Paragraph
Encyclopedia
A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing
dealing with a particular point or idea
. A paragraph consists of one or more sentence
s. The start of a paragraph is indicated by beginning on a new line. Sometimes the first line is indented. At various times, the beginning of a paragraph has been indicated by the pilcrow
: ¶.
A written work—be it an essay or a story—is about an idea or concept. An essay explains it; a story narrates it. To help the reader understand and enjoy it, the explanation or narration is broken down into units of text, the paragraph. In an essay, each paragraph explains or demonstrates a key point or thought of the central idea, usually to inform or persuade. In fiction, each paragraph serves to advance the plot, develop a character, describe a scene or narrate an action—all to entertain the reader. All paragraphs support each other, leading the reader from the first idea to the final resolution of the written work.
Many students are taught to use a minimum number of sentences in a paragraph such as three or five—although length is not a determinant in defining a paragraph. Many examples of published writing exist with one sentence paragraphs.
states that we should "Set opening paragraphs flush left." Bringhurst explains as follows.
, in his book Legibility of Print, concluded that indenting the first line of paragraphs increases readability
by 7%, on the average.
Other techniques are possible. Lines can be outdented to signify the start of new paragraphs. Another technique is to insert vertical space between paragraphs. This creates what is sometimes known as "block paragraphs". Some keyboarders use a double carriage return
to create this break, whereas typists using word processing applications may use increased leading
to create a more pleasing space between paragraphs.
Many published books use a device to separate certain paragraphs further when there is a change of scene or time. This extra space, especially when co-occurring at a page or section break, may contain an asterisk
, three asterisks, a special stylistic dingbat
, or a special symbol known as an asterism
.
, a "detail" is a small piece of information
within a paragraph. A detail usually exists to support or explain a main idea. In the following excerpt from Dr. Samuel Johnson
's Lives of the English Poets, the first sentence is the main idea: that Joseph Addison
is a skilled "describer of life and manners". The succeeding sentences are details that support and explain the main idea in a specific way.
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
dealing with a particular point or idea
Idea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
. A paragraph consists of one or more sentence
Sentence (linguistics)
In the field of linguistics, a sentence is an expression in natural language, and often defined to indicate a grammatical unit consisting of one or more words that generally bear minimal syntactic relation to the words that precede or follow it...
s. The start of a paragraph is indicated by beginning on a new line. Sometimes the first line is indented. At various times, the beginning of a paragraph has been indicated by the pilcrow
Pilcrow
The pilcrow , also called the paragraph mark, paragraph sign, paraph, alinea , or blind P, is a typographical character commonly used to denote individual paragraphs...
: ¶.
A written work—be it an essay or a story—is about an idea or concept. An essay explains it; a story narrates it. To help the reader understand and enjoy it, the explanation or narration is broken down into units of text, the paragraph. In an essay, each paragraph explains or demonstrates a key point or thought of the central idea, usually to inform or persuade. In fiction, each paragraph serves to advance the plot, develop a character, describe a scene or narrate an action—all to entertain the reader. All paragraphs support each other, leading the reader from the first idea to the final resolution of the written work.
Many students are taught to use a minimum number of sentences in a paragraph such as three or five—although length is not a determinant in defining a paragraph. Many examples of published writing exist with one sentence paragraphs.
Paragraph breaks
Professionally printed material typically does not indent the first paragraph, but indents those that follow. For example, Robert BringhurstRobert Bringhurst
Robert Bringhurst is a Canadian poet, typographer and author. He is the author of The Elements of Typographic Style – a reference book of typefaces, glyphs and the visual and geometric arrangement of type...
states that we should "Set opening paragraphs flush left." Bringhurst explains as follows.
