(parenthesis addiction)

[Narz]

I'm too verbose for my taste and use too many parenthesis (often I even feel the need to put parenthesis within parenthesis (that's linguistically illegal right?)).

Any suggestions?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I think there is some other punctuation mark that is supposed to be used for "parentheses within parentheses" (but I don't know what it is).

I think I'm addicted to them, too. Maybe we should form a 12-step group?

 

[LightFang]

Using parentheses frequently in writing is the habit of a bad writer, because this means that you didn't organize your thoughts very coherently. Even though technically you can cop out and call it the Art of the Author (tm) or whatever (but you know, these rules are not binding [in fact I'm even guilty of it myself sometimes {although not too often}]).

 

[LucyDuke]

That's not verbosity, it's just disorganization. Make sentences. Problem solved.

Strictly, it's legal. I think convention says to use (blah blah [blah blah {blah blah} blah] blah).

 

[puglover]

Sign my up for Parenthesis-aholics Anonymous as well.

 

[shortguy]

I generally favor dashes over parentheses, though I don't know that it's a particularly preferable habit.

 

[Narz]

That's not verbosity, it's just disorganization.

Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks.

 

[aneeshm]

I don't think this is too much of a problem because language is inherently recursive. But excessive use of parenthesis should be avoided because it makes the sentence more difficult to parse.

 

[Grisu]

yeah, I often abuse parenthesis myself And it probably is just disorganization since usually it's some other thing that came to my mind while I was writing down something else.

 

[Leifmk]

I'm too verbose for my taste and use too many parenthesis (often I even feel the need to put parenthesis within parenthesis (that's linguistically illegal right?)).

This is bog-standard practice for mathematicians and programmers.

 

[Catharsis]

I tend to use semi-colons; whenever I think of something else, I tack on another semi-colon; it's not grammatically correct but it looks nice and posh.

 

[Photi]

I'm too verbose for my taste and use too many parenthesis (often I even feel the need to put parenthesis within parenthesis (that's linguistically illegal right?)).

Any suggestions?

if you must use parenthetical statements within your parenthetical statements, then it is better to use [] square brackets the second time around. you could also use an em dash. both [ and-- should be used sparingly, as the parenthetical statement is already an aside. to many asides within the aside might make what you are trying to communicate lose its efficiency.

 

[Brighteye]

I try to put the first aside in commas, and maybe rephrase the sentence to use a semi-colon, but sometimes I'll still have a couple of spare asides which look best encased in (). I just like long sentences. I don't mind asides. They show intelligence and the ability to retain a train of thought whilst thinking about related things.
If a person has trouble following sentences with parentheses then he probably has a short-term memory problem. I find short sentences without any subclauses to be extraordinarily difficult to read. It's like watching a film by looking over a sequence of stills rather than watching a flowing motion picture.

 

[neviden]

They are useful (so that you can make a point and put small explanation to the point so that is known what is meant by that, therefore you save yourself the trouble later).

 

[nc-1701]

I do this all the time! (Well most of the time)...

I think correct ordering is {[()]} Or at least that's the order used in math...

 

[aneeshm]

This thread has had a profound effect on me. I have now simplified my sentence style a lot. I now avoid commas, parenthesis, and other embellishments or complicators unless they are absolutely necessary.

 

[Bast]

I prefer to use the hyphen. Brackets should restricted to abbreviations or short words or phrases that clarifies the meaning imo. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or the girl (Julia) ...

 

[El_Machinae]

I like the parentheses because they allow a speaking pragmatic to flow through to the writing. The reader knows that a portion of the information is supplementary to the point, and thus the point can be gained by only reading what's outside the parentheses.

 

[Catharsis]

I prefer to use the hyphen. Brackets should restricted to abbreviations or short words or phrases that clarifies the meaning imo. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or the girl (Julia) ...

I don't think you should be using the hyphen for parenthesising. You want one of the dashes. (I think it's en dash with spaces or em dash without spaces, right?)

 

[Bast]

I don't think you should be using the hyphen for parenthesising. You want one of the dashes. (I think it's en dash with spaces or em dash without spaces, right?)

Yes, that's right. Dash is the correct term but on the computer there's only 1 type so it's all very hard to differentiate. And the key on the computer is called a hyphen I think.