LESSON 6

Paragraphs

Learning objective: Write readable blocks of text using paragraph elements.

Understand

Paragraphs are the most common way to present body text.

The <p> element groups a block of text. Browsers add space above and below each paragraph automatically. Note that extra spaces and line breaks in your HTML are collapsed — the browser decides the spacing, so you use separate <p> tags for separate paragraphs.

Analogy: Each <p> is like a new paragraph in an essay: a fresh idea gets its own block.

See It in Action

Two paragraphs render with space between them:

<p>This is my first paragraph.</p>
<p>This is a second, separate idea.</p>
How it works: Each <p> becomes its own block with spacing, even though in the file they sit on adjacent lines.

Try It Yourself

  1. Write two <p> elements.
  2. Add several spaces between words and refresh to see them collapse.
  3. Confirm the two paragraphs have space between them.

Quick Quiz

What happens to extra spaces you type inside HTML text?

Challenge

Write a short three-paragraph story, each idea in its own <p>.

Success condition: Three separate paragraphs render with clear spacing between them.