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Why do paragraphs matter?

Craig234

Craig234

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When we're reading written text, we're just looking at words in order, at the speed we want.

So what the hell does it matter whether it's broken into paragraphs or not?

Whether you read

Comment 1

Comment 2

Comment 3

or Comment 1 Comment 2 Comment 3

Your eyes read the same letters with the same meaning in the same order. Why does it matter whether there was some space between them?

Yet paragraphs have a huge impact. Not only as a reaction, but even if I'm thinking 'paragraphs shouldn't matter, just read the text as if it had them', long paragraphs are still hard to read.

It doesn't really make any sense why. It's not speech, where the speed a person is talking, the pauses they take, are relevant. Want a break reading a paragraph? Wait a moment before going on to the next sentence. Rationally that should be fine, but it's not.

It's not really that different with other 'white space' or punctuation. If there weren't any periods, it wouldn't change the words; you could stop if you want. But having that period makes it more readable. So Comment 1. Comment 2. Is quite different than Comment 1 comment 2.

So it seems that replicating speech patterns in written text - pause here, take a break there - is more important than makes any sense for it to be. Again you could have the same pauses and breaks if you want without the white space.

Try reading an overly long paragraph, and it's hard to get through. It's as if the whole thing gets jumbled and grows in weight so you can't stand to keep reading it, all because there aren't a few blank lines.

It's strange.
 
What an odd thing to be concerned about.
 
It's not about what should work. It's about what does.

They signal relations between concepts to readers. As do chapters. Or even lead sentences. Etc. If you want people to read shit, you have to think about how they absorb it. Not what you think they should do.
 
There are a lot of ways to write that aren't technically wrong. A lot of people don't realize how fluid a lot of grammar rules actually are. The important part is efficiently communicating your thoughts. That's the whole point. If you're doing that then there's not really a problem in my opinion.

I do happen to think that using paragraphs can be very useful for organizing your thoughts and making them less painful for the reader to process though.
 
Craig234 said:
When we're reading written text, we're just looking at words in order, at the speed we want.

So what the hell does it matter whether it's broken into paragraphs or not?

Whether you read

Comment 1

Comment 2

Comment 3

or Comment 1 Comment 2 Comment 3

Your eyes read the same letters with the same meaning in the same order. Why does it matter whether there was some space between them?

Yet paragraphs have a huge impact. Not only as a reaction, but even if I'm thinking 'paragraphs shouldn't matter, just read the text as if it had them', long paragraphs are still hard to read.

It doesn't really make any sense why. It's not speech, where the speed a person is talking, the pauses they take, are relevant. Want a break reading a paragraph? Wait a moment before going on to the next sentence. Rationally that should be fine, but it's not.

It's not really that different with other 'white space' or punctuation. If there weren't any periods, it wouldn't change the words; you could stop if you want. But having that period makes it more readable. So Comment 1. Comment 2. Is quite different than Comment 1 comment 2.

So it seems that replicating speech patterns in written text - pause here, take a break there - is more important than makes any sense for it to be. Again you could have the same pauses and breaks if you want without the white space.

Try reading an overly long paragraph, and it's hard to get through. It's as if the whole thing gets jumbled and grows in weight so you can't stand to keep reading it, all because there aren't a few blank lines.

It's strange.
Click to expand...
The way we write is how we put forward our arguments. A paragraph is composed of sentences and is a complete thought. Multiple paragraphs, a chapter, is an argument.
 
dex4974 said:
A lot of people don't realize how fluid a lot of grammar rules actually are. The important part is efficiently communicating your thoughts. That's the whole point.
Click to expand...
Some grammar rules are flexible and can be broken but one has to understand the rule in order to break it. Knowingly breaking a rule is called style. Breaking a rule one doesn't understand is ignorance. Good writers and readers know the difference. Clues that one doesn't understand rules that shouldn't be broken are poor subject-verb agreement, dangling participles, inconsistent tenses and misspellings for instance.
 
Argent said:
Some grammar rules are flexible and can be broken but one has to understand the rule in order to break it. Knowingly breaking a rule is called style. Breaking a rule one doesn't understand is ignorance. Good writers and readers know the difference. Clues that one doesn't understand rules that shouldn't be broken are poor subject-verb agreement, dangling participles, inconsistent tenses and misspellings for instance.
Click to expand...

