Definition of

Brackets

Before entering fully into the definition of the term bracket, we must discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it derives from French, exactly from “crochet”, which is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts:

-“Croc”, which means “curved iron”.

-The diminutive suffix “-et”.

A clasp is a clasp or closure , made of metal, that allows you to hold or hook something.

BracketsIn the field of fashion and clothing , the clasp is made up of two pieces that hook together and allow two parts of a garment to be fastened. Hooks are used in corsets, bras, and some pants and skirts.

The idea of ​​a bracket is also used to refer to a double orthographic sign (since an opening bracket and a closing bracket are always used). These signs allow adding information that complements a text or clarifies some aspect of it. If an ellipsis is used inside the bracket, it means that a part of a cited text is omitted.

The opening bracket is written separated by a space from the sign or word that precedes it. The same is done with the closing bracket with respect to the sign or word that follows it. As for the signs or words that frame them, they are written together.

If you wish to include a note in a statement written in parentheses, square brackets are used: “Hopscotch (novel written by Julio Cortázar [1914-1984]) is one of the great novels of the 20th century.”

To specify that the original text was modified and to indicate that a fragment was omitted when reproducing a text or statement, square brackets are also used:

“There are other [paths] today, we are not forced to do the same as our ancestors.”

In addition to all of the above, we cannot forget that, sometimes, brackets are used with ellipses within them. The objective of these is to indicate that a part of a text that is being cited has been left unreproduced.

Likewise, in a poem the opening bracket is used to indicate that what comes next belongs to the previous verse.

On many occasions, the use of brackets, parentheses and braces is confused. However, it is important to be clear when to use them at all times:

-Brackets are used to mark clarifications in the transcription of an original text, to introduce an additional explanatory note in a text where there are parentheses and to include phonetic transcriptions.

-The parentheses, on the other hand, are used to proceed to insert some data or to introduce an explanatory paragraph regarding the meaning of the text.

-We have to establish that the keys are used both in diagrams and in synoptic tables to proceed with groupings and classifications of various kinds. In the same way, we cannot ignore that they are used to express the numbers from 1 to 5 immediately before or after.

In the field of mathematics , braces , brackets and parentheses refer to the progression of depth in operations: {(8 + 1) x [(3 x 4) + (10/2)]}