TYPICAL ERROR An important question today is that of the energy crisis. At the moment we provide the energy that keeps houses lit, dinners cooked and the wheels
of industry turning by burning coal, oil and gas. The life of these fuels is limited to another few years so we must begin to look to alternative fuels. One suggested source of energy is water in motion. We all know how powerful waves and waterfalls can be.
CORRECTION Either insert a line of space between the paragraphs so that the paragraphs are clearly distinguishable (called block layout), as in:
An important question today is that of the energy crisis. At the moment we provide the energy that keeps houses lit, dinners cooked and the wheels of industry turning by burning coal, oil and gas. The life of these fuels is limited to another few years so we must begin to look to alternative fuels.
One suggested source of energy is water in motion. We all know how powerful waves and waterfalls can be.
Or indicate each new paragraph by indenting the second and subsequent paragraphs (indented layout), as in:
An important question today is that of the energy crisis. At the moment we provide the energy that keeps houses lit, dinners cooked and the wheels of industry turning by burning coal, oil and gas. The life of these fuels is limited to another few years so we must begin to look to alternative fuels.
One suggested source of energy is water in motion. We all know how powerful waves and waterfalls can be.
EXPLANATION As paragraphs are organised around different topics, it is important to ensure that readers can easily distinguish the different paragraphs. Two main ways of setting out paragraphs are in common use: indented layout and block layout. Think of novels and you will realise that most books use the indented paragraph layout ... but some other books use block paragraphing.
If you examine English Toolkit, you will see that block layout has been used. For example, notice how the first line of this paragraph is obvious because a space has been left after the previous paragraph. That line of space signals that a new topic is beginning.
The amount of space after a block paragraph can be varied. When using a word processing program, it is easy to create a line of space by pressing 'Enter' twice at the end of a paragraph. However, it is also possible to set the paragraph properties so that when 'Enter' is tapped, a space of a specified size is left. That can be done through the tool bar or, for example, in Microsoft Word, by right-clicking on a paragraph, selecting 'Paragraph' and then adjusting the number of points left after the paragraph.
The other most common form of layout is indented layout. Normally, indented form and block form should not be mixed, but indented form has been used to set out this paragraph and the rest of this explanation so that you can see what it looks like. Notice that each new paragraph is indicated, not by a line of space, but by the fact that the first line of each paragraph is indented: that is, set in a few spaces from the margin.
Just as the amount of space after a block paragraph can be pre-set by changing paragraph properties in a program, so too can indents be set so that when you tap 'Enter', a new paragraph begins on the next line at whatever indent you set. This can be done through a page layout tab.
When using indented form, all paragraphs (except generally the first one) should be indented. The first paragraph does not really need to be indented, as it obviously is the starting point, whether you indent it or not.
Of course, the last line of some paragraphs is short and does not reach the right margin. Even when that happens, the next paragraph should be indented to avoid any confusion - and because consistent layout is more pleasing to the eye.
It does not matter whether you use indented form or block form; the main thing is to be consistent. Do not mix the two forms. Check your assignments to see what sort of layout you have been using. Do you need to adjust anything?
