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A paragraph (from Ancient Greek παράγραφος (parágraphos) 'to write beside') is a self-contained unit of discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Though not required by the orthographic conventions of any language with a writing system, paragraphs are a conventional means of organizing extended segments of prose.

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A paragraph is a self-contained section of writing that focuses on a particular point or idea, typically organized as a distinct unit on the page. While paragraphs aren't strictly required by language rules, they serve as a standard way to organize and structure longer pieces of prose.

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10 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Typographical considerations
  • In computing
  • {{anchor|Decimal numbering}}Numbering
  • {{Anchor|Paragraph break}}Section breaks
  • Style advice
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • External links

A paragraph (from Ancient Greek παράγραφος (parágraphos) 'to write beside') is a self-contained unit of discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Though not required by the orthographic conventions of any language with a writing system, paragraphs are a conventional means of organizing extended segments of prose.

==History== Cuneiform is one of the oldest surviving forms of writing. It was used in Mesopotamia to compose a tremendous number of texts on clay tablets, thousands of which survive to the present day. Cuneiform had no paragraphs or even spacing between words with the symbols all written directly adjacent to one another. Egyptian hieroglyphics were also unspaced, but as they wrote on papyrus with ink, Egyptians scribes introduced the practice of rubrication: the scribes used black ink for the main body text and contrasting red ink for headings.

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