Methods and skills of using brackets

The main function of brackets is to express explanatory words in writing. It can be divided into two categories: parenthesis and parenthesis. Parentheses in a sentence refer to adding some explanatory words in parentheses in a sentence, while extra-parentheses refer to adding some explanatory or supplementary explanations in parentheses after a sentence or a paragraph.

There are four forms of brackets: parentheses (()), square brackets ([]), square brackets () and hexagonal brackets ([]).

I. Basic usage

1. is used to indicate explanatory and explanatory words in the text.

Example 1 196 1 A former Soviet scientist named S.M. Stishov found that if silicon dioxide (that is, very pure sand) is under ultra-high pressure, its atoms are very close together, thus becoming extremely dense.

(Asimov's broken sand)

Wandering around the room alone, I suddenly thought of Yi Xi (Ye Ting's word), but Yi Xi still has a daughter by his side, so I should be able to get some comfort.

(Guo Moruo's Soviet diary)

Modern amphibians (frogs and toads are well-known modern amphibians) are even less adapted to the Antarctic climate.

(Asimov's Dinosaurs Everywhere)

At the same time, there are some rumors that Joan Hinton went to China in March 1948 and participated in China's atomic bomb program. (In the early 1940s, Joan Hinton worked as Fermi's assistant at the Los Alamos Weapons Laboratory and participated in the manufacture of American atomic bombs. At that time, she was a young graduate student. )

(Yang Zhenning, "Deng Jiaxian")

Example 5 is ridiculous. When I was a child, I went up a tree to pick a begonia flower and didn't want to be stung by bees. It almost hurt me.

(Yang Shuo's "Litchi Honey")

All the above examples are explanatory words except the last one, and Example 5 is phonetic notation.

2. Words and sentences used to mark insertion and supplement in writing.

Example 1 Everyone has a pen and a mouth. Is there any reason to say it? Show me the facts! (Mr. Wen's voice is excited) Why do you want to fight and kill? You dare not fight and kill openly, but you can only assassinate in secret! (Applause) What is this? (Applause)

(Wen Yiduo's last speech)

Example 2 ... This reminds me of what Lenin said: The rule of the exploiting classes depends not only on the state machinery, that is, the army, police, courts and prisons, but also on the consciousness and backwardness of the masses. (Zhang Guangnian interrupts: And religion. )

(Sha Ting's "I read short stories")

She said, "Students, understanding is mutual. We are very encouraged by your speeches. We admit that we don't understand you, and some of our practices are inappropriate or even wrong. In this regard, we admit defeat. * * *' s speech made the students cry and applauded. )

("Understanding should go both ways")

Example 4 (Taohuayuan) was shocked to see the fisherman and asked him what he had done. He got the answer. (Taohuayuan people) will (fishermen) go back to their hometowns to set up wine to kill chickens for food.

(Appreciation of Peach Blossom Garden)

A piece of news from Beijing described it this way: (25th) in the early morning, a light rain came down from the sky with sediment, and the soil was attached to the vehicles, green leaves and lawns parked in the open air, stained with stains. After the mud rain, the wind roared and the dust rolled, and the whole city of Beijing was dark ... This is the tenth time that floating dust and dust appeared in Beijing.

Example 6 Bing Xin (1900—— 1999) was originally named Xie Wanying, a native of Changle, Fujian, and a modern writer. Literary creation began in the May 4th period and had a great influence. Representative works include the collection of poems "Stars and Springs", the collection of essays and novels "Superman", and the collection of exchanges between the past and young readers.

Example 1 to example 3, if the contents in brackets are descriptive; The words "Taohuayuan people", "fisherman" and "No.25" in Examples 4 and 5 are the author's supplementary explanations. Example 6 is the year of birth and death.

3. Used to indicate the source of the reference

Example 1 "Look down on a thousand fingers and bow down as a willing ox." It's two poems in Lu Xun's self-mockery (see Lu Xun's diary 1932 10 10/2).

