The build of a paragraph will make it either effective or ineffective, for upon the structure depends its three main qualities of Unity, Coherence, and Emphasis.
a. Unity
Without unity the paragraph is very apt to lose its grip, for the average reader will not bother to discover the important point if it is obscured by others of less importance. Therefore it is necessary to see that each paragraph deals with one point and that nothing is introduced unless it bears upon that point or leads up to it.
When writing for any business purpose it is a good plan to state in summary order all the points to be made. This method makes for clear thinking, and it leads the mind straight along the track when writing. The result is that the writing tends to be succinct, and the ideas fall naturally into appropriate paragraphs.
This is especially important in writing advertising booklets where limitations of space impose a selection of ideas, and where the development of each idea must be powerful, short, and appropriate to the necessities of the case.
b. Coherence
It is not only necessary to see that all the sentences in a paragraph are pertinent to the subject of it. Those sentences must develop the subject or the idea in logical sequence. If they do not, the paragraph will not properly engage the attention of the reader and will miss its mark.
c. Emphasis
In all sorts of writing, but especially in sales literature, it is often necessary to emphasize some one important point in a paragraph. There are three ways of doing this, and each of the methods is especially useful in certain cases.
1. Emphasis by position is the most generally useful, and it should always be adopted when the paragraph is long.
The position of greatest emphasis is undoubtedly the centre of the paragraph, provided the emphasized point is centred on the line and isolated by special spacing above and below. This device should not be used more than once on a page, and then only when the matter and wording suggest its suitability.
2. Emphasis by repetition is most useful for impressing an idea on the mind of a reader—especially an idea that is a necessary preliminary to the introduction of a second idea.
3. Emphasis by contrast often convinces the uninterested man and the impatient man because it admits of quick and forceful arguments which impress immediately. The paragraph can be made like a burst of machine-gun fire, and in printed advertising the matter can be cut so short that it evolves into separate lines.
Once the rapid fire of contrast has attracted the interest of the reader, more detailed and closer argument may be used to clinch the matter. But the change must not be too great.
a. Unity
Without unity the paragraph is very apt to lose its grip, for the average reader will not bother to discover the important point if it is obscured by others of less importance. Therefore it is necessary to see that each paragraph deals with one point and that nothing is introduced unless it bears upon that point or leads up to it.
When writing for any business purpose it is a good plan to state in summary order all the points to be made. This method makes for clear thinking, and it leads the mind straight along the track when writing. The result is that the writing tends to be succinct, and the ideas fall naturally into appropriate paragraphs.
This is especially important in writing advertising booklets where limitations of space impose a selection of ideas, and where the development of each idea must be powerful, short, and appropriate to the necessities of the case.
b. Coherence
It is not only necessary to see that all the sentences in a paragraph are pertinent to the subject of it. Those sentences must develop the subject or the idea in logical sequence. If they do not, the paragraph will not properly engage the attention of the reader and will miss its mark.
c. Emphasis
In all sorts of writing, but especially in sales literature, it is often necessary to emphasize some one important point in a paragraph. There are three ways of doing this, and each of the methods is especially useful in certain cases.
1. Emphasis by position is the most generally useful, and it should always be adopted when the paragraph is long.
The position of greatest emphasis is undoubtedly the centre of the paragraph, provided the emphasized point is centred on the line and isolated by special spacing above and below. This device should not be used more than once on a page, and then only when the matter and wording suggest its suitability.
2. Emphasis by repetition is most useful for impressing an idea on the mind of a reader—especially an idea that is a necessary preliminary to the introduction of a second idea.
3. Emphasis by contrast often convinces the uninterested man and the impatient man because it admits of quick and forceful arguments which impress immediately. The paragraph can be made like a burst of machine-gun fire, and in printed advertising the matter can be cut so short that it evolves into separate lines.
Once the rapid fire of contrast has attracted the interest of the reader, more detailed and closer argument may be used to clinch the matter. But the change must not be too great.
No comments:
Post a Comment