Widows and Orphans
Roy Johnson
and Orphans? I have seen them described as "Widows are
single lines of text left behind at the bottom of a page,
and Orphans single lines at the top" - but also the
other way round.
Which one is correct?
--
Roy Johnson | R...@mantex.demon.co.uk
PO Box 100 | Tel: +44 (0)61 432 5811
Manchester M20 6GZ | Fax: +44 (0)61 443 2766
Ginny Beatty
>Does anyone know the correct definition of Widows
>and Orphans? I have seen them described as "Widows are
>single lines of text left behind at the bottom of a page,
>and Orphans single lines at the top" - but also the
>other way round.
>
>Which one is correct?
The _Gregg Reference Manual_ (7th edition) defines Widows and Orphans as the
following:
Widows: the last line of a paragraph as the first line of a new page
Orphans: the first line of a new paragraph as the last line on a page.
Hope this helps.
Ginny Beatty
+++++++++++++++
Opinions here don't even reflect company policy
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Patrick TJ McPhee
at the bottom (which is what I learned, and for which there's a cute
mnemonic), widows at the bottom of the page and orphans at the top (also
with a cute mnemonic), orphans as short last lines to paragraphs, with
an authoritative reference, widows as short last lines to paragraphs, with
an authoritative reference, and an allusion to club lines.
I think the clear message is that there is no consensus on what widow
and orphan lines are, which is probably why the original poster didn't
know which was which.
Roy Johnson
A Widow has a past but no future. It is the last line of a paragraph set
at the top of a page, especially the left-hand page of a multi-column
layout. Widow lines are generally avoided.
An Orphan has no past, but it has a future. It is the first line of a
paragraph, set alone at the bottom of a page, especially the right-hand
page in a multi-column layout. You can read column for page here, incidentally.
Have a good day.
Judy Madnick
Thanks for your definitions. It's nice to know what to call what we're
doing!
Judy Madnick, A-1 Office Assistance, Albany, NY