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Parenthesis for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: pə'rɛnθɪsɪs

What does Parenthesis really mean?

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Hey there! So, let's talk about the word "parenthesis." I know, it may sound like a fancy word at first, but trust me, it's not that complicated. In fact, we use parentheses all the time in our daily conversations and writing.

Now, imagine you're having a conversation with a friend, and suddenly you remember something important that you want to mention, but it's not really related to what you're talking about. So, what do you do? You might pause for a moment and quickly tell your friend that extra piece of information, and then continue with your main conversation. That's basically what parentheses are for!

Parentheses are those small curved lines we use to add extra information or explanations within a sentence. We use them to separate this additional information from the main part of the sentence. It's like giving a little side note or a bonus fact to the reader, without disturbing the flow of our story or main idea.

For example, let's say we're talking about our favorite subject in school, which is math. We might say, "I love math (especially solving equations) because it challenges my brain." Here, the words "especially solving equations" are the information inside the parentheses. It's like a little extra detail about why we love math.

Now, let me give you one more example to make it crystal clear. Imagine you're reading a book about dinosaurs, and the author writes, "The Tyrannosaurus rex (also known as T. rex) was a massive carnivorous dinosaur." Here, the words "also known as T. rex" are inside the parentheses. It's an additional name for the same dinosaur, giving us more information about the Tyrannosaurus rex.

So, in a nutshell, parentheses are like non-intrusive interruptions in a sentence, providing extra information or explanations without disrupting the main message. They help us to add more details or clarify something in a sentence, just like we do in our conversations when we want to share a fun fact or an interesting tidbit. I hope this explanation makes sense to you, my friend!

Revised and Fact checked by Emma Johnson on 2023-10-29 18:53:06

Parenthesis In a sentece

Learn how to use Parenthesis inside a sentece

  • When you write a sentence, you can use parenthesis ( ) to add extra information that is not necessary for the main meaning of the sentence. For example: The dog (a golden retriever) was wagging its tail happily.
  • In math, parenthesis ( ) are used to group numbers or operations together. For example: (2 + 3) x 4 means you first add 2 and 3, then multiply the result by 4.
  • When you write a letter or an email, you can use parenthesis ( ) to show that you are whispering something to the reader. For example: I can't wait to see you later (bring your favorite book).
  • Sometimes parentheses ( ) are used in literature to show the thoughts or feelings of a character. For example: She closed the door and sighed (it had been a long day).
  • In programming, parenthesis ( ) are used to call or invoke functions. For example: myFunction() means that you are asking the computer to run the code inside the myFunction.

Parenthesis Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Parenthesis Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.