ACT Conventions of Standard English Practice Test

Which statement describes punctuation when parentheses are used?

Parentheses replace all punctuation outside.

Punctuation inside the parentheses should always come after the sentence.

You should always remove parentheses if punctuation is needed outside.

Punctuation outside the parentheses should follow the same rules as if the parentheses were not there.

Parentheses enclose nonessential information, so the punctuation that comes after them follows the same rules as if that material weren’t there. In other words, the sentence should look and read as if the parenthetical content isn’t affecting where commas, periods, or other marks go.

That’s why this statement is the best choice: it captures the idea that outside punctuation is governed by the same structure you’d use without the parentheses. For example, in a sentence like The conference (which was delayed) ended with a reception, the period goes at the end after the closing parenthesis, just as if the parenthetical part weren’t there. This rule helps keep the sentence clean and grammatically correct, regardless of the inserted extra information.