One or Two Spaces After A Period?

It’s still two you butthole licker. You have to be a millennial.

In typing class in my high school we were taught to put 2 spaces after a period. But that was when typewriters were still used and they used monospaced characters (all characters had the same width).

With the Advent of "desktop publishing" in the late 1980s and 1990s, the spacing of characters became much more sophisticated, and each typeface came with a width table. The software (Aldus PageMaker, etc.) could set the type in the manner of professional typesetting and the new generation of laser printers could reproduce it accurately, especially when Adobe's PostScript language became commonly used.

This made sentence endings look right even without the double spaces, so the double spaces became irrelevant, and that custom was discarded along with everyone throwing their old typewriters away.

Two just looks better. One makes everything look crowded.

Two just looks better. One makes everything look crowded.

Note the difference in the examples above

Two. And while we're on the subject (and we are), there are still 2 commas used in a list of 3 items. This is called the Oxford Comma, children. Lawsuits have been won and lost over the lack of that last comma before the "and" / "or.

You may now resume with your regular programming.

It’s two. The colon rule has changed to one space.

Two is no longer standard, since most word processing applications add the space automatically. I learned this from a millennial recently. You’ll have to change, I hope you’re going to be ok!

What does your colon have to do with twenty eight days between your periods ?

One unless using a manual typewriter as others have said. Two looks like you're "aged"

r3 they look the same, DL automatically removes extra spaces.

Over 50 years old = two spaces after a period. Under 50 years old = one space after a period.

This is an amazingly crafted thread, it will send some into a tailspin or nostalgia and mental illness. Waiting for the multi-paragraph replies!

Unless you're typing on a typewriter, two spaces after a period are unnecessary. Fonts are programmed to automatically adjust kerning. In other words, if you add an extra space after a period, you're revealing yourself as the dinosaur you are.

🙅[italic] Two Steps Forward.

One step back.

It's always 2 spaces after a period, unless you're some sort of uneducated oaf.

R7 fuck that was a good one. Still laughing

🙊 The vast majority of the #DataLoungeGrammarPolice are currently glued to their screens watching the Impeachment Hearings.

Two spaces after a period. Always. No Millennial exception.

I never heard of two spaces after a period. What the?

One, you old cunts. Two looks archaic and suggests dementia.

Paging The Evening Punctuationist!

I work for a Fortune 100 company. Our global branding guidelines includes a section on punctuation in written communications. For at least the past 20 years, it has been one space after a period.

One space after a period, duh. P.S. I'm 61.

Those of us who learned touch typing on a typewriter many eons ago are programmed to hit the space bar twice after a period. It's just automatic. It's hard to "un-learn" after so many years.

This thread will end in angry tears and much cyber-flouncing out the door.

I'm boycotting punctuation.

It's a waste of time and space.

R4

So is the “Oxford Comma” something like

“Dick ate bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast”.

And the non-Oxford Comma

“Jane ate spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for dinner”?

The ad for Biktarvy that is popping up says one space after a period. See, not everyone is stuck in the 19th century.

Give me a minute to check out the Sacred Tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, and we'll take it from there.

😴 Snooze Fest ?

..... Snoozefest ?

..... #SnoozeFest ?

Some software automatically converts double spaces to single. That includes the software that DL runs on. I put 2 spaces after each period when typing this reply. The software changed them to single spaces. Double spaces are no longer needed since kerning and width tables became commonly used. Just do a single space after a period.

Most online applications do not render double spaces. Unless you're writing your fanfic on a typewriter, double-spacing is no longer necessary.

For what it's worth, I'm an older millennial and I was always taught two spaces after a period in my typing and computer classes, starting in elementary school through high school.

It's worth nothing, R32.

I figured as much, R33.

r32, it means you were taught by out of touch geezers.

Ok Boomer

Speaking of which should "quid pro quo" always be italicized?

[quote] It's always 2 spaces after a period, unless you're some sort of uneducated oaf.

Oh the moronic irony in your statement. Two spaces are always used if you are typing with a traditional typewriter, or using a monospaced "font" on a computer, as they give all the characters equal spacing, making the distinction between sentences more difficult, which is why a double space is the standard in that context. In modern typesetting (using typefaces), different characters take up varying amounts of space and so they are set closer together, making the single space the standard, as delineating sentences is much easier.

I'm a graphic designer by profession, and if I ever submitted my resume and cover letter with two spaces after every sentence, any design dept. or ad agency, etc., with even minimal standards would regard my submission as unprofessional and most likely toss it in the trash.

In all of my typography and design courses, the one space rule was always emphasized. Even the major word processing style guides recommend using one period. The one vs. two space argument has been going on since the birth of desktop publishing, and the people who insist on two spaces, are wrong. Period.

r2 above has it. The two-space convention was based on the physical limitations of typewriters, traditional typesetting for printing, and kerning.

Continuing to use two-spaces now that the spacing between letters has changed is like insisting on using any outdated approach when technology works better.

Typewriters. Why not mention rotary phones as well?

I use two spaces, before or after my period.

[quote]Typewriters. Why not mention rotary phones as well?

You really are pretty uninformed - and unable to read since it's spelled out in previous responses - if you don't understand why and how typewriters are germane to a discussion about typesetting and spacing.

There is usually a reason for everything. Changing things as simple as spacing standards or as complicated as foreign policy requires an understanding of that reason in order to avoid problems.

R42, honey, I understand it, okay? It's just amusing to see references to typewriters at all. I was one of the first ones on this thread to say it's one space after a period. Calm down.

