Questions tagged [square-brackets]
The square-brackets tag has no usage guidance.
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Using brackets in quotes to switch "me" to "him" [duplicate]
Let's say someone says:
Take me to the store right this second.
I want to quote the person directly but incorporate it into my sentence my changing "me" to "him" as follows:
He ...
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How do you mark English words originally used by a non-native author in an English translation?
An artist has written memoirs in his native language with some English words and phrases scattered here and there (some might even have spelling / grammar mistakes). His memoirs are translated into ...
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APA style: Changing direct quote "drew" to "drawing" -- where to place square brackets? [closed]
If the original quote uses "drew" and I want to integrate it into my text by changing it to "drawing", which of the following would I write?
"dr[awing]"
Or
"[...
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Can you use two sets of brackets side-by-side within a quote?
Specifically, I want to use brackets to indicate a break in the quote (with an ellipse in the brackets) as well as brackets to format the quote to fit my sentence.
For example, if I were to quote from ...
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If I simultaneously change and omit part of a quote, should I include ellipsis next to the brackets?
I feel it would be easiest to explain using my specific situation as an example. I am writing an essay in which I plan to include the following quotation from a secondary source:
The more she talks, ...
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What to enclose in square brackets and not?
I use square brackets when I paraphrase, i.e. when I change or add some words to a text I quote. I have noticed an inconsistency in what I enclose in the square brackets and not. Here are two examples....
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Bracketed lowercase letters
Yes, I have read every link about this, and this question might appear to be the same but is a little different based on what I'm asking. CMOS does not elucidate as to what the original text might ...
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Use of [brackets] in quotation: altering a single letter in a direct quote
We know that brackets, [these], are used for altering or adding extra information to a direct quote. For example, from this answer:
These are used to indicate that a direct quote has been edited [or ...
user387044
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Can you use square brackets to correct punctuation in quotes? [duplicate]
I know why we use square brackets in quotations. But can we also use it for changing punctuation, in order to make it fit better with the sentence?
For instance:
Original Quote: "We went to the ...
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I'm wondering why [sic] is used in this sentence
I found the sentence "newapaperman's [sic] newspaper."
But I don't know the reason [sic] is used in here.
please help. Thanks.
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Brackets upon brackets? (Mine vs. Supreme Court Justice's)
I'm doing some homework. I am quoting from an administrative law decision. The hearing officer who wrote the decision quoted from a Supreme Court dissenting opinion, which quoted from a previous ...
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Why does it make sense to surround [words] in square brackets in this case? [duplicate]
I know that putting words in square brackets when quoting is used to clarify or emphasize something, but I've seen some cases where it really doesn't make sense to me.
For example this sentence:
...
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Nesting parentheses inside brackets
I want to insert a parenthetical phrase into a quotation as an editorial note. Since such notes are surrounded by square brackets to differentiate them from the original quote, I end up with this:
“...
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Using square brackets in quotes
I understand how to use square brackets in quotes when adding full words, but if I am quoting something that was misspelled initially and want to correct the spelling, is it proper to do this? For ...
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What is the proper way of using brackets and periods in quotes?
I'm writing an essay. I know that I can alter or add words by using square brackets. However, I'm not sure if changing a case of a single letter applies to that rule. I didn't actually use square ...
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Square brackets and a T [duplicate]
I've noticed some authors of academic pieces tend to put square brackets around a T when starting a quote, I don't understand why.
"[T]he Organization is based on the principle of the
sovereign ...
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Editing quotations with square brackets and italics at the same time
I have the following sentence from the Time Magazine, which I use as an example sentence on a flashcard:
At its best, Losers is a sluggish, stream-of-concupiscence exposition
of what Sartre ...
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Square Brackets and ellipses
I'm writing an essay and I'm having an issue with brackets and ellipses. If I want to quote a text and I use the square brackets to clarify the context, do I also include the ellipses when I'm missing ...
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Why were square brackets used to contain these words?
