文, 段落, and 文章: sentences, paragraphs, and text
Identify a sentence to read, paragraphs formed where a text changes topic, and a connected text without defining them by fixed word, sentence, or line counts.
The sentence or writing called 文
「次の文を読んで、主語を探してください。」 asks the reader to read the next sentence and find its subject. 文 identifies the requested reading unit; the request does not say that the subject has already been found.
「短い文でも、言葉の選び方で印象が変わる。」 says that word choice changes the impression even of short writing. 文 is not restricted here to a sentence with a prescribed number of words.
A paragraph as a division of content
「話題が変わる所で文章を段落に分けた。」 describes dividing a text into paragraphs where the topic changed. The text is the material being divided, and 段落 names the resulting content divisions.
「最後の段落には筆者の結論がまとめられている。」 locates the writer’s conclusion in the final paragraph. That is this paragraph’s role, rather than a requirement that every final paragraph contain a conclusion.
文章 and its component units
「長い文章を三つの段落に分けた。」 describes a long text divided into three paragraphs. Three is the paragraph count in this example, rather than a minimum sentence count defining 文章.
「この文章は表現が簡潔で読みやすい。」 evaluates concise, readable expression. 文 and 文章 can overlap in meaning, so use the instruction and context to identify whether a sentence is being read or a text divided into paragraphs.
In 「次の文を読んで、主語を探してください。」 and 「話題が変わる所で文章を段落に分けた。」, what is to be read, and what was divided into which units?
Show the answer and why
The first asks the reader to read a 文 and find its subject. The second describes dividing an 文章 into 段落 where the topic changed. Distinguish the sentence requested for reading from the divisions of a text; the request does not establish that the subject was found.