Grammaropolis

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets handles clarifying quotations from within, signaling interruptions in quoted material, [sic] notation.

Pick a grade band

"[Silent but important.]"

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets
One concept, eight grades, four frameworks
Tap an answer to see the exact standard it hits, in all four state frameworks.
Framework
Grades 3-5
Which sentence correctly uses brackets in a quotation?
Aligned to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2 in your state's standards.

No score, no sign-in. Tap to answer, then see the standard it hits. Change the grade above to watch the same idea deepen.

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Mark Patrol
Grades 2 through 8 · Teaches Punctuation inside a sentence

A sentence comes in missing the mark inside it. Read the scene, then place the right comma, apostrophe, quotation marks, semicolon, or colon.

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What Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets teaches

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets handles clarifying quotations from within, signaling interruptions in quoted material, [sic] notation.

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets teaches the same idea across every grade, starting simple and going deep. Here is the whole concept: what it does, the jobs and kinds it splits into, the mistakes to watch for, and a worked example for each.

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets at work

Brackets do one precise job: they mark words added inside someone else's quote. "He [the mayor] arrived late" makes clear who "he" is without changing what was said. Where Parentheses hold the writer's own aside, Brackets let an editor step into a quotation to clarify, and the reader knows those words were not in the original.

Meet Parentheses.

Concept
Clarify quoted material

Use square brackets to add explanatory words, corrections, or clarifications within a direct quotation.

Examples
  • "She said, "I [the student] am ready.""
  • ""They [the team] won the game.""
  • ""He [the principal] made the announcement.""
Watch out for
  • Using parentheses instead of brackets in quotations
  • Adding brackets that change the original meaning significantly
  • Overusing clarifications
Concept
Use [sic] to indicate original errors

Use [sic] (Latin for 'thus') after a quoted word or phrase to show that an error or unusual wording appeared in the original source.

Examples
  • "The sign read "Drive Slow [sic].""
  • ""We was going fast [sic]," he said."
  • ""The studant [sic] left early.""
Watch out for
  • Overusing [sic] for stylistic quirks
  • Not using [sic] for actual errors in quotes
  • Confusing [sic] with [stet]
For grown-ups

Why families and teachers trust Grammaropolis.

10M+
video views
15
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1,000s
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Praise from press and teachers

"Learning grammar has never been more fun!"

School Library Journal

"It's like School House Rock and the Mr. Men books had an adorable love child."

Cool Mom Picks

"My students even asked if they can get extra credit for making up a dance or new lyrics to the songs."

Madi Costa-Krisko, 8th Grade, Palo Alto, CA

"After using it last year, my kids really got it!"

Kate Skibicki, 6th Grade, Bismarck, ND
What your child can now do

The Mayor certifies every finished cycle. Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets's certificate joins the set as the cycle ships.

When a child finishes a cycle, the Mayor signs a certificate naming exactly what they learned. Proof of learning, not a score, and standards-aligned across Common Core, Texas, Florida, and New York.

Hear the song

Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets has a song.

“(Parentheses) & [Brackets]”

Ready to learn Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets's rules with Assistant Defense Attorney Brackets?

Learn parentheses & brackets →

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