Answer taken from About.com Homework/Study Tips
Some people consider brackets to be the younger and weaker sibling of parentheses. Parentheses are used to clarify meaning or to insert supplemental information in all types of writing. Brackets are used mainly for clarification within quoted material.
Using Brackets in QuotesYou may have seen the expression [sic] used in a quote and wondered what it was all about. You can use this expression if you are quoting a piece of text that contains a typo, simply to make it clear that the typo was in the original and not your own mistake. For instance:You may also use brackets to make an editorial statement or clarification within a quote. As in:
Another reason to use brackets in quotes is to add a word, prefix, or suffix in order to fit the quote into your sentence. In the statement below, the ing is added so the sentence will flow.
You can also use brackets to change the tense of a phrase in a quote so it will fit into your sentence:
Use brackets to group similar ideas in math and to create a parenthetical within a parenthetical in writing.
Parentheses and brackets work the same in math as they do in writing -- use them to group ideas.
Brackets in writing are punctuation marks [ ] that are used to enclose supplementary information within a sentence that is not essential to the main idea. They are often used to add clarifications, corrections, or explanations without disrupting the flow of the main text.
Use brackets when you are creating a parenthetical within a parenthetical.
Use a double parentheses instead. EX. (( = [
Usually, brackets are used to organize a league's playoff games.
Use the same rules inside brackets as you would outside of brackets. There is no difference between the two.
When writing a range of numbers, square brackets are used to indicate the end number is included and round brackets are used to indicate the end number is excluded.examples:[1, 4] = all numbers ≥ 1 and ≤ 4(1, 4] = all numbers > 1 and ≤ 4[1, 4) = all numbers ≥ 1 and < 4(1, 4) = all numbers > 1 and < 4
There are a wide range of options for someone to print tournament brackets. One can find printable tournament brackets on sites such as 'Print Your Brackets', 'Team Rankings' or 'SB Nation'.
Square brackets are used inside regular parentheses, in a sentence.
Yes, the word 'brackets' is both a noun (bracket, brackets) and a verb (bracket, brackets, bracketing, bracketed).Examples:The brackets holding the shelf are loose. (noun)The author brackets the words that are not a part of the direct quote. (verb)I use brackets at the end of the sentence to designate the part of speech. (noun)
The best types of flat brackets to use for securing wood together are typically L-shaped brackets or corner braces. These brackets provide strong support and stability for joining pieces of wood.