Brackets

Brackets can be very useful, but they interrupt the flow of writing, so you must be careful not to use them too often or to put too much in them. There’s almost never a reason to put a whole sentence in brackets. (If you look closely, you’ll almost always find – as in this case – that it works better without the brackets.) However, used well, brackets can have rather an intimate (almost conspiratorial) feel about them and they are very good for quick examples and necessary but dull information including:

• Directions to the reader: “… resulted in double-digit profit growth (see diagram opposite).”
• Equivalent measures: “… a liability of €230m (£158m).”
• References: “…rising cost of pensions (see “The Adequacy and Sustainability of Pensions”, European Commission 2002).”
• Abbreviations: “…according the Association of British Insurers (ABI).”