Quiz for Correct Use of Parentheses and Brackets

Parentheses and alternatives – Quiz

Insert parentheses, commas, or dashes in the following sentences:

1. Four cows two Holsteins a Guernsey and a Hereford stood in the middle of the road.
2. It all happened on this very day my birthday.
3. Jalene and Henry they are married now went to Mexico together.
4. The best time to travel is in the middle of the week Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
5. Two cats Posey and Toffee sat on the couch in the sunlight.

Insert parentheses and/or brackets in these sentences:

1. Grandpa loved to tell us stories. “When I was young that was a long time ago I learned a lot about following the rules or at least, the rules my parents enforced.”
2. He had five simple rules for happy living: 1 wake up in the morning, 2 eat a good breakfast, 3 eat a full lunch, 4 enjoy a nice supper, and 5 go to bed early.
3. Quoting the entry in his diary, after he went to the top of the mountain, he wrote, “Now I seed sic the whole world from up thar sic.”
4. I wrote down the phone number carefully, 915224-9876, so I could call it back later.
5. The mountain began its explosion at exactly 3:16 a.m. MST.

Answers to quiz below the spacer.

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Parentheses – Answers to quiz

Parentheses, Commas, or Dashes

1. Four cows two Holsteins, a Guernsey, and a Hereford stood in the middle of the road.

• Four cows (two Holsteins, a Guernsey, and a Hereford) stood in the middle of the road.
• Four cows—two Holsteins, a Guernsey, and a Hereford—stood in the middle of the road.
• Four cows, two Holsteins, a Guernsey, and a Hereford, stood in the middle of the road.
  • (Because there are already two commas in the non-essential clause, using commas in this sentence makes it appear that there are eight cows, including the Holsteins, the Guernsey, and the Hereford.)

2. It all happened on this very day my birthday.

• It all happened on this very day (my birthday).
• It all happened on this very day—my birthday.
• It all happened on this very day, my birthday.

3. Jalene and Henry they are married now went to Mexico together.

• Jalene and Henry (they are married now) went to Mexico together.
• Jalene and Henry—they are married now—went to Mexico together.
• Jalene and Henry, they are married now, went to Mexico together.

4. The best time to travel is in the middle of the week Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

• The best time to travel is in the middle of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday).
• The best time to travel is in the middle of the week—Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
• The best time to travel is in the middle of the week: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
  • (Because there are already two commas in the non-essential clause, avoid using commas in this sentence. However, a colon would be appropriate after “week,” because a list comes at the end. Or reword the sentence.)

5. Two cats Posey and Toffee sat on the couch in the sunlight.

• Two cats (Posey and Toffee) sat on the couch in the sunlight.
• Two cats—Posey and Toffee—sat on the couch in the sunlight.
• Two cats, Posey and Toffee, sat on the couch in the sunlight.

Parentheses and/or Brackets

1. Grandpa loved to tell us stories. “When I was young that was a long time ago I learned a lot about following the rules at least, the rules my parents enforced.”

• Grandpa loved to tell us stories. “When I was young [that was a long time ago], I learned a lot about following the rules, at least, the rules my parents enforced.”

2. He had five simple rules for happy living: 1 wake up in the morning, 2 eat a good breakfast, 3 eat a full lunch, 4 enjoy a nice supper, and 5 go to bed early.

• He had five simple rules for happy living: (1) wake up in the morning, (2) eat a good breakfast, (3) eat a full lunch, (4) enjoy a nice supper, and (5) go to bed early.

3. I wrote down the phone number carefully, 9152249876, so I could call it back later.

• I wrote down the number carefully, (915) 224-9876.

4. The mountain began its explosion at exactly 3:16 a.m. MST.

• The mountain began its explosion at exactly 3:16 a.m. (MST).

5. Quoting the entry in his diary, after he went to the top of the mountain, he wrote, “Now I seed sic the whole world from up their sic.”

• Quoting the entry in his diary, after he went to the top of the mountain, he wrote, “Now I seed [sic] the whole world from up their [sic].”