Meaning & use
parenthetical remarks
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Meanings
nounplural
Short extra comments added inside a sentence or talk, which interrupt the main point rather than form part of it.
Grammar: Always plural in this form; a single one is 'a parenthetical remark'.
Patterns
- make a parenthetical remark
- add parenthetical remarks
- parenthetical remarks about something
She kept making parenthetical remarks about her weekend while explaining the new policy.
His essay is full of parenthetical remarks, so the main argument is hard to follow.
The professor's parenthetical remarks gave useful background without changing the topic.
nounpluraltechnical
Words that give extra information and are set off from the rest of a sentence by commas, dashes, or brackets.
Grammar: Used in grammar talk; the remark sits inside another sentence and can usually be removed.
Patterns
- set off a parenthetical remark with commas
- remove a parenthetical remark
In the sentence 'My brother, who lives in Rome, is visiting', the clause is a parenthetical remark.
You can often delete a parenthetical remark and the sentence still makes sense.
Dashes are useful for a parenthetical remark that needs extra emphasis.
Word forms
| singular | parenthetical remark |
|---|
Common combinations
- parenthetical remark
- He slipped in a parenthetical remark about the weather.
- make a parenthetical remark
- She made a parenthetical remark about the cost before returning to the main point.
- add parenthetical remarks
- Try not to add parenthetical remarks in a short email.
- set off with commas
- A parenthetical remark is often set off with commas.
- full of parenthetical remarks
- The speech was full of parenthetical remarks and lost its focus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aside
- An 'aside' is usually spoken to the audience or said quietly, while a parenthetical remark can appear in writing too.
- digression
- A digression is a longer departure from the main subject; a parenthetical remark is short and stays inside the sentence.
- interjection
- An interjection is a short word like 'wow' or 'oh'; a parenthetical remark is a whole comment, not just one exclamation.
Word family
- parenthesis noun
- A bracket, or a phrase inserted as an extra comment.
- parenthetical adjective
- Describing something added as an extra comment.
- parenthetically adverb
- In a way that adds an extra comment.
Commonly confused: parenthetical remarks or parenthesis? parenthetical remarks or quotation?
parenthetical remarks vs parenthesis
'Parenthesis' can mean the bracket marks themselves or one inserted comment; 'parenthetical remarks' means the comments, plural.
parenthetical remarks vs quotation
A quotation repeats someone's exact words, while a parenthetical remark is your own added comment.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'parenthetical remarks' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Parenthetical remarks' is a plural noun phrase, so it needs a plural verb form and the phrase 'make remarks'. Option 1 uses the singular 'remark' with 'several', option 2 uses the phrase as a verb, and option 3 puts the plural -s on the wrong word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “parenthetical remarks”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.