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Quotation marks may be used to indicate that the meaning of the word or phrase they surround should be taken to be different from (or, at least, a modification of) that typically associated with it, and are often used in this way to express irony (for example, in the sentence 'The lunch lady plopped a glob of "food" onto my tray.' the quotation ...
If an ellipsis is meant to represent an omission, square brackets must surround the ellipsis to make it clear that there was no pause in the original quote: [ . . . ]. Currently, the MLA has removed the requirement of brackets in its style handbooks. However, some maintain that the use of brackets is still correct because it clears confusion. [20]
This is not commonly used in formal writing (though sometimes other brackets [especially square brackets] will be used for one or more inner set of parentheses [in other words, secondary {or even tertiary} phrases can be found within the main parenthetical sentence]).
English-language style and usage guides originating in the news industry of the twentieth century, such as the AP Stylebook, recommend against the use of square brackets for parenthesis and other purposes, because "They cannot be transmitted over news wires." [2] Usage of parentheses goes back (at least) to the 15th century in English legal ...
For information about the use of punctuation with quotations, including the use of quotation marks within quotations, see the Manual of Style: "Quotations". Any alterations to quoted material must be clearly marked. Use square brackets [like this] for elided text or for added emphasis. Examples:
Use a colon (spaced) when one or more decimal points is present (a 3.5 : 1 ratio (markup: a 3.5 : 1 ratio)). Do not use the colon form where units are involved (dissolve using a 3 ml : 1 g ratio)—instead see ratios section of table at § Unit names and symbols, below.
If a sentence contains a bracketed phrase, place the sentence punctuation outside the brackets (as shown here). However, where one or more sentences are wholly inside brackets, place their punctuation inside the brackets. There should be no space next to the inner side of a bracket. An opening bracket should usually be preceded by a space.
Punctuation in the English language helps the reader to understand a sentence through visual means other than just the letters of the alphabet. [1] English punctuation has two complementary aspects: phonological punctuation, linked to how the sentence can be read aloud, particularly to pausing; [2] and grammatical punctuation, linked to the structure of the sentence. [3]