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