Parenthetical Elements

Front

What is a parenthetical element?

Back

A parenthetical element is a word, phrase, or clause that adds extra information to a sentence but can be removed without changing the sentence's overall meaning.

Front

What punctuation is commonly used to set off parenthetical elements?

Back

Commas, dashes, and parentheses are commonly used to set off parenthetical elements.

Front

Provide an example of a correctly punctuated sentence with a parenthetical element.

Back

Dr. Montgomery, the art teacher at Trent Lott Academy, is very creative.

Front

What is the purpose of using parentheses in a sentence?

Back

Parentheses are used to enclose information that is supplementary or non-essential to the main point of the sentence.

Front

Which punctuation should NOT be used to set off parenthetical elements?

Back

Quotation marks should not be used to set off parenthetical elements.

Front

Identify the error in this sentence: 'My best friend, Kathy- is on the softball team.'

Back

The error is the use of a hyphen instead of a comma or dash to separate the parenthetical element.

Front

What is the difference between essential and non-essential information in a sentence?

Back

Essential information is necessary for the sentence's meaning, while non-essential information can be removed without altering the sentence's core meaning.

Front

How do you correctly punctuate a parenthetical element that is at the end of a sentence?

Back

Place the parenthetical element before the final punctuation mark, e.g., 'Titanic (my favorite movie of all time) won an Academy Award.'

Front

What is an example of a sentence with unnecessary parenthetical information?

Back

The car, which was red, sped past us.

Front

What is the role of commas in punctuating parenthetical elements?

Back

Commas are used to separate the parenthetical element from the rest of the sentence, indicating a pause.