Chapter V: The Paragraph

A paragraph is an indented division of the whole composition. Beginning with an indention, and usually ending with a partly blank last line, it constitutes a visible block of material on the page. The successive blocks relieve the strain on the reader and enable him to mark each step in the advance from division to division of the thought. In length the paragraph ordinarily ranges from 150 to 300 words.

=200. Indent the first word of each paragraph at least half an inch. In typing, indent five spaces. Every paragraph begins on a new line.=

=201. The last sentence in the paragraph sometimes ends before the right-hand margin of the page is reached. In this case the last line of the paragraph may be left partly blank. All other lines must be filled clear to the margin.=

=202. Do not indent every sentence as if it were a new paragraph.=

_Wrong._ At that time they reorganized a girls’ basketball
team which had been dropped two years before, and they made me
jumping center.

Although our high school was not a large one, we played some
very good games, and managed to make a good record for the four
years.

In my last year we had a new superintendent who was interested
in athletics, and we then had teams in basketball, football,
baseball, and track.

_Right._ At that time they reorganized a girls’ basketball
team which had been dropped two years before, and they made
me jumping center. Although our high school was not a large
one, we played some very good games, and managed to make a
good record for the four years. In my last year we had a new
superintendent who was interested in athletics, and we then had
teams in basketball, football, baseball, and track.

=203. In representing conversation, begin a new paragraph with every change of speaker.=

_Wrong._ “Shall we go swimming after school tonight?” I asked.
“No, I have to work,” John replied. “When can we go, then?”
“Tomorrow night after school, or any time Saturday. I don’t
have to work next Saturday at all.” “All right; let’s go
tomorrow.”

_Right._ “Shall we go swimming after school tonight?” I asked.

“No, I have to work,” John replied.

“When can we go, then?”

“Tomorrow night after school, or any time Saturday. I don’t
have to work next Saturday at all.”

“All right; let’s go tomorrow.”

=204. Form one paragraph out of two short paragraphs which actually constitute one division of the whole composition.=

_Wrong._ He always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.
He tries to lift everyone with whom he comes in contact to a
higher plane of living.

Much sorrow has come into his life, but it seems to have made
him only kinder and more gentle.

_Better._ He always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.
He tries to lift everyone with whom he comes in contact to a
higher plane of living. Much sorrow has come into his life,
but it seems to have made him only kinder and more gentle.

=205. Break up a paragraph that is too long into two or more paragraphs. The subject matter of each of the new paragraphs thus formed should constitute a natural subdivision of what was originally one paragraph.=

_Tedious._ Just like all children, Charlotte was not perfect,
either in school or out. While she was in the second grade,
she was sent home for making paper boats during study time,
a fascinating pastime which the teacher did not approve of;
and while she was in the fourth grade, she and a friend were
sent to the superintendent for a lecture because out of
curiosity they looked through the window of the school room
one evening after closing time to watch a naughty schoolmate
get his paddling. The grammar school days arrived at last,
and with them came the habit of giggling and playing, at the
expense of lessons and the trying of the teacher’s patience
and temper. During the first year in high school she calmed
down and worked hard to establish a reputation. She was always
very enthusiastic over athletics and yelled herself hoarse at
basketball or football games. A great deal of her time was
spent in reading books of various types and in out-of-doors
sports. While she was a junior and also during the last year
of her high school career, she helped her father with the book
work in his office, thus getting a little experience along
that line and also earning for herself some expense money.
Commencement finally came, and she was graduated in a class of
thirty-three with all the thrills and excitement which usually
accompany that occasion.

_Better._ Just like all children, Charlotte was not perfect,
either in school or out. While she was in the second grade,
for instance, she was once sent home for making paper boats, a
fascinating pastime for her, but one, however, of which the
teacher did not approve, especially during study hours. Again,
when she was in the fourth grade, one evening after school had
closed for the day she and a friend peeped through the school
room window out of curiosity to see a naughty schoolmate get
his paddling. The result was a lecture from the superintendent
the next day.

Grammar school days arrived at last, and with them came the
habit of giggling and playing, at the expense of lessons and
of trying the teacher’s patience and temper. During her first
year in high school, however, she calmed down and worked hard
to establish a reputation. She was very enthusiastic over
athletics and frequently yelled herself hoarse at basketball
or football games. Much of her time at this period of her life
was spent in reading books of various types and in out-of-door
sports.

Nevertheless, while she was a junior and also during her senior
year, she found time to help her father with the book work in
his office, and so acquired a little business experience and
also earned some expense money. And finally, when commencement
came, she was graduated along with thirty-three others amid
all the thrills and excitement that usually accompany this
memorable occasion.

=206. Avoid a violent break in thought within the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ At the age of five I entered the public school. The
second day in school began the happiest days of my life with
a good whipping. This whipping brought into my life the best
friend I ever had. After eight years of the closest friendship
he passed out of my life. It was then that the realization of
what a mother could be swept over me. Until this time my mother
had been a person to go to when in trouble. She now appeared to
me in the new light of a pal.

