Dashes and Parentheses

itsaplane · Jan 29, 2013

This might have been asked before. Not sure. Did a little digging, didn't really come up with what I wanted but I'm always really bad at searching for things.

I did a quick google and found a page but it didn't give me the answer I was looking for.

I'm wondering if in certain situations is it easier/correct to use dashes or parentheses. Quick example.

He smiled (he knew the girl was a little crazy and didn't want to set her off) and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

as opposed to

He smiled--she was crazy so he didn't want to set her off--and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

Which one is more correct? Thanks in advance!

WriterBN · Jan 29, 2013

I rarely use parentheses for parenthetical statements when writing fiction, but that's just me. Em dashes are more common, based on my reading.

Jamesaritchie · Jan 29, 2013

Why use either? They simply aren't necessary, and just distract readers. He knew the girl was a little crazy and didn't want to set her off, so he smiled and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

Rbrown8384 · Jan 29, 2013

I have seen JK Rowling use both of these in her novels. Most of the time the Em dashes are used in a more dramatic tone or to place a spot light over the words.

Just like your sentence:

"He smiled--she was crazy so he didn't want to set her off--and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

When she uses parenthetical statements they usually are just short bits of added information quietly placed in the text.

Like:

"Billy (the rabbit) ran down the hallway as quickly as he could."

That sentence I just made up, not in any of her writing.

I found a link for you that goes into a deeper explanation of Em Dashes, Parentheses, and commas.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/dashes-parentheses-commas.aspx

Hope this helps!

Corussa · Jan 29, 2013

Here's a brief note gleaned from my Hart's Rules:

'A pair of dashes expresses a more pronounced break in sentence structure than commas, and draws more attention to the enclosed phrase than brackets.'

... But bear in mind it goes on to exhort readers not to overuse these.

My instinct would be to use dashes rather than parentheses in your example - I would agree with Rbrown that parentheses give an impression of adding information more 'quietly'.

Hope that helps!

chloecomplains · Jan 29, 2013

I'm in agreement with WriterBN; I don't think parentheses work in fiction. To me, parentheses signify facts that don't belong in the sentence, but are required for some other reason, such as attribution of a quote, time period of an event, or notation of reference material. Alternatively, they can be used for side comments that drop a more formal tone, like additional suggestions in a recipe. None of these would be viable in a narrative, where any of these situations would signify a bigger problem that needs to be fixed.

King Neptune · Jan 29, 2013

There is a reason why parenthetical expressions are called parenthetical, but it isn't all that important.

itsaplane · Jan 29, 2013

Thank you all very much! Very greatly appreciated.

Roxxsmom · Jan 30, 2013

I remember seeing a lot of parentheses in older works of fiction, particularly in omniscient pov, where the narrator is inserting something he wants you to know about the character or situation. C.S. Lewis did it a lot in his Narnia books, as I recall.

But parentheses seem pretty rare in fiction today. Maybe m-dashes seem less like an author intrusion, more like they come from the point of view character?
Parentheses still used a lot in non fiction.

randi.lee · Jan 30, 2013

This is just personal taste, but I don't like parenthesis in writing. I think they're distracting and they pull me out of the moment...but again, that's just personal.

Roden Addison · Feb 2, 2013

I agree with randi. Seems more a style question. Though both are correct I think of parenthesis as formal. I think of the em-dash as generally doing the same thing as a non-essential phrase in a sentence, but far further from the essential meaning of the sentence.

Robert pulled on his suit jacket and rushed out the door.

With non-essential:

Robert pulled on his suit jacket, fastened the bottom button, and rushed out the door.

With the em-dash larger departure:

Robert pulled on his suit jacket—he hated that Cynthia always wanted to see him in it—and rushed out the door.

Incidentally. To make an em-dash in text rather than double dash you can hold down the alt key and enter 0151 on the keypad. On a laptop you'll need to add the function key to the alt.

randi.lee said:
This is just personal taste, but I don't like parenthesis in writing. I think they're distracting and they pull me out of the moment...but again, that's just personal.

FennelGiraffe · Feb 3, 2013

Roden Addison said:
With non-essential:

Robert pulled on his suit jacket, fastened the bottom button, and rushed out the door.

That's neither a parenthetical expression nor a nonessential phrase. It's a compound predicate with three verbs.

Robert pulled, fastened, and rushed.

