Please, Paragraph Responsibly!

Have you ever read an article in which all of the sentences and paragraphs were the same length? . . .yawn. While each sentence in a paragraph should (obviously) cover the same topic and move in a sequence, writers have a sense of freedom in their ability to break up long paragraphs into parts. Mr. Clark points out that although it is essential for writers to break up unnecessarily long paragraphs, they should not "paste together paragraphs that are short and disconnected." While the purpose of paragraphing is to give the reader a rest, “a succession of very short ones is as irritating as very long ones are wearisome.” So what is the ideal paragraph length?! There is no perfect paragraph length applicable to every paper, however, there are some things to consider when developing your paragraphs. Mr. Clark states that “in a long paragraph, the writer can develop an argument or build a narrative.” If a long paragraph is followed by a shorter one then the writer can “bring the reader to a sudden, dramatic stop.” If a 7-sentence paragraph is followed by a 5-word paragraph the reader might be hit with a surprise. Now that you know what results from short and long paragraphs, it is essential for every writer to keep in mind one important fact: “too many paragraphs of [the same] length eradicated the white space on a page, and white space is [the reader’s] and the writer’s friend.” Mr. Clark also believes that a reader will address a reading assignment more readily if they notice that they will have multiple breathing spaces or reflective pauses due to the paragraphs (which seem like a much more manageable task when compared to “a marathon race”).

Now that I think about it, that long paragraph I just typed is pretty ironic!