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Commas for Parenthesis
Using Commas for a Parenthesis
Commas can be used to separate a parenthesis from the rest of the sentence. (A parenthesis is additional information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, i.e., it could be removed.)It is also possible to use dashes or parentheses (brackets) to offset a parenthesis. Commas, parentheses, and dashes are types of parenthetical punctuation.


Examples of Commas Used as Parenthetical Punctuation
In each example below, the parenthesis is shaded:- The second boat in the race, the 6-berth Kontarka, was crewed by local school children.
- Mr. Tommy Millar, 36, was jailed for robbing his father's grocery store.
- James, a 23-year-old beggar from Boston, left his 4-million-pound mansion to live on the streets.
- Last year's pizza-eating champion who works with my brother came in here and ate two loaves of bread in one sitting.
- Critics search for ages for the wrong word, which, to give them credit, they eventually find.
(Actor Peter Ustinov)
A Parenthesis Is Not Always Mid-Sentence
A parenthesis is not always mid-sentence. For example:- They will be taking Jamie, a young man from London.
You Must End Your Parenthesis!
- Mr Tommy Millar, 36 was jailed for robbing his father's grocery store.
- Critics search for ages for the wrong word, which, to give them credit they eventually find.
- Mr Tommy Millar (36 was jailed for robbing his father's grocery store.
Choose Your Parentheses to Assist Your Reader
Although the use of commas as parenthetical punctuation makes for a normal-looking sentence, commas can become confused with other commas in the sentence. For example:- Last night, Josie, an escaped wallaby from London Zoo, attacked two young sisters, Rebecca and Josie, which is pure coincidence, Evans, in a bid to steal their crisps. (Although grammatically correct, the writer could have used a mixture of parenthetical punctuation to make the sentence clearer.)
- Last night, Josie (an escaped wallaby from London Zoo) attacked two young sisters – Rebecca and Josie (which is pure coincidence) Evans – in a bid to steal their crisps.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?