Question

what are the true statements about quotation marks, parentheses, and brackets? select the two that apply.

answer

• parentheses must be used in pairs.
• parentheses can be used to add information, like a comment, to a sentence.
• at the end of a quote, the period is placed outside the closing quotation marks.
• a quotation mark can be used by itself.

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Punctuation Rules for Parentheses and Quotes
Rules for grouping and enclosing text

Step 1: Analyze the statements about parentheses

Let's look at the first two options regarding parentheses:

• "Parentheses must be used in pairs."
• Reasoning: Parentheses are enclosing punctuation marks. Every opening parenthesis ( must have a corresponding closing parenthesis ) to properly set off the enclosed text. Therefore, this statement is true.
• "Parentheses can be used to add information, like a comment, to a sentence."
• Reasoning: This is the primary function of parentheses (often called parenthetical elements). They insert non-essential, supplementary information, explanations, or side comments into a sentence without disrupting its grammatical flow. Therefore, this statement is also true.

Step 2: Analyze the remaining statements

Let's evaluate the other options to confirm why they are incorrect:

• "At the end of a quote, the period is placed outside the closing quotation marks."
• Reasoning: In standard American English, periods and commas are always placed inside the closing quotation marks (e.g., "like this."). Therefore, this statement is false.
• "A quotation mark can be used by itself."
• Reasoning: Just like parentheses, quotation marks must always be used in pairs (an opening quote and a closing quote) to show where the quoted text begins and ends. Therefore, this statement is false.

Answer:

• Parentheses must be used in pairs.
• Parentheses can be used to add information, like a comment, to a sentence.