_Better._ At the age of five I entered the public school. A
good whipping, which I received my second day in school,
not only ushered in the happiest days of my life, but also
brought me one of the best friends I have ever had, Mr. Clark,
the superintendent. During my eight years in that school he
remained my closest friend, and it was not until I had finished
there and Mr. Clark had passed out of my life that I began to
realize what a real friend my mother could be.

Until this time my mother had been only a person to whom I
could go when I was in trouble; now she appeared more like a
pal.

=207. Discard any material that does not belong in the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ When evening comes and his day’s work is completed, he
hurries home to his family. He is not extravagant in his home,
but has it neatly furnished. If the weather is favorable, he
takes them all for a drive in the country, or they go visiting,
or do something else which he arranges for the pleasure of
those he loves.

_Better._ When evening comes and his day’s work is completed,
he hurries home to his family. If the weather is favorable, he
takes them all for a drive in the country, or they go visiting,
or do something else which he arranges for the pleasure of
those he loves.

=208. The substance of a good paragraph can usually be summed up in a single sentence. It is often advantageous to put such a sentence, called a topic sentence, at or near the beginning of the paragraph.=

_Example._ _Of all the places for summer dreams the best is a
California beach._ There the blended sights and sounds form a
quiet setting for fanciful thoughts. The old Pacific rolls in
its oily swells with only a rippling murmur; the droning roar
of the surf a half mile down the shoreline rises from the tug
of waves on tons of pebbles; the white hull of a launch is
dipping, dipping far out upon the water, its regular exhausts
sounding faint and thin. These sights and sounds are dreamy and
far off; under the mood of them the quiet mind builds sweet,
lazy air castles, to be forgotten and renewed.

=209. Arrange ideas in some definite order within the paragraph. (See 106-113.)=

_Example._ A fence has been the evil genius of my life. It
was not a remarkable fence, either; just a neat picket fence
painted white. It surrounded a beautiful, well-kept lawn and
guarded an old, pretty house which overflowed with books and
toys. But the toys would sometimes become tiresome, and I
would look wistfully through the fence at the children playing
across the street. I would have liked to join them or to have
them come over—but there stood the fence. I learned to read
and gradually built up a play world of my own until one day I
realized that I liked the fence. I no longer cared to play with
the other children, and when I went to school I found that I
could not play with them. The fence had followed me. The years
outside the fence have changed me somewhat, but still whenever
I am in a group of young people I have a feeling that I am not
one of them. I want to stand back and watch them play. Some
people call my backwardness shyness or timidity, others call it
pouting and attribute it to a disagreeable disposition, but I
know what it is: it is a neat picket fence painted white.

=210. Link sentence to sentence within the paragraph by using words and phrases of reference, such as _he_, _this_, _then_, _however_, _of course_.=

_Example._ There is a delicacy about sweet peas that makes
them more attractive to me than any other flower in my garden.
Notice the way the blossom is joined to the stem. _It_ is
poised there with such nice balance that at the least puff of
air the flower sways on its long green stalk with the rhythm
of the wind. _And_, _too_, their delicacy of color is beyond
that of most flowers. Really, the only thing I can think of
to compare with them is the clouds at sunrise. If you have
noticed, the colors _then_ are fresh and vivid from the light
behind the clouds, though a faint mist makes them more elusive
than the colors of broad day. In the sweet peas the _same_
airy, translucent color is repeated—the wan white, the sober
purple blending into lavender, the rose in infinite variety.
And there are other things, _besides_—the dewy freshness
that clings to them all day, the coolness of them, the faint
perfume—which make me think them different from the rest of
the flowers in my garden and which set them apart from all the
others in delicacy.

=211. Link sentence to sentence within the paragraph by causing each to grow out of the one preceding.=

_Example._ A university is an institution of higher learning.
For purposes of ministering the better to the various demands
made upon it, it is made up of a number of colleges, as the
college of medicine, the college of law, that of engineering,
of liberal arts, of commerce, for instance, each college being
in charge of an officer called the dean. The colleges, in turn,
are composed of various departments, such as the department
of Romance languages, of art, and of home economics; these
are under the charge of officers called department heads or
professors. And finally, each department presents many courses
of instruction, like French, rhetoric, European history, and
architectural drawing, each course being taught directly by
an officer called an instructor or professor. Hence, although
from the variety of its interests and the complexity of its
activities it would seem that a university is an awkward,
ungainly organism, nevertheless, if one examines it closely,
one finds that it is a highly organized and smoothly running
machine.

=212. Avoid an inconsistent change in number within the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ Here we find what amusements occupy his or her time.
This is where their chief characteristics can be pointed out.
Then a word here, an oddly written phrase there, or a lack of
words gives us a clue to the nature of the student.

