use #1: Sometimes, you may wish to clarify or add to an original quote. Put words that are being added to an original quote within brackets. Always put the changes in brackets, not parentheses. This tells your readers exactly how you have altered the original.
Example:
Original: She said, “I found their services invaluable.”
Amended: She said, “I found their [IT] services invaluable.”
Use #2: Use brackets as parentheses within parentheses. You will see this with bibliographic references.
Example: (For more on the topic, see The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation [2014].)
Use #3: Use brackets to show the pronunciation of a word.
Example: He mispronounced mischievous [mis-chuh-vuhs].
Use #4: Use brackets surrounding sic and italicize it. The Latin term sic is used to indicate that something written is intentionally left in the original form, which may be incorrect.
Example: She wrote, “They made there [sic] beds.”
Pop Quiz
Place brackets where needed.
- (For more details on brackets, see The Chicago Manual of Style 2017.)
- He has difficulty correctly pronouncing nuclear noo-klee-er.
- The instructions read, “Be sure to tighten it’s sic lid securely.”
Pop QuizAnswers
- (For more details on brackets, see The Chicago Manual of Style [2017].)
- He has difficulty correctly pronouncing nuclear [noo-klee-er].
- The instructions read, “Be sure to tighten it’s [sic] lid securely.”
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
What is the reason for this use of brackets?
Nat[ional] Socialism has brought about the end of the…
Nat[ional] Socialists—and perhaps it’s benevolent Providence…
Not knowing the context of the phrases, we can only guess that the word used in the original text was something other than “National.”
Is the use of brackets in this sentence correct??
Mr. Stanley addressed the Committee by stating, “Your role [as members of the Joint Finance Committee] is to review the budget and determine whether the request is an appropriate one to fund education in the district.”
As long as you or another person have added the words in brackets to Mr. Stanley’s original quote, the brackets are correctly used. If the words in the brackets are part of Mr. Stanley’s original quotation, they should be in parentheses. Please see our rules on Parentheses and Brackets for more information.
What about their use as footnote designators in cases where real word processing footnotes are impossible? Is this just an Internet informalism, or is there some policy about this?
Example:
In the diagram [1], we show that the Mechanical Safing and Arming Device, attaches to the warhead anterior to the shaped charges shown in figure 3.5 [2].
[[1]] Web_link_to_diagram
[[2]] very_long_web_link_that_would_have_disrupted_the_former_text
The answer depends on which style guide you choose to follow. Each style guide follows different rules. We suggest you visit the Purdue Owl page on Research and Citation Resources, and select a style guide.
Is it possible to delete a word from a quote and replace it with a word in brackets?
We do not recommend deleting words from an original quote. Brackets are used to clarify or add to an original quote. For example, the Associated Press Stylebook writes “include the unclear word or phrase before the parenthetical clarification; deleting it creates questions in a reader’s mind.” However, the Chicago Manual of Style mentions “Sometimes the bracketed material replaces rather than amplifies the original word or words.” Thus, in practice, you may occasionally see exceptions. Other options might include clarifying either through a footnote or, instead of using a quote, paraphrase the original.
I know brackets can be used to add a word for clarification, but can they also be used to replace a word in order to add clarification? For example, can “took the one less traveled by” be changed to “took the [road] less traveled by” as “took the one [road] less traveled by”?
Please see our reply of May 14, 2020, to Cari Nolt.