How Long Should A Paragraph Be (And Why)?

How Long Should A Paragraph Be (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 200 words

There are all sorts of jobs, professions, and careers in the world. Jobs and hobbies are different from one another. What some people do as hobbies, some do that as jobs. Yet, every hobby in the world can be turned into a job. When some people do the jobs very perfectly, they get paid for it and that is great because some people’s jobs and hobbies are actually the same. Many hobbies can be monetized and enjoyed as well.

One of the hobbies that can easily help a person earn money, is writing. People earn a lot by writing. Some people write online blogs, some write for magazines and all sorts of professional articles, while some write novels and biographies. Though the goals pursued during the writing are different, the methods, techniques, and certain structures that are followed to complete the article are the same.

An article or a page contains a title, subheadings, paragraphs, and much more. Since the day people started writing, it has been known that a paragraph is normally 100 to 200 words.

How Long Should A Paragraph Be

How Long Should A Paragraph Be?

TypeTime
Paragraph5 minutes
600-word essay3 hours
1200 word essay6 hours

Every professional writer and beginner has the same doubt in the beginning about how much the length of a paragraph should actually be. There are different numbers for how many sentences a paragraph should be. Technically, if a paragraph is not in several limited sentences and crisp, the meaning of the sentence will get lost in between. Hence, it is always better to keep the number of sentences in a paragraph less.

An average paragraph must contain about 100 to 200 words or at least 6 to 7 sentences. Every paragraph a person writes is a way to express the main idea. The basic requirements of writing a paragraph include maintaining the structure and the way of arranging the idea and sentences in a way that people grasp the concept immediately after they read it.

There are differences between writing fictional and non-fictional paragraphs. At the beginning of time, people have written paragraphs with single sentences, which ended up being very long. Hence, as time passes, the paragraphs started becoming short and ended up being about 6 to 7 sentences, with about 200 words. Multiple sentences paragraph can be easy to read and it will also keep the readers interested.

Why Is A Paragraph That Long?

The paragraph is basically the primary unit of any composition, and it represents the whole of its parts. A paragraph includes sentences, phrases, clauses, formed by words and letters. The size of the paragraph can be from a single sentence to 7 or more sentences. Yet, the factor that decides the size of the paragraph is the subject of the content and the audience.

When the content is about something not professional, the paragraphs can be short and engaging, and if the content is about anything academic or professional, the paragraphs can be long and in large blocks. For example, the paragraphs in a newspaper are shorter and the ones in the novels and textbooks are a bit longer. Hence format plays a major role.

Changing the length of the paragraphs can help the writers express the most important point of the certain paragraph. Usage of transition sentences can be very helpful to maintain consistency in the writing and it can take the reader from one paragraph to another in a smooth way. Using grammatical related structures can be really essential and repeating the words that are important to the main concept of the entire article or essay.

Conclusion

Beginning a paragraph with a point that is relevant to a new thought that forms the entire content. A typical paragraph normally contains at least 2 sentences, and a short paragraph must contain at least 50 words or fewer, for a better understanding of the concept. A long block of the paragraph contains at least 200 words, and if extends beyond that, it is better to break the paragraph into shorter ones.

All one needs to know before writing and forming a paragraph is the style, intent, audience, and format. Keep the paragraph engaging, conversational, and informative. When people feel like the writer understands them, the content will be read more. It can take about 2 hours to write a 600-700 word essay and about 3 to 4 hours to write 1000-1200 words.

References

  1. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED036796
  2. https://thaiscience.info/Journals/Article/SUIJ/10499015.pdf
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19 Comments

    1. I couldn’t agree more, this article is a must-read for anyone interested in becoming a better writer.

  1. The article’s content is overly convoluted, making it a challenging read despite the valuable information it contains.

  2. The article’s explanation of paragraph length is thorough and clear, making it a useful resource for writers.

  3. The article provides a comprehensive understanding of paragraph length, which is beneficial for both beginner and experienced writers.

  4. The article is a bit too repetitive, but it does highlight the significance of paragraph structure effectively.

    1. I understand your point, but the repetition can also be seen as reinforcing the importance of paragraph length.

  5. The article is dry and lacks engaging content, making it less effective in delivering information about paragraph length.

  6. This article provides great insight into the importance of paragraph length in writing. It’s informative and well-structured.

  7. The article’s tone is a bit too factual for my liking, but it does provide valuable information on paragraph length and structure.

  8. The article’s discussion of paragraph length is logical and well-explained, which makes it a valuable read for writers.

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