What does it mean when a word is put between brackets in a dictionary? Does it mean the sentence can be correct with or without it?
Here's an example: The government has conceded (that) the new tax policy has been a disaster.
Thank you.
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Sign up to join this communityIn that case, it means the word "that" is grammatically optional. The relative clause can be formed both with an explicit relativiser "that" or without it.
Brackets () (or parentheses) are used to mark optional elements. Usually (but not in this case) phrases that give extra (but inessential) information.
There is a difference between parentheses and brackets.
Parentheses, ( ), are used to add extra information in text. So, yes. the sentence will be correct with or without that information. While brackets, [ ], are used mainly in quotations to add extra information that wasn't in the original quote.
It might be useful to note that some people refer to parentheses as "round brackets" and refer to brackets as "square brackets"
Parentheses (round brackets), Braces {curly brackets}, Chevrons <angle brackets> Brackets [square brackets]
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