Common English usage misconceptions: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:54, 5 January 2023

Revision as of 01:55, 5 January 2023

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==Usage==

'''Misconception:''' ''[[Paragraph]]s must comprise at least three sentences''.{{Ref label|E|e|none}} This is not true.<ref name="Cutts 2009. p. 112">[[#Cut09|Cutts 2009]]. p. 112.</ref> Richard Nordquist states that "no rule exists regarding the number of sentences that make up a paragraph," noting that professional writers use "paragraphs as short as a single word".<ref>[[#Nor11|Nordquist 2011]].</ref> According to the ''Oxford Guide to Plain English'': <blockquote>If you can say what you want to say in a single sentence that lacks a direct connection with any other sentence, just stop there and go on to a new paragraph. There's no rule against it. A paragraph can be a single sentence, whether long, short, or middling.<ref name="Cutts 2009. p. 112"/></blockquote>

The [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's]] Writing Center states on its website, "Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc." The website explains, "Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long."<ref>[[#UNC11|University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2011]].</ref>