In English, writers and speakers use expressions not really needed to convey the basic thought of particular statements, but these expressions give a desired texture, help establish mood and context, or capture the spirit of spontaneity that marks most day-to-day human interactions. Known as
parentheticals, they are of two kinds: (1) expressions that are used again and again as side remarks, and (2) non-essential words and phrases—even complete sentences—that interrupt the flow of a sentence to explain or amplify a point.
Most of us are familiar with these often used parenthetical expressions: “as a matter of fact,” “of course,” “indeed,” “moreover,” “therefore,” “by the way,” “on the other hand,” “nevertheless,” and “in my opinion.” They emphasize or direct the reader’s or listener’s attention to what’s about to be said or being said, or serve as transitional devices to make statements clearer and unmistakable.
See how the parenthetical expression “as a matter of fact” works in this passage: “I don’t think we can expect that mechanic to do a good job on our car.
As a matter of fact, we shouldn’t trust him to do the job at all.” Or how “by the way” introduces an important aside
—a critical side remark—in this statement: “That settles the matter, so we can now proceed with the project without delay. And
by the way, make sure that Evelyn is fully briefed on what needs to be done.”
The phrase “a critical side remark” used in the above paragraph is, in fact, another kind of parenthetical: an
interrupter that doesn’t alter the basic meaning of the sentence but simply explains, illustrates, or amplifies it. At its simplest, this kind of parenthetical begins a sentence with a modifying idea—a
qualifier, i
ntensifier, even a
negating element—that doesn’t naturally flow with the main sentence: “
Quick, or you’ll be late for that flight!” “
My God, what have you done to my computer!” “
Oh, no, there’s a much better way of doing it!”
In their more complex forms, parentheticals of this kind interrupt the sentence at any point where the speaker or writer feels like doing so: “The police official
, himself implicated in the pyramiding scam, made himself scarce during the Senate hearings.” “The woman’s luggage yielded nine high-end mobile phones
(iPhone13s and Samsungs) when opened at Customs.” “The self-confessed thief
—there was no doubt anymore about his remorse over the crime—offered to return his loot to the owners.”
This brings us to the three ways of properly setting off parenthetical elements to keep the grammatical structure of sentences correct and their basic meaning intact.
Commas, of course, are generally used for the mildest interruptions: “Ofelia
, an expert jeweler, said the diamonds were fake.” “The Filipino nurse
, holding two jobs for seven years in Canada, managed to send her three children to college.” “The judge
, to stop the courtroom ruckus, angrily banged the gavel.”
The next higher degree of interruption by a parenthetical element, especially one carrying entirely optional information, is better set off by
parentheses: “The Japanese occupation of the Philippines
(from 1942 to 1945) ended when the American liberating forces recaptured Manila.” “She told me that she wasn’t really angry at me
(which of course was a great relief).
For the highest degree of interruption, it’s best to use
double-dashes. They ensure that longer and more complex parentheticals don’t structurally impair and visually clutter sentences to the point of incomprehension and confusion. See how the double-dashes work in this profoundly interrupted sentence: “There was no way for us to know
—in fact we had absolutely no information where the enemy was at that time—how to deploy our forces in the desert wilderness.”
Neither commas nor semicolons or colons can properly punctuate sentences of that kind.
(Next:
“That” as subordinating conjunction and relative pronoun) December 2, 2021
This essay, 2073nd of the series, appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the November 25, 2021 Internet edition of The Manila Times
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Parentheticals for spontaneity in our prose
