"Is there, then, an ideal length for a paragraph?"

Roy Peter Clark's latest entry in his ongoing series on writing discusses Writing Tool #42: Paragraphs. He asks, "Is there, then, an ideal length for a paragraph?" The answer: no. As long as a paragraph fulfills its purpose as a unit of thought, then it can be any length.

Paragraphs can be long: "In a long paragraph, the writer can develop an argument or build part of a narrative using lots of related examples."

Paragraphs can be short: "The writer can use the short paragraph, especially after a long one, to bring the reader to a sudden, dramatic stop."

Paragraphing is also a strategic matter. The British grammarian H.W. Fowler (author of Modern English Usage, 1926--still a standard) points out that the paragraph "is essentially a unit of thought, not of length." But it is also a typographical strategy that helps the reader follow the writer's thought: "The purpose of paragraphing is to give the reader a rest. The writer is saying to him: 'Have you got that? If so, I'll go on to the next point.'"