_Better._ Here we find what amusements occupy his time. This is
where his chief characteristics can be pointed out. Then a word
here, an oddly written phrase there, or a lack of words gives
us a clue to the nature of the student.

=213. Avoid an inconsistent change in person within the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ One learns to like some students, of whom there are
too few upon the campus. Others I dislike, and of these there
are too many.

_Better._ One learns to like some students, of whom there are
too few upon the campus. Others one dislikes, and of these
there are too many.

=214. Avoid an inconsistent change in tense within the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ My flower garden in June is a most interesting and
beautiful sight. On a bright sunny morning one would stop in
amazement; the flowers were so happy when the sun reached their
faces, still wet with dew, that they fairly sparkled.

_Better._ My flower garden in June is a most interesting
and beautiful sight. On a bright sunny morning one stops in
amazement; the flowers are so happy when the sun reaches their
faces, still wet with dew, that they fairly sparkle.

=215. Avoid an inconsistent change in voice within the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ His directions were brief and to the point. Every
question I asked was answered by just the information I
desired—no more, no less. When dictating he used only the
simplest words. All inquiries in letters were answered plainly.

_Better._ His directions were brief and to the point. He
answered my questions with just the information I desired—no
more, no less. When dictating he used only the simplest words
and always answered plainly all inquiries in letters.

=216. Avoid an inconsistent change in mood within the paragraph.=

_Wrong._ If you were to visit the library on Saturday
afternoon, you would find it nearly deserted. The tables would
be empty and the reading room very quiet. The students are upon
the river or are enjoying themselves upon the campus. Someone,
however, who has a paper to get in may be busy at the reference
shelves.

_Better._ If you were to visit the library on Saturday
afternoon, you would find it nearly deserted. The tables would
be empty and the reading room very quiet. The students would
be upon the river or enjoying themselves about the campus.
Someone, however, who had a paper to get in might be busy at
the reference shelves.

=217. Put the most significant idea near the beginning or the end of the paragraph.=

_Example._ Far as he could see through the gathering dark
there was quiet, the reaction after tremendous exertion.
Shapes of men surrounded him. Here lay one flat upon his back,
his features sketched in sharp focus by the fading light.
Three yards to one side sat two bodies leaning back to back,
heads upon breasts, helmets over eyes. Beyond them huddled an
indistinguishable mass. On the other side, so close he could
have touched them, an arm and a leg strung along in a line—no
torso within a rod of them. The world lay desolate and silent
except for the yellowing moon and the far off, intermittent
firing.

_Example._ My one worry and regret, however, was the fact
that my father was the president of the school board. Part
of my teachers gave me good grades because they were afraid
they would lose their positions if they did otherwise, and
the rest of them tried to flunk me because they thought they
were not being paid highly enough. Among them all I managed to
make about a B average, and the problem which now remains for
the university to solve is, did I receive more or less than I
deserved while in high school.

=218. Give most space to the most significant idea.=

_Example._ Since man’s progress through the ages is a passage
from the undeveloped to the highly developed, one wonders what
the buildings of a thousand years from now will be like. From
that day in the remote past, when the first cliff dweller
conceived the idea of enlarging his home by carving out another
terrace in the rock above it, to this day when we have a
skyscraper 750 feet high, man’s building has approached nearer
and nearer to the clouds. As the little two-story terrace
grew, the cliff dwellers wondered and doubted. Likewise,
when a four-story building was a fact accomplished by our
great-grandfathers, to live in a ten-story building would have
been considered extremely hazardous. And now since we have the
forty-story Singer building, will man continue to aspire to the
clouds or will he remain satisfied with his achievement?

=219. Practice.=

Here is a paragraph that is very poorly put together. On the basis of what you have just studied, answer the following questions and rewrite the paragraph accordingly.

1. What about the indention?

2. What about the right-hand margin?

3. Should the speech of the mother be given a whole paragraph?

4. Is it possible to form more than one good paragraph of this thought? Why, or why not?

5. Does a break occur in the thought? Where?

6. Should anything be discarded? What?

7. Can you find a topic sentence, or must you compose one?

8. What about the arrangement of ideas?

9. Can you improve the links between sentences? How?

10. Can you give more prominence to significant ideas? How?

Perhaps it was from her father that she got her restlessness.
Accidentally she put her finger on the label of what looked
to be the top of an ordinary hat, and the flat shape she held
immediately took the form of a hat. Her only ideas regarding
him came through an incident that happened when she was about
fourteen.

She had never seen him, and her mother never mentioned his
name. Her father lived in her mind as an ideal. She rushed,
filled with questions, to her mother, for as long as she could
remember there had never been a man in the house, and she
had never seen such a hat except in pictures. Her mother was
anything but romantic. She and her mother had been giving their
house its fall cleaning, and she had found, wrapped up in an
old silk comforter, what she took to be a hat—it was shaped
like one except that it had no crown. “Your father’s,” had been
the mother’s laconic answer, her lips drawing into a hard,
straight line that forbade further questioning.