Parentheses with Certain Numbers or Letters

Parentheses are used around numbers showing dates (usually dates of birth and/or death), inserted figures, or numbers or letters in an itemized series (such as a series of steps).

Date: Joshua Chamberlain (1829-1914) received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role at Gettysburg.

Inserted figures: The Senate vote was very close (50-48).

Numbers in a series: To make New England Clam Chowder get the following items: (1) quahogs, (2) cream, (3) potatoes, and (4) onions.

Letters in a series: What was Hamlet's mother's name?
(a) Ophelia (b) Beatrice (c) Gertrude (d) Helena

A single closing parenthesis follows the number or letter in specific divisions of a formal outline.

Example:

I. Grammar

A. Punctuation

1. Parentheses

a. Parentheses with interrupting elements

b. Parentheses with certain numbers or letters

1) Dates

2) Inserted figures

3) Itemized series

a) Numbers

b) Letters

• « poprz.
• nast. »