How many spaces after the period? One or two?

Danny Tse

I was driving to work and I heard this guy from Slate.com on NPR's "Fresh Air" going on and on about one space after the period is the correct way to separate sentences. Really? Maybe I am "old school" (I learned typing on a manual typewriter), but when did happened?

Slate.com article on why two spaces after the period is wrong

BlueFox

One space is grade school standard, but two spaces make the text much easier to read. Somebody is just being anal if they are worried about an extra space between sentences. Language, both written and spoken, evolves.

cnh

It is true that in the old days (prehistoric--I'm one of those) the guidelines WERE two spaces after a period. But since word processing with a PC the convention has become one space. Why? That's another story.

All typed manuscripts required two spaces...if you say one. Then you're a 'youngster'.

It's history and that means things change.

OK, I read the article. It IS correct that TYPESETTERS have always used ONE space. It is also true that in the 60s and 70s and even into the 80s before PCs took over. EVERYONE was taught to space TWICE after a period if they were using a Typewriter! You can find manuals from that time period that 'require' that.

As we moved to PCs and Electronic printers the spacing advantages in 'readability' were no longer relevant. Now we could simulate what the Type Setter saw when he set print. Hence the one space we 'all' use these days and that PUBLISHERS require!

cnh

falconcry72

I use one, but I don't give a crap if you use two. What I do hate, is when people use none:evil:.

Especially on audio forums.

falconcry72

Just shot in the dark here, but I'd imagine that the change in convention from 2 to 1 was do to the spacebar key on a computer creating a larger space than the space key on a typewriter. Maybe the amount of space put forth by the spacebar on a computer keyboard was intentionally made larger than that of a typewriter purely to save people the burden of hitting the space key twice.

Who knows. I'm not a typologist, for god's sake.

decal

Listening to " Fresh Air", talking about the number of spaces after a period, damn you guys must be bored as hell !!!! ( was that enough spaces before the exclamation marks?)

exalted512

Screw single-spacers. I added an extra sentence just to F with them.
-Cody

Joe08867

I have always used two spaces after a period. I even use two in text messages. It just look better.

falconcry72

badly gramar and nots good speling is way more distracting than is the not the right spaces are.

steveinaz

all your space are belong to us.

fatchowmein

Danny, I learned the two space after a period and colon back in typing class and IIRC the Mavis Typing was also 2 spaces back in the day. Never heard of one space.

nwohlford

This change was due to the monospaced fonts on a typewriter versus the proportionally spaced fonts we now use. With monospaced fonts the blank space within a sentence could be large since i took up as much space as a w, so two spaces was used to help the eye see the end of a sentence. With proportionally spaced fonts this is unnecessary, so one space is used.

Joe08867

I still prefer two. Than just one. When it comes to period spacing.

falconcry72

Joe08867 wrote: »

I still prefer two. Than just one. When it comes to period spacing.

Damn. One a month is too many for me...

Toolfan66

1.2..3...4....5.....6......7.......8........9.........10..........11...........12............13.............14..............15...............

My typing skills suck anyway so I really don't care how many spaces you use.

dorokusai

I'm in the two spaces camp. The one space crowd is totally lame and often send questionable emails to members.

cfrizz

It was two spaces when typing was done on a typewriter, I learned the same thing in HS. The correct way to do it now is one space after a period. I learned this in my keyboarding class this year. That's what it is called now Keyboarding/word processing not typing since you can do a lot more than typing on a computer.

rebuy

It's supposed to be two spaces .See how easy this is . There are always new things to learn at Polk .
As long as you have the correct punctuation what does it matter ? Of course as you read , you can always fill in with your own punctuation to get the real meaning of these thoughts

thesurfer

Personally, i like to add more commas,,,, and ????? than are far beyoned called for.....I get called out on it alot

Theheadsn

why are you listening to NPR? :eek:

Pycroft

FYI -
There is no standard. Different rules for different folks. Most of us grew up using the MLA handbook - which if I'm not mistaken asks for two spaces after a period. While in grad school I used the APA handbook which is used for psychiatrists, educators, etc. when they write. APA asks for 1 space after each period. For all you that are whining, here's what happened. I turned in my final thesis - 128 pages, and my advisor gave it back and said that there had to be one space after each period. I went back and took about 3 hours redoing every sentence for 128 pages so it only had one space. Now, I only use one space to keep myself from further trouble. It sounds silly, but if a publisher asks for something in particular, you'd better do it, or else you don't get published.

