Is it ). or .)?

Question

I had a discussion about this recently: do you write ). or .)? For example: "Websites can be assigned to application pools, all application pools containing specific settings for applications (allowing you to isolate websites)." Or: "Websites can be assigned to application pools, all application pools containing specific settings for applications (allowing you to isolate websites.)"

Answer 1

In general, the best way to tell how to punctuate in or around parenthetical statements is to make sure that the sentence as a whole remains valid (including punctuation) if you were to remove the parentheses and everything within.

Ex:

This is a sentence (with some parentheses).

This is a sentence (with the same parentheses.)

If you remove the entire parenthetical remark from the first sentence, you are still left with a grammatically correct sentence, including the terminal punctuation (the period). If you remove the entire parenthetical remark from the second sentence, you are left without any final punctuation! Therefore, the second is correct.

This applies regardless of where the parentheses are in the sentence.

Another way of telling is as follows: if only part of the sentence is parenthetical, then punctuation goes on the outside of the parenthesis

Ex. I love cauliflower (baked, steamed, fried), but I prefer broccoli.

Or

Ex. She likes reading (usually).

In other words, if the end of a larger sentence immediately follows the close-parenthesis, the period or final punctuation mark goes on the outside of the parenthesis. If the whole sentence is within the parentheses, then punctuate within the parenthetical.

Ex. Figuring out parethentixal statements can be difficult, but a few rules can save the day! (Just be grateful that it’s easier than learning a new language.)

Answer 2

The period goes outside the parenthesis.