You said that real good, Argent. ( :) )

Actually, you're 100% right.
 
Argent said:
Some grammar rules are flexible and can be broken but one has to understand the rule in order to break it. Knowingly breaking a rule is called style. Breaking a rule one doesn't understand is ignorance. Good writers and readers know the difference. Clues that one doesn't understand rules that shouldn't be broken are poor subject-verb agreement, dangling participles, inconsistent tenses and misspellings for instance.
Click to expand...
What's a dangling participle? Does it hurt?
 
I put the over / under at 10 more people the OP puts on ignore from how this thread plays out alone.
 
MaryP said:
What's a dangling participle? Does it hurt?
Click to expand...
My mother cautioned me never to date one because I could get pregnant, lol. It's an adjective modifying the wrong noun: Sitting on the park bench, the sun disappeared behind a cloud.
 
OrphanSlug said:
I put the over / under at 10 more people the OP puts on ignore from how this thread plays out alone.
Click to expand...
Am I on ignore? I guess I won't know unless you reply.
 
Argent said:
I didn't got no inglish degree for nothing. :giggle:
Click to expand...

Ah, HA! I should have known!

When I was in high school, I was every English teacher's worst nightmare. There was no infinitive I couldn't split. I was told so often to pick up my participles and go home.

But something must have taken hold, because now I'm like Edgar Allan Poe in that I slave over every word, trying to find the best ones to make my points with (or with which to make my points :) ). I don't always get it right, but I feel I owe it to all those English teachers who immediately retired after having me as a student.
 
Craig234 said:
When we're reading written text, we're just looking at words in order, at the speed we want.

So what the hell does it matter whether it's broken into paragraphs or not?

Whether you read

Comment 1

Comment 2

Comment 3

or Comment 1 Comment 2 Comment 3

Your eyes read the same letters with the same meaning in the same order. Why does it matter whether there was some space between them?

Yet paragraphs have a huge impact. Not only as a reaction, but even if I'm thinking 'paragraphs shouldn't matter, just read the text as if it had them', long paragraphs are still hard to read.

It doesn't really make any sense why. It's not speech, where the speed a person is talking, the pauses they take, are relevant. Want a break reading a paragraph? Wait a moment before going on to the next sentence. Rationally that should be fine, but it's not.

It's not really that different with other 'white space' or punctuation. If there weren't any periods, it wouldn't change the words; you could stop if you want. But having that period makes it more readable. So Comment 1. Comment 2. Is quite different than Comment 1 comment 2.

So it seems that replicating speech patterns in written text - pause here, take a break there - is more important than makes any sense for it to be. Again you could have the same pauses and breaks if you want without the white space.

Try reading an overly long paragraph, and it's hard to get through. It's as if the whole thing gets jumbled and grows in weight so you can't stand to keep reading it, all because there aren't a few blank lines.

It's strange.
Click to expand...
As are most of your posts. :ROFLMAO:
 
LOL, @Emily L...I'm your worst nightmare -- a former editor who still delights in inflicting great swaths of red across the pristine white pages of those who drop their participles and split their infinitives. Ooooo, I get shivers just thinking about it.
 
I'll never forget this student...
After I'd strived mightily to explain about infinitives and not splitting them, we did some examples from the book. She squared her shoulders, looked me in the eye and said, "I'm not talking like that. THAT SOUNDS STUPID."
 
Argent said:
LOL, @Emily L...I'm your worst nightmare -- a former editor who still delights in inflicting great swaths of red across the pristine white pages of those who drop their participles and split their infinitives. Ooooo, I get shivers just thinking about it.
Click to expand...

Oh, man--I better be careful around you! I hope you have more than one red marker, because I'll make you go through a whole pack in one day!

(And no, I'm not in the business of selling red markers. :) )
 
MaryP said:
I'll never forget this student...
After I'd strived mightily to explain about infinitives and not splitting them, we did some examples from the book. She squared her shoulders, looked me in the eye and said, "I'm not talking like that. THAT SOUNDS STUPID."
Click to expand...

Mrs. Davenport, is that you?

( :) )
 
Emily L said:
I better be careful around you!
Click to expand...
You can exact revenge when I use it's when I meant its and when I use they're when I meant their which I find myself doing more often. Ugh.
 
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