HTML Paragraphs
The HTML <p> element defines a paragraph. A paragraph always starts on a new line, and is usually a block of text.
Example
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
<p>This is another paragraph.</p>HTML Display
You cannot be sure how HTML will be displayed. Large or small screens, and resized windows will create different results. With HTML, you cannot change the display by adding extra spaces or extra lines in your HTML code. The browser will automatically remove any extra spaces and lines when the page is displayed.
Example
<p>
This paragraph
contains a lot of lines
in the source code,
but the browser
ignores it.
</p>
<p>
This paragraph
contains a lot of spaces
in the source code,
but the browser
ignores it.
</p>HTML Horizontal Rules
The <hr> tag defines a thematic break in an HTML page, and is most often displayed as a horizontal rule. It's used to separate content.
Example
<h1>This is heading 1</h1>
<p>This is some text.</p>
<hr>
<h2>This is heading 2</h2>
<p>This is some other text.</p>The <hr> tag is an empty tag, which means that it has no end tag.
HTML Line Breaks
The HTML <br> element defines a line break. Use <br> if you want a new line without starting a new paragraph.
Example
<p>This is<br>a paragraph<br>with line breaks.</p>The <br> tag is also an empty tag.
The Poem Problem
This poem written inside a <p> element will display on a single line because the browser ignores the extra spaces and line breaks.
Example
<p>
My Bonnie lies over the ocean.
My Bonnie lies over the sea.
My Bonnie lies over the ocean.
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
</p>Solution - The HTML <pre> Element
The <pre> element defines preformatted text. The text inside a <pre> element is displayed in a fixed-width font, and it preserves both spaces and line breaks.
Example
<pre>
My Bonnie lies over the ocean.
My Bonnie lies over the sea.
My Bonnie lies over the ocean.
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
</pre>Test Yourself with an Exercise
True or False. HTML paragraphs always starts on a new line.
HTML Tag Reference
A brief reference for the tags discussed in this chapter.
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
<p> | Defines a paragraph |
<hr> | Defines a thematic change in the content |
<br> | Inserts a single line break |
<pre> | Defines pre-formatted text |