Paragraph formatting question??

[Sparkly]

(I posted this in the Writing Forum too, but figured there's a lot more traffic here!)

I remember ages ago being taught that paragraphs should either be in "modern" style (no indent, spaces between paragraphs) or traditional style (indented, no space between paragraphs).

Is it considered gauche to both indent and put space between paragraphs?

(For that matter, now that it's possible to use increments of space -- instead of just "return" as on a typewriter -- can a little space be used with an indent, or is that wrong?)

[yewberry]

1. I think it depends on content, medium, and audience.

Are we talking about something that'll be read online, or something academic? A personal letter?

[Sparkly]

2. A book

Kind of academic.

[Bucky]

5. If it's academic, do the real kind of paragraph formatting.

The block paragraphing resulted from the internet; it won't be respected in academia for 50 years. Unless it's for a slide show, powerpoint display, or other type of illustration--in other words, if you're going to be judged by your text at all, do single spacing between lines & paragraphs; indent the paragraphs as you saw your grandparents do.

[Sparkly]

7. How about a teeny tiny break between paragraphs?

I'm not sure why they look too close together to me. Maybe it's the font I'm using or something.

[yewberry]

12. Yeah, definitely indented with no space between.

Unless you're doing the final proofing, though, it doesn't make sense to single-space. Write it double-spaced and convert it after editing. (And since you're mentioning typewriting rules, throw out the old rule about using two spaces between sentences--your editors or readers will just have to fix all of those.)

If this is a thesis or dissertation, though, different styles (and so different rules) may apply.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. I wouldn't call it gauche ....

but I haven't seen anyone else use both. Honestly, I rarely see anything but modern anymore, except in some paperback books where they are trying to cut down on the number of pages.

[Bucky]

4. It depends on what you're writing. It's not really "modern vs traditional" styles

There's MLA/Strunk & White formatting, which means don't skip a line and indent each paragraph.

The block paragraphs that double space after each paragraph break is the standard html coding style format. It's not acceptable for formal writing. If it's a business letter, you want to double space your lines, but don't skip more lines for new grafs.

If you're writing something for ad copy, do whichever is the most eye-catching. Print in ads isn't rhetoric; it's poetry. So go with whatever rules best grab someone's attention. Just don't mispell the name Johm McCain.

[fishwax]

9. I disagree about double spacing lines in a business letter

Block format (or semi-block or modified block) is standard for business letters. (On edit: semi-block includes both indent and an extra space. I'm not fond of it.)

(I agree with you about academic and ad copy though.)

[fishwax]

6. don't use both

Either one serves the purpose of distinguishing when a new paragraph starts, so using both doesn't really bring anything to the table. As a result, it looks confused or indecisive :)

For academic text, I'd recommend the indent, with no extra space between paragraphs. For a business letter, the block format with an extra line between paragraphs is standard.

[Sparkly]

8. Thanks. That seems to be the consensus!

:hi:

[fishwax]

10. upon further review, a bit more information

semi-block format for a business letter actually includes an indent and a space between lines, so it's not unheard of. But that format is the least commonly used, and (in my opinion) the least attractive. :)

:hi:

[Sparkly]

11. hmm

Is it cheating to change the vertical space of all lines a little bit? I think my font looks crowded or something.

I also have a terrible time letting white space be. When I don't write to the end of a page, I want to put in a little picture or typographic ornament or something.

(This is what happens when non-visually-oriented people try to do visually-oriented things!)

[fishwax]

13. different fonts can have different spacing

It's not necessarily "cheating" to tweak the font like that, and with MS Word you can change the line spacing to slightly more than single spacing (so, say, 14 point line spacing if you're using a 12 point font), but use with caution :)

Don't be afraid of white space--it's a designer's best friend :hi:

[Sweet Freedom]

14. ...

If your laying out something for publication, do not indent the first paragraph, but do indent additional paragraphs (no space above). Books and magazines tend to follow this style.

Whatever you choose to do, just be consistent. :)