Two spaces after period..no longer the rule?

[TheVillageChicken]

I did not know this. (http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/two-spaces-after-period/)

Now that I do, I am still not changing the way I write. So there!

[rhood]

It is a habit. Couldn't change if I wanted to.

[Hankg42]

Good information. I had no idea why 2 spaces after punctuation had gone away, now I know. (Please note the 2 spaces after each period.) :icon_wink:

Edit: It actually looks like the posting process eliminates one of the spaces. Or is it my 64 year old eyes?

[Villages PL]

I did not know this. (http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/two-spaces-after-period/)

Now that I do, I am still not changing the way I write. So there!

I have been using two spaces too. Now I think it may be time for a change. Okay, I just changed over to one space and it looks just fine. Hey, it works! From now on it will be one space. Think of all the energy I'll save.

[TheVillageChicken]

I have been using two spaces too. Now I think it may be time for a change. Okay, I just changed over to one space and it looks just fine. Hey, it works! From now on it will be one space. Think of all the energy I'll save.

Not to mention the space you'll save. I crack me up.

[DonH57]

I've been doing it wrong all these years using only one? Never heard it was two. Who started that?

[Hankg42]

I've been doing it wrong all these years using only one? Never heard it was two. Who started that?

For me, I'm guessing it was the nuns at Catholic school! :)

[Shimpy]

I've noticed for quite some time that my computer will remove one space when I go back and read it.

[redwitch]

I blame the court system. At first, briefs were limited to a certain page length. Once we legal secretaries learned how to manipulate a computer so that we could add our attorneys' extra five pages to fit the limited length, the courts went to word length. Well, a word was considered five characters regardless of length. Two spaces added several words and, thus, one space it was.

[bkcunningham1]

I blame the court system. At first, briefs were limited to a certain page length. Once we legal secretaries learned how to manipulate a computer so that we could add our attorneys' extra five pages to fit the limited length, the courts went to word length. Well, a word was considered five characters regardless of length. Two spaces added several words and, thus, one space it was.

Here's what the linked article states:...Here’s why: Back when we used typewriters, every character was given the exact same amount of space on the page. That meant the letter i was given the same amount of space as the letter m, even though it clearly didn’t need it. This is called monospaced typesetting and it’s, well, spacey. We needed that extra space between sentences to make it easier to see the beginning of new sentences.

Word processors and computers and everything that is not a very old typewriter use mostly proportionally spaced fonts, which adjust spacing to the size of the letter...

[Indydealmaker]

Why fix it if it isn't broken? Change for the sake of change. I asked a buddy of mine who was a pioneer in digital typesetting about this. He said he knows of no change.

[phillygirl]

If you took typing in high school we were always taught two spaces. Any professional letter you get will have two unless their not teaching that anymore. With email I guess lots of formalities have gone by wayside.

[Yung Dum]

nowadays their are no rules for punctuation or spelling just type whatever you feel like and let the reader try to figger out what your trying to say it don't matter to no one if it makes cents or not

[Carl in Tampa]

The lady who wrote the article did a follow up in the comment section where she acknowledged that the rule had changed back to two spaces.

"Well, here’s a new wrinkle: One of my facebook readers pointed out the although APA guidelines at one time reduced the required spacing after a period from two down to one, they returned it to two in 2009 in the 6th Edition (see section 4, first bullet)."

Perhaps she should have just removed her posting.

Now, here's how it works on computers. If you type something and leave ragged right margins, then spaces have the same value as letters. But, if you go up to the format line and select "justified margins" so the right edge is even, as in a book, then you get differences in the sizes of the spaces between words to make the right margin even. That option is not available on the TOTV format line.

By the way, no "rulemaker" is going to prevent me from doing two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.

:spoken:

[PattyCakes]

I blame the court system. At first, briefs were limited to a certain page length. Once we legal secretaries learned how to manipulate a computer so that we could add our attorneys' extra five pages to fit the limited length, the courts went to word length. Well, a word was considered five characters regardless of length. Two spaces added several words and, thus, one space it was.

