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None of these are correct or incorrect, but my optimal way to say it would be without parentheses or dashes; the former are hard to use well, and the latter are overused in modern fiction. When...
Answer
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T01:11:47Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/2709 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
None of these are correct or incorrect, but my optimal way to say it would be without parentheses _or_ dashes; the former are hard to use well, and the latter are overused in modern fiction. > When Bilbo sat down for his third meal of the day, he noticed the table was broken. Parentheses can be enormously effective at conveying _short_ snippets of background information, and in my opinion they will, [in specific situations](http://magnificentnose.com/2011/05/04/parenthetically/), break the flow of the writing less than dashes will. Although I freely admit that seeing text surrounding this example quote could change my answer.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2011-05-04T04:37:05Z (about 13 years ago)
Original score: 2