Runts like these aren’t necessarily problems, but they can look untidy and leave a lot of extra white space on a page. What constitutes a runt also varies, though it can include anything less than half the width of a paragraph. These lonely words and phrases are also known as runts in some cases. But we’re not done yet! These days, a lot of people use “widow” or “orphan” to refer to a single word or short phrase on a line by itself at the end of a paragraph: A single word on a new line at the end of a paragraph. You may spot one at the bottom of a page somewhere: An orphan in a passage of text.Īs with widows, orphans interrupt the flow of writing, so publishers prefer to avoid them. Orphans (Stranded First Lines)Īn orphan is a first line that appears on a separate page from the rest of its paragraph. Most publishers try to avoid this, since it breaks the flow of the writing. This leaves it by itself at the top of a page, with the rest of the paragraph on the previous page: A widow in a passage of text. Widows (Stranded Final Lines)Ī widow is a final line that appears on a separate page from the rest of its paragraph. Read on below to find out what to look for when proofreading typeset texts. How you should approach widows and orphans as a proofreader.How these words are now often used to describe a typographical “runt.”.
The traditional definition of a “widow” and “orphan” in typography.But this can be tricky, as not everyone uses these words in the same way! In this post, then, we’ll explain the basics, including: As a proofreader, if you work with a publisher, they might ask you to look out for widows and orphans in a typeset text.
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