comma after parenthesis: ice cubes (the ones we put in drinks), not a

E

Elaine Koh

Senior Member
Singapore
It should be ice cubes (the ones we put in soft drinks), not a big block of ice.

Can a comma be placed after the closed bracket?

Many thanks.
 
    • Yes, that's fine. The comma separates the the first item and the negated second item. The parenthetical bit 'belongs' to the first item. And by convention, combining a close bracket and a comma is not a problem.

    If, however, you use dashes, I think most people would feel that the double punctuation would be inappropriate, although it would in fact still be logical.
    It should be ice cubes - the ones we put in soft drinks -, not a big block of ice. NO
    It should be ice cubes - the ones we put in soft drinks - not a big block of ice. YES
    Click to expand...
     
    Why do you even need 'brackets'? One of the functions of commas is to set off parenthetical elements.

    "It should be ice cubes, the ones we put in soft drinks, not a big block of ice."

    If you insist on using parentheses then yeah, I would be okay with formatting things that way.
     
    Well, there are grammar places all over the internet.

    "An appositive is a noun or pronoun -- often with modifiers -- set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it. [...] If the sentence would be clear and complete without the appositive, then commas are necessary; place one before and one after the appositive."
     
    Thanks for the link, xqby. Next time I see an appositive I'll stamp on it.

    But I'm still not happy. Is "It should be ice cubes, the ones we put in soft drinks, not a big block of ice" really an appositive? It feels as if there's a bit of connective tissue missing.

    "It should be ice cubes, like the ones we put in soft drinks, not a big block of ice" sounds better.

    Or is it just me?

    http://forum.wordreference.com/member.php?u=208385
     
    No, it's not just you. I wonder whether we even need the first comma if we use "like" though.

    The point I was trying to make is that tacking parentheses onto an otherwise simple sentence felt forced. There are plenty of possible revisions.
     
    Last edited:
    Take out the parenthesis.
    It should be ice cubes not a big block of ice.
    Is that sentence OK?
    I think not.
    I would insert a comma.
    It should be ice cubes, not a big block of ice.

    Stick in the parenthetical comment and I would want it to be bracketed by commas.
    It should be ice cubes, the ones we put in soft drinks, not a big block of ice.
    Sorry, no explanation :)
     
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