Which sentence uses parentheses to insert nonessential information?

Which sentence uses parentheses to insert nonessential information?

• A. The plan will go ahead (which was approved).
• B. The plan which was approved (will go ahead).
• C. The plan (will go ahead) which was approved.
• D. The plan (which was approved) will go ahead.

Answer: (D)

Using parentheses to insert nonessential information means you add extra details that aren’t needed to understand the main point. Here, the phrase in parentheses—which was approved—gives extra info about the plan but isn’t required to know what will happen. It’s a nonrestrictive relative clause attached to the noun plan, so it can be removed without changing the main meaning: The plan will go ahead. The parentheses clearly set off this optional detail and keep the core statement intact.

Other placements disrupt how the extra information relates to the noun or mix up the sentence structure. If the parenthetical comes after the main clause, the reference of which is less clearly tied to the noun. If the parenthetical contains a verb phrase, it interrupts the natural order and obscures what the sentence is primarily about. If the relative clause is split from the noun it describes, it’s harder to see what’s being qualified.

So the sentence that correctly uses parentheses to insert nonessential information is the one with the noun followed by the parenthetical clause: The plan (which was approved) will go ahead.