Question for mods: Is a single sentence a paragraph?

[n2doc]

Many sites (e.g. BBC) format their text so that each sentence is separated by a paragraph mark. For copyright purposes, does this mean that if we post from such a site we can only post the first 4 sentences? Just trying to be a good DU citizen!

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. It can be

The rule I've always followed when quoting from articles is to define "paragraph" however the article's author defines "paragraph." If that is a single sentence, then it is a single sentence. Single sentence paragraphs are sloppy writing, but the BBC has never solicited my opinion on the matter.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. "Sloppy" depends on the type of writing.

In journalistic writing, single sentence lead and closing paragraphs are not only acceptable, in some cases and some stylebooks they're preferred.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. and sometimes it is caused by the French stealing the stairs n/t

[Pab Sungenis]

6. People who don't read my strip won't get that.

This week's story is one that was derailed halfway through by current events, too.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. oh dear

I do read the strip every day---and that line really tickled my funny bone.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. I wasn't aware of that

I'm remembering high school and college classes about writing essays. In formal style, single sentence paragraphs are rhetorically incomplete: you need at least two sentences, a thesis and then exposition on that thesis. I can see now where that is not necessarily a requirement in news reporting, but it still looks incomplete to me.

[Pab Sungenis]

7. Yes, in informative essays, it is very sloppy.

In an essay, thoroughness is the important thing. As a result, you want to use fully developed paragraphs to impart the most information possible.

Journalism is different. You want to give information as quickly as possible, for people who only skim stories. In the first three sentences you get all the pertinent facts (the 5 W's) out of the way, then you develop further. The first sentence (the lead) gives the most important information. The last several sentences are usually short and auxilliary information that can be cut for space or time (depending upon the medium).

If you're writing for a wire service, it's also important to follow this style so the people down the line who might be rewriting or editing your story for their own purposes get all the important information up front.

By the way, if you've ever wondered what the term "burying the lead" means, it's when the most important fact of the story is not in the first sentence, and is usually saved. For example, if we had a story headlined "Cheney discusses foreign policy on hunting trip," giving emphasis to his statements and other aspects of his hunt, and closed it with the sentence "Cheney, who shot another hunter in the face during the trip, returns to Washington this afternoon," that's "burying the lead."

[Lobster Martini]

5. That's the way I was taught to write

Especially toward the end of an article. I was taught to write in the inverted pyramid style, wherein the last paragraphs are short so that the editor has the option of cutting them to save space without changing the meaning of the story. I've also written a lot of one-sentence lead paragraphs. It's acceptable, and if you don't believe me, look at the NY Times.