Also, there is a Chicago handbook, but I have no experience using it. I know it uses a good deal of footnotes, and that's not something that used in educational writing since most of what would be footnoted is included in the text.

James

Danny Tse

fatchowmein wrote: »

Danny, I learned the two space after a period and colon back in typing class and IIRC the Mavis Typing was also 2 spaces back in the day. Never heard of one space.

I've also never heard of one space after period until today. Or maybe I'm not observant enough since I just noticed this forum will adjust my 2 spaces after a period to 1 space.

cfrizz wrote: »

It was two spaces when typing was done on a typewriter, I learned the same thing in HS. The correct way to do it now is one space after a period. I learned this in my keyboarding class this year. That's what it is called now Keyboarding/word processing not typing since you can do a lot more than typing on a computer.

But what happens if the content will be reproduced as printed documents? As part of my job, I send out a lot documents....should I adjust the spacing to suit the "computer age"?

inspiredsports

. . . listening to NPR was the first clue. Use 2 spaces.

Danny Tse

I just had to do it....

I asked our office tech what was the "correct" method. She told me this is the first time she ever heard of "one space after the period". She then check one of her writing style reference books and, sure enough, "one space after the period" is actually preferred. However, 2 spaces after the period is also acceptable if one wants a more "pleasant appearance". She said she'll stick with 2 spaces after the period.

cdn5003

I always thought that it looked normal in word processing to use one space. Some of my college buddies used two every sentence to add length to their papers. They weren't too bright. I do notice when two spaces are used. It usually happens in a journal, research paper, or other academic literature.

Polkersince85

A little history on this subject. Back when they were carving stone tablets with chisels, the two space standard was advised to allow the carvers a brief moment of rest between sentences.

bernardo

It depends on where your written output will be published/used. It does not have anything to do with proper English and everything to do with typographic conventions IMO.

Good typesetting software can be configured to treat a space after a sentence ending period differently than the other spaces and typeset that space wider @ maybe 1.5 the width of a normal space since 2 might be too much unless its a typewriter.

Same does with space between baselines or leading, double spaced is a typewriter concept. In typesetting fonts a designed with a font size as well as the required leading.

fatchowmein

Danny Tse wrote: »

But what happens if the content will be reproduced as printed documents? As part of my job, I send out a lot documents....should I adjust the spacing to suit the "computer age"?

I forgot! During the Borders going out of business sale, they were practically giving away copies of The Chicago Manual of Style 16th Ed but no one wanted one except geeks like me but I haven't had a need for it so it sat collectin dust on my bookshelf. Anyhow...

2.9 MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION, EDITING, AND PROOFREADING
Word spacing - one space or two?
Like most publishers, Chicago advises leaving a single character space, not two spaces, between sentences and after colons used within a sentence [but see 14.121], and this recommendation applies to both the manuscript and the published work.

Hope that helps and thanks for giving me the opportunity to crack the book open for the first time!

mdaudioguy

falconcry72 wrote: »

I use one, but I don't give a crap if you use two. What I do hate, is when people use none:evil:.

Especially on audio forums.

So, should the smiley go before or after the period? What's APA say about that?

falconcry72

mdaudioguy wrote: »

So, should the smiley go before or after the period? What's APA say about that?

before. duh:razz:.

god, some people.:rolleyes:

falconcry72

[but see 14.121]

but what does 14.121 say!?!?!?!??!?!?!?