The question of whether to place punctuation inside or outside of parentheses regularly perplexes writers. We all know that it’s important to use proper punctuation if you want to write clearly, so what’s the correct format when it comes to using punctuation with parentheses or brackets?
Generally speaking, when the parenthetical phrase (what you’re writing in the brackets) is parenthetical or an incomplete sentence, you omit punctuation within the brackets. When what’s written in the brackets is a complete or standalone sentence, then you would use punctuation (such as a period or exclamation).
What about parentheses in the middle of a sentence?
Oftentimes when brackets appear in the middle of sentences it’s to include nonessential or parenthetical information. Because of this, we should omit punctuation from parentheses when they appear in the middle of a sentence.
The general rule is to keep punctuation with the sentence it belongs to. If a period belongs to the broader sentence (and not just what’s within the parentheses), then place the period at the end of the entire sentence.
Sentences with punctuation inside the brackets
(Several other courses were offered, but they were not as popular.)
I arrived at work at 9.30am. (That’s earlier than usual.)
Sentences with punctuation outside the brackets
Students completed several psychology courses (social, personality, and clinical).
The cake looks great (and tastes even better).
I arrived at work at 9.30am (which is earlier than usual).
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