I worked for attorneys as well, but I was taught the "two space rule" in high school typing. I didn't know it had changed either.

[asianthree]

Someone needs to inform my ipad

[billethkid]

wow this is an earth moving event that I somehow missed!:duck:

[shcisamax]

I will continue to use the two spaces. It actually makes it more readable, I think.

[TheVillageChicken]

I think the same committee that eight-sixed the second space also revoked Pluto's status as a planet.

[tomwed]

Forgive me for not reading the link. Did it mention indenting? Whenever I don't indent I think someone down here is taking 2 points off.
.....How's that Sister Jovita?

[CFrance]

The lady who wrote the article did a follow up in the comment section where she acknowledged that the rule had changed back to two spaces.

"Well, here’s a new wrinkle: One of my facebook readers pointed out the although APA guidelines at one time reduced the required spacing after a period from two down to one, they returned it to two in 2009 in the 6th Edition (see section 4, first bullet)."

Perhaps she should have just removed her posting.

Now, here's how it works on computers. If you type something and leave ragged right margins, then spaces have the same value as letters. But, if you go up to the format line and select "justified margins" so the right edge is even, as in a book, then you get differences in the sizes of the spaces between words to make the right margin even. That option is not available on the TOTV format line.

By the way, no "rulemaker" is going to prevent me from doing two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.

:spoken:
Thanks for the explanation, and it's nice to hear from you, Carl. Been missing you!

[kittygilchrist]

Thanks for the explanation, and it's nice to hear from you, Carl. Been missing you!

:agree:
More Carl makes my day better.

[Shimpy]

By the way, no "rulemaker" is going to prevent me from doing two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.
:spoken:


Me too Carl, but my computer won't let me.

[zcaveman]

You can put as many spaces as you want and then when you do spell check, MS Word will tell you that you have extra spaces. You can either let Word make it one space or leave it at two or more.

I do not think that many of the people that write memos, letters, documentation, etc. on their PC ever took any kind of typing class. I know that I did not. But in my years as a techie, I wrote a lot of procedures, memos, etc.. The only things that I cared about was the content, spelling and the punctuation.

Z

[blueash]

For me, I'm guessing it was the nuns at Catholic school! :)


no way. The nuns never talked about periods. space space

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html
Same subject longer explanation from 2011

[Pturner]

I love two spaces after the period. A period is a longer pause than a coma. So say what you will, two spaces at the end of a sentence flows like a good conversation. It's like leaving enough space for a full stop.




:posting:

[Bonanza]

I have been using two spaces too. Now I think it may be time for a change. Okay, I just changed over to one space and it looks just fine. Hey, it works! From now on it will be one space. Think of all the energy I'll save.

I was taught two spaces at the end of a sentence when I took a journalism course. I will not change. With only one space, regardless if it is proportional or monospace, it looks like a run-on sentence. When a sentence ends in a l or exclamation point and the next sentence begins with an I, you still don't know what the hell you're reading. Here's an example: -- That's all! I love it. -- Two spaces would definitely make it easier to read.

Now to the nitty-gritty . . .

You never realized it, but TOTV automatically changed your two spaces to one. Regardless of what you do, when you submit anything on TOTV, the site automatically uses one space only at the end of each sentence It really doesn't matter; TOTV has taken poetic license and have changed the two spaces to one!

[Bonanza]

You can put as many spaces as you want and then when you do spell check, MS Word will tell you that you have extra spaces. You can either let Word make it one space or leave it at two or more.

I do not think that many of the people that write memos, letters, documentation, etc. on their PC ever took any kind of typing class. I know that I did not. But in my years as a techie, I wrote a lot of procedures, memos, etc.. The only things that I cared about was the content, spelling and the punctuation.

Z

I wish everyone felt the way you do.
Can we add grammar to your list of things?

