* Widow: A single line of text that appears at the top of a page, separated from the rest of its paragraph. This creates a visually jarring break in the flow of the text.
* Orphan: A single line of text that appears at the bottom of a page, separated from the rest of its paragraph. This can also disrupt the reading experience, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the text.
These terms are borrowed from printing terminology, where "widow" and "orphan" originally referred to a single line of text that appeared at the bottom of a page. However, in modern usage, "orphan" can also refer to the single line that appears at the top of a page.
Avoiding widows and orphans:
To avoid these errors, writers and editors use various techniques, including:
* Adjusting line spacing: Widows and orphans can often be avoided by adjusting the line spacing of the text.
* Inserting hyphens: Adding hyphens to break up long words at the end of a line can prevent a single word from being separated on a new line.
* Using the "don't break" command: Most word processing programs have a feature that allows you to prevent certain lines from being broken.
* Manually adjusting page breaks: If all other methods fail, you can manually adjust page breaks to avoid widows and orphans.
By avoiding widows and orphans, you can ensure that your text is visually appealing and easy to read, which is essential for effective communication in academic professional writing.