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A paragraph (from Ancient Greek παράγραφος (parágraphos) 'to write beside') is a self-contained unit of discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Though not required by the orthographic conventions of any language with a writing system, paragraphs are a conventional means of organizing extended segments of prose.
Very short sections and subsections clutter an article with headings and inhibit the flow of the prose. Short paragraphs and single sentences generally do not warrant their own subheadings. Headings follow a six-level hierarchy, starting at 1 and ending at 6. The level of the heading is defined by the number of equals signs on each side of the ...
It uses a mix of short and long sentences. The short sentences serve as "breathing grounds" for readers to digest information and the long sentences serve as an elaboration of two concepts: informal and formal logic. It uses simple words whenever possible. It focuses on describing the two concepts of logic and really digs down on it.
Three short paragraphs on making gunpowder in the manuscript GNM 3227a (Germany, c. 1400); the first paragraph is marked with an early form of the pilcrow sign, the two following paragraphs are introduced with litterae notabiliores (enlarged letters).
The very short final line of a paragraph composed of a single word (highlighted blue) is a runt. The first line of a paragraph beginning at the end of a page (highlighted green) is called an orphan (sometimes called a widow). The last line of a paragraph continuing on to a new page (highlighted yellow) is a widow (sometimes called an orphan).
In English essay first meant "a trial" or "an attempt", and this is still an alternative meaning. The Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) was the first author to describe his work as essays; he used the term to characterize these as "attempts" to put his thoughts into writing.
Use some short sentences and short paragraphs. Comprehension decreases when sentence length exceeds about 12 words. However, using too many short sentences in a row becomes monotonous and stilted; vary sentence length to maintain reader interest. Similarly, split long paragraphs into smaller ones. Use more verbs to improve readability.
Executive summaries are important as a communication tool in both academia and business. For example, members of Texas A&M University's Department of Agricultural Economics observe that "An executive summary is an initial interaction between the writers of the report and their target readers: decision makers, potential customers, and/or peers.