[Bonanza]

I've noticed for quite some time that my computer will remove one space when I go back and read it.

I think the change in your computer may have something to do with your settings.
I always use two spaces after each sentence.
My computer doesn't change that.

[CFrance]

I was taught two spaces at the end of a sentence when I took a journalism course. I will not change. With only one space, regardless if it is proportional or monospace, it looks like a run-on sentence. When a sentence ends in a l or exclamation point and the next sentence begins with an I, you still don't know what the hell you're reading. Here's an example: -- That's all! I love it. -- Two spaces would definitely make it easier to read.

Now to the nitty-gritty . . .

You never realized it, but TOTV automatically changed your two spaces to one. Regardless of what you do, when you submit anything on TOTV, the site automatically uses one space only at the end of each sentence It really doesn't matter; TOTV has taken poetic license and have changed the two spaces to one!

And what's more interesting is when I got the TOTV email alert that someone had posted further on this topic (you), the email (that always lists what the poster said) left the two spaces in between your sentences, except for your example sentences where you intentionally only left one space.

SO... who is in charge? How come the TOTV emails do it correctly but the postings do not? Are they using some third party for putting up the postings, who changes it to one space? Or is the third party sending the emails who leave it at two spaces?

I'm all for two spaces. And PARAGRAPHS, please, in very long posts. Breaking it up makes it so much easier to read.

[bkcunningham1]

I love two spaces after the period. A period is a longer pause than a coma. So say what you will, two spaces at the end of a sentence flows like a good conversation. It's like leaving enough space for a full stop.




:posting:

Look what the cat dragged in! Hello stranger.

[Topspinmo]

I blame the court system. At first, briefs were limited to a certain page length. Once we legal secretaries learned how to manipulate a computer so that we could add our attorneys' extra five pages to fit the limited length, the courts went to word length. Well, a word was considered five characters regardless of length. Two spaces added several words and, thus, one space it was.


I blame every thing on Lawyers:pepper2::shrug:

[Bonanza]

Here's what the linked article states:...Here’s why: Back when we used typewriters, every character was given the exact same amount of space on the page. That meant the letter i was given the same amount of space as the letter m, even though it clearly didn’t need it. This is called monospaced typesetting and it’s, well, spacey. We needed that extra space between sentences to make it easier to see the beginning of new sentences.

Word processors and computers and everything that is not a very old typewriter use mostly proportionally spaced fonts, which adjust spacing to the size of the letter...

The linked article was not correct. All typewriters were not monospaced and I was surprised the article didn't mention that. In the 60s, IBM manufactured a proportional typewriter which they called the IBM Executive. I believe they made a couple different model Executives, but I wouldn't swear to that. I had the opportunity to use that typewriter but didn't like it and went back to the Selectric, which I loved. I remember that the backspace on the Executive was also proportional which was necessary for correcting errors.

[blueash]

The lady who wrote the article did a follow up in the comment section where she acknowledged that the rule had changed back to two spaces.

"Well, here’s a new wrinkle: One of my facebook readers pointed out the although APA guidelines at one time reduced the required spacing after a period from two down to one, they returned it to two in 2009 in the 6th Edition (see section 4, first bullet)."

Perhaps she should have just removed her posting.

By the way, no "rulemaker" is going to prevent me from doing two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.



Well, I don't really care about one or two spaces. But it is a bit misleading perhaps to cite the American Psychological Association as an authority on punctuation. There are some accepted arbiters of grammar and the APA is not one of the major ones although their style is used in several social science journals. Most journals and newspapers have come to the opposite conclusion including the AP, JAMA, Wikipedia, NYTimes. And the Chicago Manual of Style is rather clear on its one not two choice. So I really don't think that "she should have just removed her posting."

So the lady in the article did not acknowledge that the rule had changed back to two spaces. She in fact correctly stated that the rule is one space but then acknowledged that one organization had gone back to two.