punctuation - How to deal with abbreviations like 'etc.' at the end of parentheses which are closing a sentence?


In Hungarian, when there's a dot both inside and outside parentheses at the end of a sentence, we write it as follows:



Sok állatom van (kutya, macska stb.).



(Meaning: I've got many animals [dogs, cats, etc.])


I'm not sure though how do we write it in English.



  1. I've got many animals (dogs, cats, etc.).

  2. I've got many animals. (dogs, cats, etc.)

  3. I've got many animals (dogs, cats, etc.)

  4. I've got many animals (dogs, cats, etc).



Answer



The dot in etc. is the dot for the abbreviation; the solutions are:



  • If the abbreviation is outside of parentheses, you use only one dot, because it serves for both the abbreviation and the sentence-period:



I've got many animals, such as dogs, cats, etc.




I've got many animals: dogs, cats, etc.




  • If it's inside the parentheses, like in this case, then you should use two dots, since one is for the abbreviation, the other is for the sentence:



I've got many animals (dogs, cats, etc.).



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