We know who [Johnny] Depp is, thank you

How to use square brackets, and how not to [over] use them

Unless you are a mathematician or DIY enthusiast, all you need to know about square brackets is contained in the Guardian style guide entry, beautifully written by my former colleague Nikki Marshall:

"Square brackets," the grammarian said, "are used in direct quotes when an interpolation [a note from the writer or editor, not uttered by the speaker] is added to provide essential information."

Despite this, some readers have been complaining that we are using them wrongly, or too much.

"Your edition of last Wednesday had at least two examples of square brackets used perfectly well - that is, to indicate an editorial note within direct quotation. The problem is that they are being overused to provide something rather closer to commentary or opinion. In another recent article the word 'existing' was inserted for no good reason in a quotation on internet speeds, while a two-word sentence ('Of course.') on the sports pages was glossed by nine words in square brackets. Indeed, the sports pages provide most of the irritation in this area. A compulsion to give both names of players leads to superfluous reminders that the subject is [Cesc] Fàbregas, Rio [Ferdinand] or [Rafael] Nadal. Quite apart from the immediate source and context, anyone reading the sports pages would almost certainly know who is being referred to. Perhaps your style guide could be amended along the lines of 'use sparingly'."

Another reader put it like this:

"I am bemused by the [apparent increase in the] use of [square] brackets in [your] features and articles. Is there a reason [or a name] for this [phenomenon]? It seems to be [most] prevalent in your use of [reported] speech. If I am [ever] interviewed by a [newspaper] columnist, do I need to say 'square bracket' and 'close square bracket' at the [appropriate] point, or should I rely on the interviewer [or editor] to insert them [where they see fit]?"

A third added succinctly: "I agree [with the letter about square brackets]."

And another: "Perhaps somebody will take the hint and explain [the purpose of square brackets]."

I hope I've done that. I've also added the "use sparingly" line to the style guide.

You can probably blame my fellow subeditors for the growing [mis]use of square brackets. This is surprising, as subs spend most of their time cutting unnecessary material out of stories, making them shorter and sharper, not festooning them with superfluous brackets the way some dog owners inexplicably leave filled poo bags dangling from trees.

Sport are by no means the only offenders – the practice is spreading like a nasty rash – but a recent interview demonstrates how brackets can clutter up a piece and make it difficult to read: "I was in awe of the place as a player. You looked at Man United and you saw men. [Eric] Cantona, Giggs, [David] Beckham, [Andrei] Kanchelsis, Bryan Robson, it just went on." And on, he might have added. The subeditor was trying to help, but you'd have to have spent 10 years on another planet not to know who "Cantona" or "Beckham" are.

Imagine going to the pub with a sufferer from square bracket compulsive disorder: "Two pints of Kronenbourg [lager] and a packet of [sea] salt and [balsamic] vinegar crisps, please. Oh, and can I have a dry [house] white [wine], a [Cornish] pasty and a packet of dry roasted [peanuts]?"

It would be even worse if he brought along a mate affected by the related condition of tabloid-induced occupational listitis: "Did you hear the one about actor Johnny Depp, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, former King of Pop Michael Jackson, chancellor George Osborne and footballer [David] Beckham?"

I have lost count of the times I have removed "actor" from the phrase "actor Sienna Miller" in our coverage of the phone-hacking scandal. As with the square brackets, the writer is trying to help, but there is such a thing as too much information if your readers already know who you are talking about. At best it's patronising and at worst an insult to their intelligence. Let's give them some credit. They are, after all, Guardian readers.

And the final word goes to a Guardian reader, David Prothero of Harpenden: "Square brackets are uncool, man."