#!/usr/bin/perl -w use strict; while () { my ($id, $num, $rest) = split(/\s+/, $_, 3); $num =~ tr/()//d; #deletes parens in num field print "$id $num $rest"; } #prints: #PP: 899040 Jane Smith #PP: 899040 Jane (Smith) #PP: 899040 Jane (Smith) __DATA__ PP: (899040) Jane Smith PP: 899040 Jane (Smith) PP: (899040) Jane (Smith)