Confucius said, "It's better to learn the times, isn't it?" Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? Ignorance and dissatisfaction are not gentlemen? "

(Learning the Analects of Confucius)

Example 3 "One Side" is selected from an episode of Memoirs of Lu Xun (People's Literature Publishing House, 1979 edition) and has been changed.

Example 4 A million troops of the People's Liberation Army crossed the river from People's Daily on July 9 19865438 (originally published in People's Daily on April 24 1949).

How can I repay my mother's kindness? I will continue to be loyal to our nation and people, loyal to the hope of our nation and people-China * * *, so that people who live with their mothers can live happily. This is what I can do, I will do it.

(Zhu De's "Missing Mother")

4. Used to indicate quantity or heavenly stems and earthly branches to indicate the order of items.

The characteristics of this bridge are: (1) The whole bridge has only one large arch, which is 37.4 meters long, and it was the longest stone arch in the world at that time. Bridge opening is not an ordinary semicircle, but like a bow, so there is no steep slope on the road above the big arch, which is convenient for horses and chariots to get up and down. (2) A big arch has two small arches on each shoulder. This innovative design not only saves stone and reduces the weight of the bridge, but also increases the water flow in the bridge hole and reduces the impact of flood on the bridge when the river surges. At the same time, add an arch on the arch to make the bridge more beautiful. (3) The big arch consists of 28 arch rings, just like so many bows with the same shape put together to make an arc-shaped bridge opening. Each arch ring can independently support its weight. If one arch ring is broken, the other arches will not be affected. (4) The structure of the whole bridge is symmetrical, which is in harmony with the surrounding scenery; Even the stone pillars and slabs on the bridge are beautifully carved.

(China Stone Arch Bridge in Mao Yisheng)

Duality has long been used in China's ancient poems. For example:

(1) The sand sea is deepening with unfathomable ice, gloomy clouds and bleak Wan Li condensate.

(2) Qian Fan is on the side of the sunken ship, and Wan Muchun is in front of the diseased tree.

(3) Several early warblers compete for warm trees, and new swallows peck at spring mud.

(4) one water protects the field, and two mountains send green.

5. Words used to express the actions and modality of the characters in the script, as well as words to explain the role activities, performance time and place, stage equipment, lighting effects, etc. (This description is traditionally used only for the first half of the hexagonal brackets).

Example 1 Chang: (Flash) What are you going to do?

Fred: What? I can't touch foreigners. Can't I touch you?

Ma: (without standing up) You are great, Erdezi!

Fred: (glancing around and seeing the horse) Drink, Master Ma, where are you? How silly of me not to see you! I used to pay New Year greetings. )

(Laoshe Teahouse)

Li Xiu: Brother, what about that dress?

Li Hua: (in a muffled voice) How to wear it to work?

Li Xiu: Great! National Day is not over yet.

Li Hua: You gave me a room? (Walking into the backyard)

(Su Shuyang's Neighbor)

Hong Xin: I'm still going to play! (below)

[Jia Chuan bowed their heads and walked into the room.

There was a quarrel in the backyard.

[A young man came out to argue with Li Hua, who was pushing an empty car while arguing.

(Su Shuyang's Neighbor)

Please smoke, Tao Zhu Mu!

【 Static field.

[To the housekeeper.

Mr. Tao, housekeeper, your phone call.

[Tao Zhu Mu impatiently waved to the housekeeper.

(Sha, Mayor Chen Yi)

Example 5 [1early spring of 927.

In front of the ancestral temple in rural Hunan.

The sun shines on the earth and distant mountains. The red cloth banner with the words "All power belongs to the peasant association" hanging above the gate of the ancestral temple and the plaque of the peasant association beside the door make this remote mountain village seem lively.

Peasants wearing red armbands, peasant red guards holding shuttle flags and young league members holding sticks gathered in front of the notice posted on the high wall of the peasant association. A teacher is reading the notice.

