Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / punctuation

PUN-015 Context default layer: sentence

Parentheses subordinate removable detail

IF material is useful but structurally secondary AND the sentence remains grammatical without it, THEN parentheses are available ELSE integrate or delete it.

Why the rule exists

Parentheses signal a stronger drop in emphasis than commas.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

  • ALL
    • insertion.secondary eq true
    • insertion.removal_preserves_grammar eq true

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
insertion.secondary You supply it
insertion.removal_preserves_grammar You supply it

Then

  1. wrap — target insertion

Else

  1. restructure — target insertion

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • The Copyeditor's Handbook — Amy Einsohn; Marilyn Schwartz
    Professional copyediting practice, grammar, and editorial process.
  • Eats, Shoots & Leaves — Lynne Truss
    Punctuation and the effect of marks on meaning.
  • The Chicago Manual of Style — The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff
    Comprehensive editorial style, grammar, documentation, and publishing.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 08-punctuation-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/PUN-015.

{
  "id": "PUN-015",
  "name": "Parentheses subordinate removable detail",
  "domain": "punctuation",
  "layer": "sentence",
  "strength": "context_default",
  "human_logic": "IF material is useful but structurally secondary AND the sentence remains grammatical without it, THEN parentheses are available ELSE integrate or delete it.",
  "when": {
    "all": [
      {
        "path": "insertion.secondary",
        "operator": "eq",
        "value": true
      },
      {
        "path": "insertion.removal_preserves_grammar",
        "operator": "eq",
        "value": true
      }
    ]
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "wrap",
      "target": "insertion",
      "punctuation": "parentheses"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "restructure",
      "target": "insertion",
      "options": [
        "integrate",
        "delete",
        "footnote"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Parentheses signal a stronger drop in emphasis than commas.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-007",
    "BK-009",
    "BK-039"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other punctuation rules

  1. PUN-001 Terminate complete sentences IF a prose sentence is complete, THEN end it with a mark matching statement, direct question, or strong exclamation ELSE keep it joined to its governing structure. Hard constraint
  2. PUN-002 No comma splice IF two independent clauses are joined only by a comma, THEN add a coordinator, use a semicolon, or make two sentences ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  3. PUN-003 Comma before coordinating conjunction IF a coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses, THEN place a comma before it unless the clauses are very short and unambiguous ELSE retain. Context default
  4. PUN-004 Comma after introductory material IF introductory material is long, clausal, or potentially misread, THEN add a comma before the main clause ELSE use the lightest mark that preserves clarity. Context default
  5. PUN-005 Set off nonrestrictive material IF a modifier adds nonessential information rather than identifying the referent, THEN set it off with paired punctuation ELSE do not set it off. Hard constraint
  6. PUN-006 Do not isolate restrictive material IF a modifier identifies which person or thing is meant, THEN remove punctuation that falsely marks it as optional ELSE evaluate as nonrestrictive. Hard constraint
  7. PUN-007 Serial comma follows declared style IF a series contains three or more coordinated items, THEN apply the selected serial-comma policy consistently AND add a comma when omission causes ambiguity ELSE retain. Context default
  8. PUN-008 Semicolon joins related independent clauses IF two independent clauses are closely related AND no coordinator is used, THEN a semicolon is available ELSE choose another boundary. Context default