Multicols breaking short passages unnaturally

Question

I have a problem in multicols environment, where short text passages that happen to land on a single page split like so

I am the very model            |  general. I've information
of a modern major              |  vegetable, animal and mineral.

It's very easy to read this as "I am the very model general. I've information of a modern major vegetable, animal and mineral".

I would prefer it split like so:

I am the very model            | 
of a modern major              |  
general. I've information      |
vegetable, animal and mineral. |

In other words, finish full left column, then start the right column. I need the multicols environment, so that I can begin and end it and place full width graphs in between.

Answer 1

Use the starred version of the command.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{multicol}
\begin{document}
\begin{multicols*}{2}
I am the very model         
of a modern major               
general. I've information     
vegetable, animal and mineral.
\end{multicols*}
\end{document}

You can adjust the column separator space using \setlength{\columnsep}{3em} and you can break across the columns using \columnbreak. You can also read the documentation by typing textdoc multicol on the command line. Also useful is to always include a Minimum Working Example with the question. It makes it easier for people to answer it.