Hi Cindy, How about this: the larger thing is at the larger end of the tipped-over V and the smaller thing is at the smaller end of the tipped-over V? Does that work for you? Marty From: Cindy Rosenthal Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2012 6:07 PM To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: the symbols called braces Thanks. I'll try to remember, though fortunately I won't have to be writing them any more, at least in a math class ( those are long behind me. Can you give me some sort of mnemonic? I used to imagin the V eating the number, but that doesn't seem to fir. On Sat, Dec 1, 2012 at 2:59 PM, John Simpson <John@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: The 'less than' symbol where the point of the sideways V points to the left means that the quantity on the pointy side is less than the quantity of the open side. For example, 3 < 5 means that three is less than five. The 'greater than' symbol where the point goes to the right works just the opposite. The rule of thumb is that the smaller thing is on the point side at the larger thing is on the open side. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Cindy Rosenthal Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2012 2:43 PM To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: the symbols called braces Yes. that's what I'm saying--and I hope I'm correct. Offhand I can't think of a time I've ever used them. Oh--and I thought the more-than and less-than mathematical symbols were open arrows, or open sideways Vs, i.e., imagine that capital V that I just typed resting on its side with the wide part opening as if to swallow the number; the problem is that I never can remember which way to point the V; maybe I'm wrong, though, and braces are used somehow. On Sat, Dec 1, 2012 at 12:05 PM, Martha Rafter <mlhr@xxxxxxx> wrote: Yes, if I use the shift and hit the same key as the bracket, I hear my JAWS say Left brace or right brace. A Are you saying that if I needed to have two sets of brackets one inside the other, the inside ones should be braces? I hope I won’t need to use them! Thanks! Marty From: Cindy Rosenthal Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2012 1:59 PM To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] the symbols called braces  I'm pretty sure that braces are the the things on the same key that has the bracket;, and if you hit that ky plus shift you'd get the brace: }  I'd describe it as a parenthsis with a little pointy thing poking out from the middle. (Judy, hopefully you can do better. It would be used inside brackets, if you needed " bracket something else. You probably won't need it for bookshare proofing but might come across their use in a book