It’s that time of year. Whether you’re a big NCAA basketball fan or not, it seems everyone is talking about Bracketology.
What is a bracket? If you’re a writer, you know that brackets are most often used to signify that words, or phrases, have been added or changed. For instance, “I can’t believe they [No. 10 Arkansas] upset St. John’s.”
Parentheses, on the other hand, are used to clarify, explain, or add an afterthought in a sentence. As an example, according to the NCAA, there has never been a verifiable perfect March Madness bracket. (You are 15,000 times more likely to die from a shark bite, says Forbes Magazine.)
A semicolon can be a bit more allusive. It has a couple of purposes. First, a semicolon is used to separate a list of items in a sentence. Secondly, it separates independent clauses, while connecting related ideas. Some argue that the semicolon has a third and fourth use. Here’s what I’ve learned about it. (March Madness and the semicolon.)
I picked my bracket too quickly; my friends took their time making their decisions. Next March, I’m going to go see some NCAA games; I love watching live basketball. If I could do it all over again, I’d go see games in Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and San Francisco, California. College games are fun; more importantly, they’re competitive and showcase elite NCAA athletes.
Whether you’re using brackets, parentheses, or a semicolon, take a moment to make the right decision. Ensure you are choosing them correctly. It makes your writing more meaningful and more accurate. Same goes for selecting your NCAA brackets!
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