The ( command shifts
a designated line of text one space to the left.
Optional Argument
n
specifies the number
of spaces that the designated line of text shifts. The default is
one space. Follow the n argument
with a space.
Details
The ( command shifts
a designated line of text one or more spaces to the left. If the shift
extends past the beginning of the current line, characters are lost.
Comparisons
The ) and )) commands
shift text in the opposite direction from the ( and (( commands. The
<, <<, >, and >> commands are similar text-shift
commands, but they do not lose characters when shifting.