How to Write
Punctuation: Paragraphs
Introduction
“How many sentences are in a paragraph?” Every high school student has asked this question, I mean, how else do you figure out the bare minimum for a written assignment? The teacher tells you to write four to five paragraphs and instantly everyone’s asking how many sentences a paragraph is: but that’s the wrong mindset! The number the teacher ends up giving you (3-5 sentences) is just the normal amount of sentences a paragraph has. The true nature of a paragraph is much more than just a grouping of sentences. It’s a thought.
Why use the Paragraph?
Reading a book without paragraphs is like listening to someone talk at 6x speed: exhausting — and you don’t catch everything! Imagine with me, if you will, an auctioneer in a library reading to all the little kiddos, he’s reading as if he were trying to sell a cow! The little kids won’t understand a thing that’s going on! The man has no pause!
The paragraph is the pause.
We use the paragraph much like we use the comma, just on a larger scale. Just as the comma gives the reader a second to breathe in the sentence, the paragraph gives the reader a chance to breathe during the story — it also gives them a chance to use the bathroom.
When do we use the Paragraph?
You heard it stated above that the paragraph is a thought, but when does a thought end? The whole story is technically one thought, it’s all following the same path. So wouldn’t there be no paragraphs?
Absolutely not.
A good way to find out when you should use a paragraph break is to picture a movie scene, so let’s set one up:
“Two men are sitting in a dimly lit room, tobacco smoke fills the room, making it impossible to see clearly. Both men are dressed in dark traveling robes, both men are talking hurriedly in hoarse whispers. Something had happened early that night, something that scared the men.
On the other side of the room, the door burst open and in stepped a man wearing full armor. His visor was down and his sword was drawn: more blood would spill tonight. He looked around the room, his visored eyes locking on every man and holding his gaze for a few seconds. vengeance would be dealt.
The two men in the back of the room stood and bolted for the back door. The man in the armor chased, running with surprising ease.”
The paragraphs break right where the scene would change its focus. The three paragraphs are still all the same scene, they just focus on something different. That is what a paragraph does, that is the power of the paragraph.
Conclusion
Without paragraph breaks, your stories will be confusing and clunky. It’s like watching a movie where the camera never stops and never changes angles. It’s disconcerting and not very enjoyable. So whether you’re writing a story or an essay, don’t ask how many sentences should be in a paragraph, just write the entire thought (or camera angle) into the paragraph, then call it good!
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Nice job!