Question

choose the sentence that uses parentheses correctly.
the first ever international match (very few fans are aware of this) was played between canada and the united states in 1844.
the first ever international match very few fans are aware of this was played between (canada and the united states) in 1844.
the first ever (international) match very few fans are aware of this was played between canada and the united states in 1844.
the first ever international match very few fans are aware of this was played between canada and the united states (in 1844).

Explanation:

Parentheses are used to enclose additional, non - essential information. In the first option, the phrase "very few fans are aware of this" is extra information about the "first ever international match" and is correctly placed within parentheses.

• In the second option, the parentheses enclose the main elements (the countries) of the match, which is incorrect as the countries are essential to the description of the match.
• In the third option, "international" is part of the main description of the match ("international match"), so enclosing it in parentheses is wrong.
• In the fourth option, the year "1844" is a crucial part of the information about when the match was played, so enclosing it in parentheses is incorrect.

Answer:

The first ever international match (very few fans are aware of this) was played between Canada and the United States in 1844.