Parentheses

1. Use parentheses to hold additional information in a sentence, but information that is not necessary to include in the sentence. I'll tell you (and you can listen to) my story. The girl was born (two weeks early) in Florida.

2. Use parentheses to hold explanatory information or alternative spellings, names, or symbols. The gorgon (a mythical monster) frightened the sailors. The price was stated at fifteen dollars ($15).