Definition

Noun: A parenthetical expression is a word, phrase, or clause that is inserted into a sentence as an aside, explanation, or additional comment. It is not grammatically essential to the main structure of the sentence and is often set off by punctuation marks like commas, dashes, or parentheses.

Usage

A parenthetical expression provides extra, non-essential information. It can be removed from the sentence without changing the core meaning or grammatical correctness. Its primary function is to add detail, clarify a point, or offer an author's comment.

Examples

• The best solution, , is to start over.
• The conference——has been postponed.
• Her latest novel () was a critical success.

Advanced Usage

• Rhetorical Effect: Writers use parenthetical expressions to create a conversational tone, mimic spoken asides, or subtly emphasize a point.
  • The results were, to put it mildly, disastrous.
• Academic Writing: Used to cite sources, define terms, or include brief explanatory data.
  • The phenomenon (see Table 2) correlates strongly with temperature.

Variants and Related Words

• Parenthetical (Adjective): Describing something that has the nature of an aside or is contained within parentheses.
  • She added a parenthetical remark about the weather.
• Parenthesis (Noun): Often refers to the punctuation marks themselves, or, by extension, the interrupting material they contain.
  • The information in parenthesis is optional.
• Aside (Noun): A remark or passage in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters; more broadly, any incidental comment.

Synonyms

• Aside
• Interpolation
• Digression (when it temporarily departs from the main subject)

Related Phrases

• In parentheses: Set off by the punctuation marks ( ).
  • Place the author's date in parentheses.
• By the way: A common spoken equivalent of a parenthetical expression.
  • The meeting, by the way, starts at nine.

Noun

1. an expression in parentheses
   • his writing was full of parentheticals