("Yang Kaihui")

6. In books, periodicals, dictionaries and other texts, words and sentences equivalent to subheadings or explanatory texts can be marked with square brackets.

Example 1 Author's brief introduction Ye Shengtao (1894—— 1988), a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, was originally named Ye Shao Jun, and his real name was Shengtao. Writers, educators and editors. His works are collected in Ye Shengtao Collection.

Example 2 shows that Suzhou Gardens are selected from the 4th issue of Knowledge Encyclopedia 1979. The original title is "I am deeply concerned about Suzhou Gardens", which is slightly abridged. Humble Administrator's Garden, one of the famous gardens in Suzhou.

Example 3 explains unevenness (lín xún): the appearance of abrupt.

Exodus 4 The original sparrow knew the ambition of the swan.

How did the sparrow know the ambition of Honghu Lake?

Spiders that collude with plants to eat people in some forests or swamps in the Amazon basin of the United States, there is a kind of hairy spider that lives in groups. This kind of spider likes to live near sunflowers. It turns out that this flower is big and beautiful, and it can attract some people who don't know the truth to it. Whether people touch its flowers or leaves, it quickly rolls the branches and leaves around and entangles people. At this time, it sends a signal to the hairy spider, and groups of hairy spiders come to eat people. The remaining bones and meat rot and become fertilizer for sunflower.

There are mountains and valleys in the chest, and there are mountains and rivers in the chest, so you can know its interest.

Examples in brackets 1 to 4 are equivalent to subheadings; Examples 5 and 6 are words in brackets. These explanatory or explanatory texts should be marked with square brackets, so as to be separated from explanations and comments and not to be misunderstood.

7. In traditional Chinese characters, square brackets are often used to represent plate and qu cards.

Example 1 Lu Xian's lips are full of leisure worries. She has been banned for several years. Who knows? If God knows my reasons, I'm afraid I won't be with God.

Why can't tears flow for a long time? Isn't it just fighting with others for debts? I quickly greeted here in a flurry, and he wanted to say why. See him half wandering and half ugly.

(Guan Hanqing's Dou Eyuan)

Besides being a fairy, Huang sent a cuckoo with a red face and crying, just like wearing a butterfly. ……

(A Ying's A Dream of Red Mansions Opera Collection)

Example 3: Magpies sing even lyrics and recite real words. Singing new poems about the moon is better than tapestry palindromes. ……

(Wang Jisi proofreads The West Chamber)

In case 1 3, "Lu Xian Dian Jiang Lip", "Banel", "Huang" and "Quetiaozhi" are the names of traditional operas.

Second, the abuse of discrimination

The most common mistakes in using brackets are: first, the position of brackets is easy to be misplaced, especially the brackets in sentences are often placed at the end of the sentence, not immediately after the text of the note; Second, the dots inside and outside brackets and their positions are easy to be mistaken. Specific errors can be subdivided into the following categories:

1. Parentheses for explanatory comments will not be immediately after the comment section.

If the content of brackets is to annotate some words in a sentence, then it should be closely followed by that word, and there should be no punctuation marks or words before brackets to separate it from the annotated part.

Example 1 Standing in front of the dilapidated classroom of the village central primary school (two walls collapsed in half), it gives people the feeling that they have just been bombed by enemy planes.

("My Teacher" and "Composition Guidance for Primary School Students")

This live performance is all real singing, and lip-synching recording is not allowed (some singers comfort themselves by calling it "chorus singing"), which means "a mule or a horse is pulled out for a walk on the spot".

(Wen Wei Po1998 April 1 1)

It should be mentioned that the implementation of practical administrative tasks at the federal level is specifically undertaken by special bureaus or companies in the form of public property rights (Federal Cartel Office, Federal Credit Supervision Bureau, Federal Insurance Supervision Bureau, Technical Cooperation Company) ...)

