# Simple Parenthesis Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 23, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116 "2009-02-23T22:34:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/1 "2009-02-23T22:34:57Z")

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Believe it or not I am a college graduate, and I really should know this, but for some reason I don’t remember which one is correct. Period within the parenthesis or outside the parenthesis?

I am an American if that makes any difference…

1. This is a simple example. (Well it should be simple, but for some reason I can’t remember the rule). So which one is it?

2. This is a simple example. (Well it should be simple, but for some reason I can’t remember the rule.) So which one is it?

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/2 "2009-02-23T22:40:00Z")

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This is just one style guide’s take, but:

\<\< Note that sentence-ending periods should go outside the parentheses if the parenthetical remark is part of a larger sentence, but inside the parentheses if it’s not embedded in a larger sentence. This is an example of the first (notice the punctuation goes outside, because we’re still part of that outer sentence). (This is an example of the second, because we’re no longer inside any other sentence; the parenthesis is its own sentence.) \>\>

[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html](http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html)

This one agrees:

parentheses ()  
Put periods outside a parenthesis at the end of a sentence if the inserted text is part of a larger sentence, and inside if the inserted text stands independently.

President Jackson addressed the graduates (text on page 78).  
All of the scholarship winners were honored at the dinner. (A complete list appears in the event program.)

When a parenthetical sentence is included in another sentence, omit the period inside the parentheses.

> **[Office of Public Relations: University Style Guide](http://www.rochester.edu/news/styleguide/punctuation.html)**
>
> University of Rochester Security Services

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/3 "2009-02-23T22:40:18Z")

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The sentence should include the parentheses, but don’t think they should stand alone as their own sentence, but it’s done now and then.

My car is a hot rod (a fast car).

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/4 "2009-02-24T01:50:14Z")

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The words inside the parentheses comprise a complete sentence, and it’s not part of a larger sentence, so the period should be within.

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**Author:** ![Sundog81](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Sundog81](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sundog81)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/5 "2009-02-24T07:32:50Z")

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Yep. What they said.

(Complete sentence.) Not a (complete sentence).

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**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/6 "2009-02-24T07:41:12Z")

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> [@gigi](#):
>
> This is just one style guide’s take, but:
> 
> \<\< Note that sentence-ending periods should go outside the parentheses if the parenthetical remark is part of a larger sentence, but inside the parentheses if it’s not embedded in a larger sentence. This is an example of the first (notice the punctuation goes outside, because we’re still part of that outer sentence). (This is an example of the second, because we’re no longer inside any other sentence; the parenthesis is its own sentence.) \>\>
> 
> [http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html](http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html)
> 
> This one agrees:
> 
> parentheses ()  
> Put periods outside a parenthesis at the end of a sentence if the inserted text is part of a larger sentence, and inside if the inserted text stands independently.
> 
> President Jackson addressed the graduates (text on page 78).  
> All of the scholarship winners were honored at the dinner. (A complete list appears in the event program.)
> 
> When a parenthetical sentence is included in another sentence, omit the period inside the parentheses.
> 
> [http://www.rochester.edu/news/styleguide/punctuation.html](http://www.rochester.edu/news/styleguide/punctuation.html)

(This.)

And of course (this).

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**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/7 "2009-02-24T10:02:15Z")

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Or, as you “grow up” and your mind fades into the fog, you can forget to include the second half of the parentheses and not have to worry about the decision at all.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-parenthesis-question/487116/8 "2009-02-24T14:56:12Z")

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Here’s a mnemonic: You should be able to lift the parens and their contents out of the text entirely, and what’s left should still make sense. No periods left hanging out there all by their lonesome, and no sentences left without periods because they went away inside the parens.