It is easy for guys
like [Stuart] Broad and [Ben] Stokes who have been
doing it for years. I don't think Shafiul [Islam] and Kamrul
[Islam Rabbi] bowled that badly. (Collected from a national daily)
...
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Bracketed words inserted directly after ellipsis in quotes?
When omitting text from a quotation and adding text for syntax, is it acceptable to do so in the following way?
“This intellectual rule [natural right] relative to man is accessible to reason only, ...
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Is this correct usage of brackets? [closed]
Is this the correct use of brackets?
"[To me], this value means to respect your colleagues."
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Sequential (and nested) parenthetical sentences and phrases
According to MLA and APA, sequential parenthetical citations should be separated by a semi-colon, so: "John Avery and George Marshall both say that capitalism has existed in America since the ...
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Changing tense with brackets: "Bully[ing]" or "Bull[ying]"?
I've noticed that it seems to be common to bracket letters when partially quoting someone in order to make it grammatical. If Bob said "I'll retire when I turn sixty," one might write, "Bob told ...
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Quotations and Square Brackets
I have a question. If I am quoting a quote which has square brackets in it already, but I want to add square brackets because there are spelling mistakes so I want to add "[sic]". Do I just add it to ...
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Are brackets greedy?
I have the sentence fragment:
each in itself for achieving this pure abstraction of being-for-itself
and I'd like to incorporate it into my paper so that the quotation reads as follows:
They ...
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First, Second, and Fourth Bracketed Letter of a Word [closed]
What do the first, second, and fourth bracketed letters in "retreating," "the," and "to" indicate below? I've frequently encountered similar examples like these in others' writing. What exactly is ...
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Lowercase Letter in Brackets [duplicate]
Please look at the following sentence with the bracketed lowercase letter.
“Doctor Rogers' thesis states that ‘[p]atients often display psychosomatic symptoms.’ ”
Is the author decapitalizing the ...
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Bracketed Capital Letter [duplicate]
What does the bracketed capital letter indicate in the revised version below? Is it essential, per the rules of proper punctuation, to do so? Are the ellipsis points (i.e., the spacing of the dots) ...
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What is the best way in which to understand bracketed text?
Though a native English-speaker, I've always had trouble understanding bracketed text. It's fairly clear that parenthesis indicate "optional" text, as in below:
The (unusually quick) man stormed ...
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Usage of brackets/parentheses (etc) [closed]
When and how do we use the different kinds of brackets/parentheses — (){}[] — while writing English (not code)?
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What punctuation mark should I use? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?
What do brackets in a quote mean?
When I add information beside a word in a Bible verse, what bracket should I use? ...
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Symbol, punctuation, or abbreviation that indicates a "paraphrase"? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?
This question is born of practical necessity - one that I encountered while quoting a reference in "another" Stack ...
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What do brackets in a quote mean? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?
What do brackets around a word or words in a quote mean? This may seem silly, but I've never figured this out.
Bad ...
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How to add contextualizing text to a quotation?
How do you add text which provides context to a quote?
For example, consider if I were to quote someone as having said:
This is unacceptable!
Were that the whole quote, can I add any text to the ...
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What is the common name for brackets, braces, and parentheses?
I need to name a variable containing ()[]{}, what is the common name for all of them?
Two side questions:
parentheses is plural, or singular, or both?
is abbreviating it as parens understandable?
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Bracket placement
My idea of using of various brackets is unclear; can anybody clarify as to where exactly I use () and []? Furtermore, are {} used in regular grammar?
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How are bracket ellipsis [...] used in quotations?
I see this type of syntax often, but I do not know how, when or where they should be used.
"It is the case that [...] the inconvenience is altogether imaginary."
Is it okay to use if I need to ...
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Bracket vs brace
I found the terms bracket and brace used interchangeably. Is there a difference, and what is it?
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What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?
I sometimes see square brackets used while quoting. My assumption is that they are replacing a pronoun with what the object of the pronoun, but I never know for sure because I don't usually get to ...
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