Parentheses ( ) are often used for asides in informal writing, such as personal letters, emails, or casual conversation. They are less intrusive than dashes or commas, and they can be used to add a bit of humor or informality to the writing.
Example:
> "I went to the store (it was a really long drive!) and bought some milk."
Here, the parenthetical aside is used to add a bit of humor and informality to the sentence.
Other punctuation marks can also be used to indicate asides, such as dashes or commas, but they are generally considered more formal.
Example:
> "I went to the store - it was a really long drive! - and bought some milk."
> "I went to the store, which was a really long drive, and bought some milk."