Incidentally, that means the second comma is an Oxford comma.

Roden Addison · Feb 3, 2013

FennelGiraffe said:
That's neither a parenthetical expression nor a nonessential phrase. It's a compound predicate with three verbs.

Robert pulled, fastened, and rushed.

Incidentally, that means the second comma is an Oxford comma.

Dang it! Back to stage 2. Thanks Fennel. That comment has helped me sort some things out.

Wilde_at_heart · Feb 3, 2013

I find most of the time parentheticals and em-dashes can be dealt with by restructuring the sentence altogether.

He smiled (he knew the girl was a little crazy and didn't want to set her off) and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

How about:

He knew the girl was a little crazy and didn't want to set her off. He smiled as he said, "that sounds like a really good idea!"

or

He smiled, not wanting to set her off. She was a little crazy. "That sounds like a really good idea!"

It's a matter of taste, naturally, but I dislike using them altogether for prose and agree with other posters that parenthesis in particular take the reader out of the story.

BethS · Feb 3, 2013

itsaplane said:
He smiled (he knew the girl was a little crazy and didn't want to set her off) and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

as opposed to

He smiled--she was crazy so he didn't want to set her off--and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

Which one is more correct? Thanks in advance!

It's a style choice. Parentheses are more formal and they call attention to themselves in a way that em-dashes don't--but sometimes they fit the voice of the story. I had a short story published where I used parentheses, but I've never done it in any other work. It simply worked for that character and that story.

akpeach · Feb 3, 2013

In my reading I've found that when authors are writing in first person they often use parenthesis instead of the dash, especially if the work itself is lighthearted. But that's just my informal recall and not necessarily fact.

Roxxsmom · Feb 8, 2013

Roden Addison said:
To make an em-dash in text rather than double dash you can hold down the alt key and enter 0151 on the keypad. On a laptop you'll need to add the function key to the alt.

With MS (at least the older versions. I can't find anything in their new version as they scrambled all their menus) you can go to auto correct options in the tools menu and set it up to type an m-dash when you do two -- as well. You can set up all sorts of other neat things there too.

I have it turned off, though, as many SMF submission guidelines say no special formatting. No biggie either way, as it's easy to do a global search and replace.

And my parenthetical statement up there was an example of using one in non fiction writing, I guess. I never use parentheses in fiction but stick them in non fiction fairly often. I remember learning somewhere that a parenthetical statement inside parentheses should be a complete sentence, but I don't think that's a set rule, because I see lots of exceptions.

akpeach said:
In my reading I've found that when authors are writing in first person they often use parenthesis instead of the dash, especially if the work itself is lighthearted. But that's just my informal recall and not necessarily fact.

I've seen this too. I think it was more common in older stories, but it crops up sometimes. Also, sometimes in that old style of omniscient where the narrator brings himself/herself into the story as an "I" occasionally, or addressed the reader as a "you." It's a definite voice thing--as if the author is letting you in on a little secret.

Raison · Feb 22, 2013

I guess I'll be the lone dissenter here, but I prefer the way you originally had the sentence written.

He smiled (he knew the girl was a little crazy and didn't want to set her off) and said, "That sounds like a really good idea."

As others have said, it's a matter of style. Usually I prefer the em dash, but not in this case.

Dashes and Parentheses

itsaplane

all the feels, ALL OF THEM

WriterBN

Jamesaritchie

Rbrown8384

New Fish; Exploring the Written Sea

Corussa

I fight like a dairy farmer

chloecomplains

Pinkamena Diane Pie

King Neptune

itsaplane

all the feels, ALL OF THEM

Roxxsmom

Raised by Wolves

randi.lee

Certified Non-Genius

Roden Addison

Conscious Competent.

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

Roden Addison

Conscious Competent.

Wilde_at_heart

υπείκωphobe

BethS

akpeach

Roxxsmom

Raised by Wolves

Raison

Dashes and Parentheses

all the feels, ALL OF THEM

New Fish; Exploring the Written Sea

I fight like a dairy farmer

Pinkamena Diane Pie

all the feels, ALL OF THEM

Raised by Wolves

Certified Non-Genius

Conscious Competent.

It's green they say

Conscious Competent.

&#965;&#960;&#949;&#943;&#954;&#969;phobe

Raised by Wolves

υπείκωphobe