Since paragraphs and sentences are the smallest meaningful units of written matter, it is necessary for every writer to master these components. Just as a single weak link can make an otherwise strong chain useless, improperly designed paragraphs and sentences can seriously hinder communication of ideas.

Here are the items related to paragraphs and sentences that we will discuss in this lesson:

Paragraphs:
Sentences:


The paragraph is often the smallest unit into which a collection of sentences is placed. It must be mastered thoroughly if your argument of thesis has to flow convincingly.


1-Introduction: A paragraph is not a linguistic necessity. We speak using sentences, not paragraphs. However, written communication has many differences from oral one, making literary devices necessary to aid accurate and proper communication. This is why we have punctuation marks and paragraphs. These are tools that make communication more enjoyable and less confusing.

Anyone who has struggled with improperly edited books knows how difficult it is to enjoy extremely long paragraphs. At the same time, every adult knows how difficult it is to enjoy the jerky style of children's textbooks where sentences are not grouped into larger units !!


You might be surprised to hear that splitting up text into paragraphs is not a very ancient phenomena. Even many of the older manuscripts of the Bible do not contain paragraph or sentence divisions ! Paragraphs originated with the Greeks. They used it as a resting-place and place-finder, and the ideas caught on into all languages and cultures. Paragraphs play a great role in giving a rest to the readers's eyes and minds, while at the same time they enhance communication with the reader.

When arranged into paragraphs, it becomes a joy to read printed material. Even the success of failure of many books (and writers) can partially be attributed to their paragraph structuring !!


2-The Structure Of Paragraphs: Usually, a paragraph is a 'unit' of thought. This means that it should discuss only a single subject or a portion of a subject that needs to stand alone. Discussing or introducing more than one idea or unit of thought in a paragraph indicates improper planning or division. On the other hand, discussion of a single idea should not unnecessary be split up into several paragraph unless there is a valid reason to do so.

Consider the following paragraph:


Clearly, even though the writer is talking about music in the above paragraph, he discusses two point that are not strictly connected with each other. Thus, they material should be split up in the following manner:



The effect produced on minds and bodies by music has been documented by many studies. Music can elicit patriotic feelings, sadness, fear, lust, or even anger, depending upon how they are composed. This is the reason why many of our songs meant for devotion do not bring forth a feeling of reverence when sung. The words are proper, but the music is not. Consequently, every Christian composer should clearly understand the effect played by music on bodies and before he starts using his talents for the Lord.

One paragraph should contain only one unit of thought, discussion, or argument. You should violate this rule only when there is a compelling reason for doing so, and that also only after you become a proficient writer.

3-Flow Within The Paragraph: Though a paragraph usually contains only a single subject, it does not give you liberty to place related sentences randomly into it. You must follow a sensible plan.

The best plan is to begin the paragraph with a sentence that gives an idea of what is to follow immediately after that. The rest of the sentences should develop that theme in a systematic way, with each sentence leading to the next. The reader should not have to strain to understand the connection between sentences. After you develop the theme to your satisfaction, close with a sentence that sums up everything in a straightforward manner.

Consider the second paragraph above. A rearranged versions is given below:

The sentences are the same, but once their order is changed, the progression of thought is lost. The paragraph fails to communicate.


4-Arrangement Of Paragraphs: Just as the sentences within every paragraph should be arranged to give a natural flow to the thought expressed, the paragraphs in an article or story should be arranged in such a way that the ideas contained in each paragraph automatically lead to the next. The readers should never be left to struggle to discover how two adjacent paragraphs might be related with each other. Consider the following paragraphs:





There is a perceptive progression in the argument against the indiscriminate use of contemporary music in Christian churches. The flow of argument is so natural and obvious that the reader does not have to struggle to get it. Change the order of the paragraphs, and this flow is destroyed.

Arrange your paragraphs in such a way the each one automatically leads to the next. It is your duty to establish this connection and flow. Leave it to the reader, and you are a failure in the art of writing.


5-Technical Details: The size of the paragraph is as important as its content and internal flow. Make it larger than optimum and you scare away the reader; make it smaller, and you have on hand a reader irritated with the jerky movement of the text. Choosing the optimum size is not only a science, but also a lot of common sense.

The paragraph length depends upon the type of writing and the mental level of audience. Children cannot take in large information-units, and therefore material written for them usually have short paragraphs. Scholarly textbooks, on the other hand, are written for people with greater powers of comprehension, and that automatically make paragraphs long. Yet there are exceptions everywhere.

Newspapers are published usually for adults, yet they use only short paragraphs. The narrow columns of newspapers make a few sentences look like a long paragraph, while the same text put into a textbooks will look to jarring with gaps everywhere. The best approach, therefore, is to check a few copies of a publication before you write for it.

Pick up a few common articles (not the editorials, because they have special layouts), count the number of sentences per paragraph. Take the average of about ten paragraphs, and that gives you the optimum number of sentences per paragraph for that publication.

If you have not done any significant amount of publishing before taking up this course, probably you have no publication at hand for doing this kind of a calculation. If that is the case, restrict yourself around ten sentences per paragraph. This is only a rough guide, and that also only when you use sentences of moderate length (ten to fifteen words per sentence). Once you get into practice, you will be able make your own calculations, decisions, and variations.


6-Your Paragraph Checklist: Use the following list to assess your writings and revisions.





Sentences are the smallest independent and complete unit used for communication. Break it up into smaller segments, and the intended meaning is lost. Even though the words left in these fragments are still meaningful in themselves, they no longer convey any meaningful idea.

Consider the sentence:


Split it up into two as shown below:


The individual words used still retain their meaning, but the sentences no longer convey anything useful.

