Brackets ( ), sometimes called round brackets or parentheses, have several uses.
They add a small amount of additional information to help the reader understand something:
- A dinner of pho (a Vietnamese dish) will be served at 7pm.
- This year’s sales figures (see attachment) are a big improvement on last year.
They show plural options:
- All guest(s) must leave before 11pm.
- Please leave your phone(s) at reception.
They show new abbreviations:
- This will be voted upon by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in June. The IOC will then publish the results.
