writershelp

Brackets

Brackets for explanatory words in a quotation

Use square brackets to enclose any words or phrases that you have inserted into an otherwise word-for-word quotation.

Example sentence: Audubon reports that “if there are not enough young to balance deaths, the end of the species [California condor] is inevitable.”

The sentence quoted from the Audubon article did not contain the words California condor (since the context made clear what species was meant), so the writer needed to add the name in brackets.

Brackets for an error in a quotation

The Latin word “sic” in square brackets indicates that an error in a quoted sentence appears in the original source.

Example sentence: According to the review, Nelly Furtado's performance was brilliant, “exceding [sic] the expectations of even her most loyal fans.”

Do not overuse “sic” because calling attention to others’ mistakes can appear snobbish. The preceding quotation, for example, might have been paraphrased instead:

Example sentence: According to the review, even Nelly Furtado's most loyal fans were surprised by the brilliance of her performance.

Exercise: Other punctuation marks