This is gonna be quick. Is it just me, or is it starting to seem silly to teach paragraph indentation when no one uses it anymore? Think about the last time you indented a paragraph. Was it in the last 5 years? Emails, blogs, and news articles are usually written in business letter format, skipping a space between paragraphs. It looks better and reads easier than indenting. I think indenting was probably once better than skipping a line because it saved paper. But guess what? Nobody uses paper anymore!
Anyway, I'm going to keep teaching the indented paragraph, but I think soon the conversation about leaving a line between paragraphs and the change that seems to be happening with formatting would be appropriate. English teachers--is it just me?!
I have to agree that I often find myself wondering, "does my tab key still work?" In most cases it doesn't. Emails, Blogs, and other means of electronic communication do not even allow you to indent without using your space bar. I have always thought the same thing, and it is nice to know that there are others out there with the same concern. I am glad that you will still teach indentation but you are right, it is missing.
I have enjoyed your blog posts and plan on following your comments and updates. Thanks.
Posted by: theresa | February 08, 2011 at 09:30 AM
The only place where indenting is natural is in the novel or short story format. Skipping a line looks really silly when using direct speech!
Posted by: Dorian Love | March 03, 2011 at 01:05 AM