Time for action – using line breaks

We will type the beginning of a famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe. As the author has specified where a verse has to end, we shall insert line breaks there.

1. Create a document containing these lines:

   \documentclass{article}
   \begin{document}
   \emph{Annabel Lee}\\
   It was many and many a year ago,\\
   In a kingdom by the sea,\\
   That a maiden there lived whom you may know\\
   By the name of Annabel Lee
   \end{document}

2. Typeset and view the output:

   

What just happened?

The very short command \\ ended a line; the following text was put to the next line. That's different to a paragraph break: we're still in the same paragraph. The command called \newline has the same effect.

There's another command called \linebreak, which tells LaTeX to end the line but to keep the full justification. Therefore, the space between the words would be stretched to reach the right margin. This could cause unpleasant gaps—that's why that command is rarely used.

Have a go hero – exploring line breaking...