parenthesis
noun ( plural parentheses /-siːz/)
- 1a word or phrase inserted as an explanation or afterthought into a passage which is grammatically complete without it, in writing usually marked off by brackets, dashes, or commas: in a challenging parenthesis, Wordsworth comments on the evil effects of contemporary developments
- (parentheses) a pair of round brackets ( ) used to mark off a parenthetical word or phrase: the stage number is added in parentheses to the name or formula
Origin:
mid 16th century: via late Latin from Greek, from parentithenai 'put in beside'
Grammar
When something is put ‘in parenthesis’ it is separated off from the main part of the sentence by a pair of brackets, commas, or dashes. This is usually because it contains information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the sentence: With the homeless now crowding the streets of cities that once hardly knew them (like Portland, Oregon), Clinton has effectively criminalized the poor. or because they form a comment by the author on the rest of the sentence: The poor, says Clinton (he means blacks and Hispanics), have been ‘demotivated’ by welfare and forced into a ‘welfare’ culture. Brackets are the most formal (and most obvious) way of showing parenthesis: With the homeless now crowding the streets of cities that once hardly knew them (like Portland, Oregon), Clinton has effectively criminalized the poor. Commas are less forceful: With the homeless now crowding the streets of cities that once hardly knew them, like Portland, Oregon, Clinton has effectively criminalized the poor. Dashes are the least formal: With the homeless now crowding the streets of cities that once hardly knew them — like Portland, Oregon — Clinton has effectively criminalized the poor.
Spelling rule
Make the plural by changing the -is ending to -es: