Visual aspects of paragraphs
We all make instant decisions about how easy a document will be to read based on visual cues. Paragraph length is one of the most important cues. Long, dense paragraphs scream 'difficult to read'.Short plus variety
Most of your paragraphs in business and government writing should be fairly short, but you also need variety because if all your paragraphs are the same length they look monotonous. Varying the length of your paragraphs gives them greater rhythm.You can occasionally have a one-sentence paragraph for emphasis.
Word stacks
We sometimes get a particular word or phrase on our mind or maybe we have a term we have to repeat for clarity. Whichever is the case, you need to make sure that the words or phrases don't land on top of each other in sentences that are close to each other.
You also need to vary the words you use to start new paragraphs. For example, if every paragraph starts with I, your eyes are drawn to that word. You have to change your word order to avoid this.
Widows and orphans
If you split a paragraph after the first line at the bottom of a page or column, this single line is known as an 'orphan'. When the last line of a paragraph is at the top of a new page, it is called a 'widow'. Orphans and widows disrupt the flow of a document. Sometimes the flow is also disrupted by a single word on the last line of a paragraph.
Labels: paragraphs, writing
posted by Unknown @ 11:08 PM
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