Brackets are punctuation marks that have different shapes and classifications, each serving different purposes in writing. Round brackets, commonly referred to as brackets in British English and parentheses in American English, are frequently utilized to enclose additional information or clarifications within a sentence.

In addition to round brackets, there are also square brackets, known as square brackets in British English and simply as brackets in American English. These are often used in academic and formal writing to insert explanatory notes or corrections in quoted material. Lynne Truss, in her book "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," discusses these distinctions, highlighting how they vary in naming and usage across different forms of English.