Never Put a Comma Before Beginning Parentheses

Dear Legal Writer, Never put a comma before beginning parentheses.

It’s unnecessary and considered redundant.

The teacher said hi to only one boy, (whose name was Charlie).

The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff, (who had a strong case).

So what about after the ending parentheses? Well, that depends on whether the sentence otherwise calls for one, and it’s often within your discretion.

These 4 sentences are all grammatically correct:

The teacher said hi to only one boy (whose name was Charlie) and one girl (whose name was Mary).

The teacher said hi to only one boy (whose name was Charlie), and Charlie waved back.

The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff (who had a strong case) and awarded her full damages.

The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff (who had a strong case), but he only awarded her a nominal amount in damages.

CONFESSION:

I regularly have to look up this rule! I’m hoping that by writing a post about it, I will teach myself for good.

What about you?

I bet there’s a rule YOU constantly look up.

Why not write a post about it?

Writing about something is the best way to teach yourself about something.

Amanda

#DearLegalWriter