8FOLD: Journey Into # 13: The Five Graph Trap!

[Andrew Perron]

On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:25:30 +0000 (UTC), Tom Russell wrote:

>> Hmm.  I forgot everything I learned about writing in high school, so I
>> don't recall if I ever learned about five-paragraph form.
> 
> For essays, it was one paragraph of introduction, three paragraphs of
> development or support, and a final concluding/summarizing paragraph.
> Earlier than High School, the form was even more restrictive, with
> each paragraph containing only five sentences: an introduction, three
> supporting details, and a conclusion.  Twenty-five sentences, each
> with absolutely no mystery or surprise, and all the teacher had to do
> was skim the paper, check them off her list, and scribble a grade up
> top.

You know, back when I was learning that format, I assumed I'd actually
*use* it for something someday.  Still, I suppose learning in a
straightjacket helps give you the ability to work within the restrictions
of real-life formats.

> Though in my defense, I will say that that sentence is not a run-on,
> as a run-on consists of two-plus complete/independent clauses without
> conjunction or the correct punctuation. 

Yeah, an actual run-on sentence would have almost certainly pinged my
grammar-sense.  It felt a lot more natural and smoother than that.

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, pondering starting up a freelance
editing service for self-published authors...