"The function of a paragraph is to mark a pause, setting the paragraph apart from what precedes it. If a paragraph is preceded by a title or subhead, the indent is superfluous and can therefore be omitted."Keyboarders normally indent paragraphs three to five word spaces—based on what they were taught in school—while professionally printed material such as books and magazines generally use smaller indents. The Elements of Typographic Style states that "at least one en [space]" should be used to indent paragraphs after the first, noting that that is the "practical minimum". An em space is the most commonly used paragraph indent. Miles Tinker
Miles Tinker
Miles Albert Tinker is an American author. He is "an internationally recognized authority on legibility of print" who published the results of some of the most comprehensive studies on the legibility of print ever conducted....
, in his book Legibility of Print, concluded that indenting the first line of paragraphs increases readability
Readability
Readability is the ease in which text can be read and understood. Various factors to measure readability have been used, such as "speed of perception," "perceptibility at a distance," "perceptibility in peripheral vision," "visibility," "the reflex blink technique," "rate of work" , "eye...
by 7%, on the average.
Other techniques are possible. Lines can be outdented to signify the start of new paragraphs. Another technique is to insert vertical space between paragraphs. This creates what is sometimes known as "block paragraphs". Some keyboarders use a double carriage return
Carriage return
Carriage return, often shortened to return, refers to a control character or mechanism used to start a new line of text.Originally, the term "carriage return" referred to a mechanism or lever on a typewriter...
to create this break, whereas typists using word processing applications may use increased leading
Leading
In typography, leading refers to the distance between the baselines of successive lines of type. The term originated in the days of hand-typesetting, when thin strips of lead were inserted into the formes to increase the vertical distance between lines of type...
to create a more pleasing space between paragraphs.
Many published books use a device to separate certain paragraphs further when there is a change of scene or time. This extra space, especially when co-occurring at a page or section break, may contain an asterisk
Asterisk
An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star...
, three asterisks, a special stylistic dingbat
Dingbat
A dingbat is an ornament, character or spacer used in typesetting, sometimes more formally known as a "printer's ornament" or "printer's character"....
, or a special symbol known as an asterism
Asterism (typography)
In typography, an asterism, from the Greek astēr , is a rarely used, and "nearly obsolete", symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle . It is used to, "indicate minor breaks in text," call attention to a passage, or to separate sub-chapters in a book...
.
Details
In literatureLiterature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, a "detail" is a small piece of information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
within a paragraph. A detail usually exists to support or explain a main idea. In the following excerpt from Dr. Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
's Lives of the English Poets, the first sentence is the main idea: that Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
is a skilled "describer of life and manners". The succeeding sentences are details that support and explain the main idea in a specific way.
As a describer of life and manners, he must be allowed to stand perhaps the first of the first rank. His humour, which, as Steele observes, is peculiar to himself, is so happily diffused as to give the grace of novelty to domestic scenes and daily occurrences. He never "o'ersteps the modesty of nature," nor raises merriment or wonder by the violation of truth. His figures neither divert by distortion nor amaze by aggravation. He copies life with so much fidelity that he can be hardly said to invent; yet his exhibitions have an air so much original, that it is difficult to suppose them not merely the product of imagination.
See also
- Hard returnHard returnA hard return is a paragraph break in a word processor. It differs from a soft return in that it starts a new paragraph. Besides affecting the document statistics, this means that:*Often, extra space and a first line indent will be inserted....
- List of common English language misconceptions
- PilcrowPilcrowThe pilcrow , also called the paragraph mark, paragraph sign, paraph, alinea , or blind P, is a typographical character commonly used to denote individual paragraphs...
- Section (typography)Section (typography)In books and documents, a section is a subdivision, especially of a chapter.Sections are visually separated from each other with a section break, typically consisting of extra space between the sections...
- Schaffer paragraphSchaffer paragraphThe Jane Schaffer paragraph is a five-sentence paragraph developed by Jane Schaffer, used to write essays. The paragraph only makes up one of many paragraphs in an essay, most of which have a non-Schaffer-like introduction and conclusion. The Schaffer paragraph is utilized in some U.S...
- Topic sentenceTopic sentenceThe topic sentence is a primarily prescriptive grammatical term to describe the sentence in an expository paragraph which summarizes the main idea of that paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first sentence in a paragraph. The topic sentence acts as a kind of summary, and offers the...