PARAGRAPHS

A paragraph is a distinct subdivision of text presented in a coherent (logical, rational) manner

expressing a group or related ideas about a particular aspect of a subject. The intention of
paragraphs is to separate ideas in a longer body of text into smaller chunks to improve readability
and comprehension (understanding).

In Microsoft Word a new paragraph can be started by pressing the “Enter” key once for indented
and twice for blocked paragraphs. When typing the contents of a paragraph, there is no need to
press the “Enter” key when the end of a line is reached. The cursor will automatically move to
the beginning of a new line when it gets to the end of the current line. Text will thus wrap
around to that new line.

Paragraphs can be formatted to display text based on:

(a) Indents (b) Line Spacing
(c) Alignment (d) Fonts
(e) Tabs

Indents
An indent is a specified number of spaces (in inches or millimetres) between the left or right
margins, and the text. Indents are used to set boundaries or margins for text without altering the
Page Setup (main document) margins. In Microsoft Word, indents can be set by selecting the
text in the paragraph and dragging the appropriate marker on the Microsoft Word document
template ruler, to the desired position. Indents can also be set using the “Decrease indent” or
“Increase indent” objects on the Microsoft Word ruler. The space bar or “Tab” key may also be
used

There are markers at both the left and right margins. The left marker comprises three
components:
Markers

 A downward pointing arrowhead at the top - this creates a first line indent. This object
can be moved individually.
 An upward pointing arrowhead in the middle this creates a hanging indent. This object
cannot be moved individually but remains attached to the bottom component of the
marker.
 A rectangle at the bottom - creates a left indent. When this component is moved, the
other two move along with it.
 The right marker comprises only an upward pointing arrowhead – this creates a right
indent.
A first line indent starts the first line of the paragraph at a specified distance from the margin.
All other lines start at the margin.
A hanging indent sets the second and subsequent lines of a paragraph a greater distance from
the margin than the first line.

A left indent moves the entire paragraph a specified distance from the left margin. The default
left position is zero.

A right indent sets the distance of the text from the right margin.

Types of Paragraphs
There are different styles of paragraphs. These include
(a) Blocked paragraphs
(b) Indented paragraphs
(c) Hanging paragraphs
(d) Inset paragraphs

Blocked Paragraphs
In blocked paragraphs each line begins at the left margin. When using single line spacing in
blocked paragraphs, it is recommended that one line space be left between paragraphs. Two line
spaces shall be used if using one-and-a-half or double line spacing. This is an example of a
blocked paragraph.

Indented Paragraphs
The first line of an indented paragraph begins five character spaces (1/2 inch or 1.25
cm) from the left margin. The second and subsequent lines begin at the left margin. This is an
example of an indented paragraph

Hanging Paragraphs
With hanging paragraphs, the first line begins at the left margin while the second and
subsequent lines start two character spaces to the right. Hanging indents are often used in
numbered lists. The first line usually starts with a number at the left margin followed by a
full stop which is in turn followed by two character spaces. The hanging indent is set at this
second character space. Thus the first letter of the first line starts at this point along with
every subsequent line in each paragraph of the list. This is a hanging paragraph example.

Inset Paragraphs
Inset paragraphs are fully indented both from the left and right margins
(usually by half and inch) to set them apart from the surrounding text.
Insets are often used for long quotes, enumerations and tables. This is an
example of and inset paragraph.