Unfortunately, many people try to communicate with the help of this kind of fragments, or even with the help of numerous fragments put together illogically. Not recognizing the difference between written and oral communication is part of the problem. In oral communication people often use fragmentary sentences, and even illogically arranged fragments because the context and tone of the speech, the gestures of the speaker often supply the missing links. Problems result when this practice is carried indiscriminately into written communication.

Writing powerful, meaningful, and unambiguous sentences is a skill that most writers can acquire with some practice. This lesson should be considered only as an introduction to the subject, and starting from here you should make it a lifelong quest to write powerful sentences.


1-Introduction: A chain is no stronger than its weakest links, and a written communication is no more powerful than what's inherent in its average sentences. Many writers recognize this fact, but the way they try to solve it usually makes communication only burdensome.

Some people try to improve things by putting all possible ideas into a single sentence, thinking that if nothing is missed there, the communication will be perfect. Others, not wanting to leave anything to chance, try to put every conceivable word (specially adjectives) or description there. While the efforts are commendable, they only hinder communication.

Learning to write powerful, yet enjoyable, sentences should become a life long passion for every writer. However, I will give you to straightforward guiding principles to begin with: use simple sentences, and avoid wordiness. These will help you not only to deliver your thought powerfully, but will also keep you away from many other mistakes that writers make.


2-Use Simple Sentences: Every language has certain basic structures of usage, and all communication takes place either through these basic structures or through one or more interconnected structures.

In English the most basic structure can be called the simple active sentence. It has the structure, subject-verb-object. For example,


This basic structure is modified using other structures or combination of structures. However, if you try to use the more involved structures of that kind without first mastering the simple structure, you will soon run into communication problems. Keep using the simple sentence till you gain mastery over it, and then only jump into greater depth. This need not take too long if you are systematical and methodical in your work.

Writers for whom English is not their first language should take special care. People tend to think in their native languages before the reproduce in an alien language. This often causes the structure of the native language to be imposed upon the second language. No two languages have all their structures identical, and therefore this structural transfer -- instead of idea transfer -- creates a host of problems. What is worse, since they are proficient in their native language, their thoughts come in very complex structures. They then subconsciously try to transfer it into another language without having a similar proficiency in it.

When such a person writes in English, instead of using simple structures, he uses complex structures though he might not have mastered even the simple ones yet. Since the problem is common to almost all writers, they should consciously start from the basics and then advance after mastering each step. Here are a few suggestions:

First, you should learn to break up your thoughts into simpler components. This has to be done consciously, because it is not the natural way in which the human mind works. Consider the following statement picked up from an assignment I received recently:



Though many readers can make out what the writer wants to say, the force of his argument is lost in the unmanageable structure. Nobody would like to toil through page after page of this kind of jungle. It is taxing, tiring, and frightening. What is worse, because of the ambiguous connection between different fragments of the statement, the message communicated to the reader by this kind of sentences can even be opposite of what the author intends.

The same thought can be broken into simpler constituents and rewritten as:


A more experienced writer might rewrite it to read:


The above paragraph can be rewritten in numerous ways to suit the writer's theme, taste, or flow of the article. What is important is the simpler structure of sentences. This makes reading a pleasure, reduces the possibility of error, and makes communication accurate.

Consider the following sentence pairs:


Practice the art of expressing through simple sentences. Complex writing need not be the mark of scholarship and simple sentences need not be the mark of ignorance. Your sentences should be suitable both for the subject matter as well as for the readers.

Start with simple sentences, and soon you will know how much, and when, to deviate.


3-Avoid Wordiness: Just as writers are tempted to put all they have to say into a single sentence, they are often tempted to load all their vocabulary into every single statement. Another variation is to use a chain of words to express an idea for which a single word already exists.

Wordiness is a common problem, resulting either from one's limited vocabulary or simply from laziness. No writer can be excused for continuing in this profession with a limited vocabulary; and laziness is something that should be handled while one is still in the writing school. Most people hate struggle with word-lists after leaving school, and everyone has some laziness hidden deep in their souls. Yet, to become a successful writer, you must learn to overcome both.

Wordy phrases are easy to write: just write every thought that comes to your mind, and do no editing/rewriting. However, this will only guarantee ambiguity, error, and boring prose. What is worse, your readers will soon learn to avoid your writings. Consider the following sentence:


Consider the rewrite below:


The rewritten statement of ten words conveys as much as the twenty words of the original, probably with greater power.

Wordiness is no more pleasant that diarrhea in an infant. It shows a malfunctioning system, and taxes everyone. The following is a preliminary guideline to this vast subject:

USE ACTIVE VOICE: Statements in active voice are always shorter than corresponding passive voice. Make an exception only when necessary. Consider the following passive/active pairs:




AVOID NEEDLESS REPETITION: People tend to repeat information that has already been given using another word. Prune these additions. Consider the following examples. Repetitions are given in capitals.





PRUNE ALL YOUR SENTENCES: People have a tendency to fill sentences will words. Most of them think that this enhances their emphasis. On the contrary, this only makes them dull, difficult to understand, and even repulsive.

During revision, remove every word that does not contribute ! The best approach is to remove one word at a time from the beginning to the end of a sentence and see if that changes the meaning you intend to convey. If not, the word should go ! Do this with every sentence, and you are on your way to the power of compactness. Consider the following pairs:




Conclusion: The better your paragraphs and sentences are organized, the greater will be the power with which your message is conveyed. Do not consider them as unnecessary links. Work upon them. Soon you will notice power !!

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Original article contributed by Dr. Johnson C. Philip. Revised by:

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