PARAGRAPH LENGTH

How long should you make your paragraphs? Some might say, “As long as they need to be.” But such an answer, while theoretically correct, gives little practical help to the people asking the question. As a general guide, try to keep your sentence length to two or three typed lines. Make paragraphs three to five sentences long—about 75 to 125 words.

In easy-to-remember terms, when you look at a double-spaced typed page, it ought to have at least two paragraphs per page. Why? Because paragraphs are meant to focus on one thought, not several. Second, they are intended to be breaks or resting stops for readers. When paragraphs get too long or involved, they violate both of these intentions. Long, involved paragraphs become tedious ...

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