# Big brackets and text inside the brackets

I was trying to make something similar to this image

However if I try to do it with the function \left { \right } in my document

It looks really bad. Can you give me some recomendation to improve the look of the equation?

• First of all, you need a backslash before curly brackets to interpret them as a brackets, like this \left\{...\right\}. Secondly, you would probably need a \parbox to restrict the width of the text you put. – antshar May 6 at 19:44
• No No. The best answer with more score it is of @egreg. Please, can you give the check mark to egreg? Thank you very much. – Sebastiano May 6 at 20:25

Just I added another option using bracket package with the command \Set.

\documentclass[a4paper,12pt]{article}
\usepackage{mathtools,amssymb}
\usepackage{braket}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\begin{document}
$I^{\pm}(p) = \Set{ q\in \mathscr{M} | \begin{array}{c} \exists \: \text{future- (past-)directed time-like}\\ \text{curve \lambda(x) such that}\\ \lambda(0)=p; \quad \lambda(1)=q \end{array}}$

\end{document}


If you prefer another font I suggest the use of the combination newtxtext and newtxmath that it is similar to your image.

\documentclass[a4paper,12pt]{article}
\usepackage{mathtools,amssymb}
\usepackage{braket}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath}

\begin{document}
$I^{\pm}(p) = \Set{ q\in \mathscr{M} | \begin{array}{c} \exists \: \text{future- (past-)directed time-like}\\ \text{curve \lambda(x) such that}\\ \lambda(0)=p; \quad \lambda(1)=q \end{array}}$

\end{document}


You need \middle and a tabular

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{mathptmx}

\begin{document}

$I^{\pm}(p)=\left\{ q\in\mathcal{M} \;\middle|\; \begin{tabular}{@{}l@{}} \exists future- (past-)directed time-like \\ \quad curve \lambda(x) such that \\ \quad \lambda(0)=p; \lambda(1)=q \end{tabular} \right\}$

\end{document}


• Excuse me very much....for this post. There is a small, to the start of your code, l instead of capital letter I. – Sebastiano May 6 at 20:31
• @Sebastiano Fixed, thanks. – egreg May 6 at 20:37