Take the 2-minute tour ×

Where should the period go when using parentheses? For example:

In sentence one, I use this example (which has a parenthesis at the end.)

Should the period be inside, or outside of the parentheses? What about if the entire sentence is a parenthetical (as below)?

(Where does the terminal punctuation go here?)

Is there a hard and fast rule?

share|improve this question
Same logic as this, methinks: english.stackexchange.com/questions/7548/… –  sje397 Feb 2 '11 at 23:57
@sje397 Not quite. For quotation marks, several conventions exist (mainly en-UK vs. en-US). But parentheses are always placed in the same way (see JSBang’s answer). –  Konrad Rudolph Mar 7 '11 at 7:22
@Konrad - true. But, I am a programmer, so there's only one that makes sense to me ;) –  sje397 Mar 8 '11 at 3:21

7 Answers 7

up vote 27 down vote accepted

The best rule of thumb for punctuating in and around parenthetical remarks is that the sentence should be valid if you remove the parentheses and everything inside them.

Here I have an example (with a parenthetical remark).

Here is the same example (with the same remark, even.)

Removing the entire parenthetical remark from the first sentence still leaves me with a valid structure, while removing it from the second leaves me lacking any terminal punctuation; thus the first is correct.

share|improve this answer
+1 Good rule, very logical. –  Orbling Dec 12 '10 at 1:15
How about this one: I like bananas (but why?). Period looks kind of extraneous there... –  StasM Sep 14 '11 at 20:13
What about when emphasis is needed on the parenthetical statement, but not the entire sentence? e.g. The cops caught a thief (the one who stole your wallet!). Wouldn't you say the exclamation point goes inside the parenthesis then? –  bobobobo Jul 16 '12 at 0:06

If only part of the sentence is parenthetical, then you put the final punctuation outside of the parenthesis:

I enjoy breakfast (sometimes).

If the entire sentence is parenthetical, then you put the punctuation inside the parenthesis.

I enjoy breakfast. (Though I enjoy lunch more.)

share|improve this answer

Place the period logically when parentheses are involved. In the first example, the period goes outside because the single sentence ends after the parentheses. In the second example, it goes inside because it belongs to the second sentence.

I like apples (and bananas).

He likes apples. (I like bananas.)

share|improve this answer
Agreed. These are the same conventions I'm aware of. It makes me glad I use British English. :) –  Noldorin Dec 11 '10 at 21:42
I also concur. Although I'm from the US, I find myself using the UK convention for quotes more often than not. –  Mitch Schwartz Dec 12 '10 at 0:34
Anyone know why the US handle the quote mark situation like that? –  Orbling Dec 12 '10 at 1:16
@Orbling: It's for reasons of typography. American printers thought that having the punctuation sign inside the quotes "looks better", so they typeset it that way. –  ShreevatsaR Dec 12 '10 at 7:13
@ShreevatsaR: Sounds about right, style over substance. Thanks. –  Orbling Dec 12 '10 at 7:17

Well, I prefer using the British logic for placing periods even though I'm not only American, but I live in Texas. Since I don't want to portray myself as an ignorant person, I think a lot of textual decency. While I place my periods outside the quotation marks, I'm left feeling haunted by the idea that an American might think I'm the ignorant one since I'm putting periods after closing quotes when the text being quoted is part of the structure of the sentence itself, not a dialogue in a story nor a quotation of a complete sentence.

share|improve this answer

Put the period outside the parentheses if what's inside is a subordinate or dependent clause (meaning that it could not stand on its own as a sentence).

Put the period inside the parentheses if what's inside is an independent clause (this means that it could stand on its own.)

share|improve this answer
Note that I wrote these sentences as examples of the rules they describe (in the first, the clause is dependent; in the second, it's independent.) I hoped they might serve as a bit of a mnemonic. –  MT_Head Jul 7 '12 at 5:49
What about the ending punctuation for the sentence in your second example? According to "The Grammar Bible" by Michael Stumpf, p. 537: "The punctuation for parenthetical items remains within the parentheses. Punctuate the primary portion of the sentence as if the parenthetical portion were not there." –  JLG Jul 7 '12 at 19:54
@JLG - Taken at face value, that can lead to double punctuation, which is generally considered undesirable (what if the parenthetical portion is a question?). If that's not a problem for you, go with Stumpf. –  MT_Head Jul 7 '12 at 20:21
Yes, it does lead to double punctuation...which is what you did with your sentence in your reply to me. So why would you object to a period at the end of the second example sentence? –  JLG Jul 7 '12 at 20:38
@JLG - I did that on purpose, as a demonstration. I dislike it; perhaps you don't. The rule I put forward is the one I learned in school, and the one I follow myself (when, of course, I'm paying sufficient attention). I am aware that there are other rules in circulation, such as Stumpf's. I don't agree with them, but I don't think it's a terribly huge deal: meaning and clarity are generally not lost either way. –  MT_Head Jul 7 '12 at 21:22

Another "hard and fast" rule for placing the period, if you may: For a complete sentence, leave the period within the parentheses; for a phrase or clause in a sentence, leave the period without.

share|improve this answer

I have an example sentence (which ends with parenthesis).

is correct, since you are writing the description of the word 'sentence' in the parenthesis and your sentence actually ends after that description.

It is like,

The cops caught a thief (the one who stole your wallet).

share|improve this answer

protected by Will Hunting Jul 7 '12 at 13:52


Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?