(Xinhua Abstract1July, 997)

Example 1 The content in brackets explains "classroom" and should be moved to the back of "classroom" and in front of "front"; The contents in brackets in Example 2 are used to supplement the explanation of the word "mouth shape" and should also follow the explained word, and the comma before brackets should be moved to the back of brackets; The content in brackets in Example 3 is used to explain "companies with special bureaus or public property rights", but it is placed at the end of the whole sentence, which leads to confusion in structure and ambiguity in sentence meaning. Parentheses and their contents should be moved after "specialized bureaus or companies with public property rights".

2. The order in brackets was interrupted by mistake.

Due to the nature of parentheses with dots at the end of sentences, once parentheses are added in sequential languages, punctuation marks should not be used outside parentheses.

Example 1 shows the following three main orders:

( 1)。 ……

(2) In chronological order. ……

(3) In a logical order. ……

(Li Xiang's Modern Writing for Middle School Students)

The pause in the example 1 should be completely deleted.

3. Misuse of brackets when marking the author's dynasty

Example 1 The Atlas of the Great Collection of Wisdom was compiled and created according to Feng Menglong's Think Tank in the Ming Dynasty.

(Excerpted from the weekend of March 1999)

Hubei Library now has 6 volumes of Zhang Boxing's Primary School Collection.

In general text narration, the words indicating the times do not need to be marked with brackets, while the words indicating the times in book descriptions should be marked with brackets. Example 1 and example 2 contain notes that the author's dynasty belongs to general description and narration, and its brackets and square brackets can be deleted. Compare the above example with the following example:

Example 1 Outline of World History [English] by H. Joe Wells.

Carl Sandberg's biography of Lincoln.

Example 2 Recalling Qin E

li po

Yujiaao

fan zhongyan

Example 1 indicate the author's nationality with hexagonal brackets on the original cover and title page; Example 2 indicates the author's dynasty with hexagonal brackets under the title of the text. Generally, you don't want to put it in words, you can use parentheses.

4. Misuse of the last point of the sentence in brackets

Generally speaking, the brackets in a sentence are the brackets placed in the sentence to annotate words. Words in brackets don't need punctuation, punctuation should be placed outside brackets. But if there are questions and exclamations in brackets, then question marks and exclamations should be put in brackets. Extra-sentence brackets are brackets placed at the end of a sentence or paragraph. As an explanatory or supplementary explanation, punctuation is needed at the end of the text, and no punctuation is added outside the brackets. If the notes in brackets are complex in structure or long in text, they need to be divided into several sentences and punctuated to indicate pause.

One Sunday last winter, I visited a compatriot whose family lived in Switzerland for a long time. Let's have lunch first; I ate great Danish meatball soup and two kinds of meat cooked with ginger (for guests)! After dinner, we sat in the master's studio, smoking Swiss cigarettes, feeling particularly comfortable and at home.

(Far away Switzerland and Selected Compositions)

The national average is still the same. As for poverty-stricken areas that have not yet solved the problem of food and clothing, there are 379 poverty-stricken counties supported by the state, provinces and autonomous regions, of which 328 are supported by the state. The harsh conditions of basic education are even more unbearable.

(Survey of Basic Education in China and Social Watch)

Example 1 parenthesis is an exclamation sentence, although it is a parenthesis in the sentence. The exclamation point should be placed in parentheses, and a period should be added outside the parenthesis. The brackets in Example 2 are used to annotate "poor areas" and belong to the brackets in the sentence. Although the sentence is very long, the period at the end of the sentence is still wrong and should be deleted, with a comma in parentheses.

5. The whole sentence comments as a part of the comments.

The successful launch of Shenzhou 5 manned spacecraft 1 marks the rapid development of China's space technology, which is the pride of all China people (applause).

("Grand Course" and "Vertical and Horizontal")

Example 1 is a typical whole sentence comment, that is, extra-sentence brackets, and the period at the end should be placed in front of the brackets, that is, the brackets should be moved to the back of the period.