I have to admit, the two-space rule was beaten into me in grade school. I will probably never be able to unlearn that.

WHY DOES WORD PUT IN TWO SPACES? WHY DOES WORD SHOW IT AS AN ERROR WHEN THERE AREN'T TWO SPACES? MOST OF ALL OP WOULD IT HAVE KILLED YOU TO HAVE POSTED A PICTURE? WOULD IT? WOULD IT REALLY HAVE BEEN THAT BAD? WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING??? YOU INCONSIDERATE ASSHOLE!! NEXT TIME AT LEAST POST A PIC OR A LINK. YOU MIGHT EVEN TRY DOING A SEARCH BECAUSE IM SURE THERE’s ALREADY BEEN A GODDAMN THREAD ON THIS!!!!

AND I HATE EVERYONE ON THIS THREAD!!! EVERYONE!!

I’m hoping that everyone is going to treat themselves to a session with a psychiatrist.

r46 The feeling is mutual.

r26 Yes, that is the Oxford comma. Without the second comma, you are talking about two things: (1) spaghetti, and (2) bread that is made with salad and garlic.

Someone's off her meds again. R45 R46

R36...Ok, Brat!

😘 [italic] How can you not 💞 DataLounge ?

Do whatever you want. When you put two spaces, your reader assumes you're over 55, which isn't a terrible thing but know that that's what happens.

I want to hear more about the space in r5's colon.

[quote]WHY DOES WORD PUT IN TWO SPACES? WHY DOES WORD SHOW IT AS AN ERROR WHEN THERE AREN'T TWO SPACES?

Because you've set it that way?

And you may be interested to know that the default for Word is a single space, not double space, after a period. It is actually somewhat tedious to set it to do double spaces and NOT show a grammar error.

But, thank you for your OUTRAGE.

It is and always has been two spaces. Everywhere. I learned all this kind of stuff in the 2nd grade. I'm not boasting or trying to show off. I'm forever grateful I was educated during two decades when education, not metal detectors, took priority in public schools here in The Colonies.

I understood the arguments on both sides, that two spaces aided readability on typed pages while one space was easier to read in electronic messages. I was taught two spaces and kept it until a boss mandated single spaces (seriously, a boss instructed her staff to do this). I've gone back to two since being freed from her treacherous grip. Oh, and R4, bless you. Vive la virgule Oxford!

r56, and all the others insisting that the only correct way is two spaces, your way of thinking is why it is so hard for people under 40 to get hired. The rules have changed because the equipment has changed and you refuse to change your thinking. Digging your heels in on an issue like this shows that you are unwilling to adapt. What other outmoded styles are you clinging to?

I also learned two spaces after a period. I also learned that you address a business letter "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Sir or Madame" but long, long ago learned that neither of these salutations are acceptable anymore.

Cheryl does not have periods.

Look, R53 Cunt, I'm over 55 and I've always made it one space after a period.

Two spaces. And if you don't do it, my typing teacher, Miss Taylor will rap you across the knuckles with her yardstick.

r58 I'm a boomer. Why is "To Whom It May Concern" not acceptable? Also, we still use "Dear Sir or Madam" in my law firm (big law). I've seen "Dear Reader," but it seems to have gone away in recent years.

I use two spaces.

^^^And has a rotary phone.^^^

I’m not following this thread anymore. You people are going to send me back Payne Whitney.

F I D D L E S T I C K S !

It's now one space after a period. However, IMO, it's still easier to read something that has two spaces after a period, especially in long paragraphs. Also, there are periods within sentences (abbreviations, acronyms, etc.), so it's nice when a period (that ends a sentence) can have more space following it.

R62, not R58, but must admit, before my retirement, my former (much younger) boss had asked me to use certain "templates", rather than my own free-form old standards. I began to take notice of receiving general correspondence with "To Whom It Concerns", however nothing at all similar could be found amongst the recommended templates.

I'm British, my boss was Indian, and we were both doing business from the US with strictly European companies. I simply made other attributions for the changes, but am curious what most people attribute this to. I'm ready to acknowledge I'm obsolete, (sixties vintage here), but do like to keep up. Please advise R58.

I still use "To Whom It May Concern" if I'm sending important correspondence and don't know the name of the person in charge / responsible. My Microsoft Word software (2019 version) still does an auto-complete of "To Whom It May Concern." I've never heard of any changes.

"To whom it may concern" is not interchangeable with "Dear Sir/Madam" and should be used sparingly as it is most often used incorrectly.

"To Whom" implies that whatever is being noted in the correspondence is of concern to the recipient, rather than the sender as is more often the case.

[R58] my bad. When we type instead of speak sometimes just part of the whole idea or concept gets across. And you wrote something that goes exactly with what happened when I was typing my reply. I began corresponding online with a friend in Amsterdam in 2001. He would finish a sentence and leave a space between the final word and the period or what he used. "Was I frantic ?" I'd constantly ask him why he did this and have since found out it is done, or can be done that way. I use the system I was taught.

What I do have difficult with is functionally illiterate adults whose spelling and grammar is embarrassing. I hope this clears up my obviously flawed original reply.

Re: use of To Whom It May Concern: Back in the days before word processors, email and the internet, the only feasible option for addressing a letter to a company was by using the phrase "To Whom It May Concern." The phrase is an old and formal way of saying "for anyone reading this letter." It's generic, not personalized and doesn't appeal to most people. There are some instances where it will suffice, but generally there are better options.

One, if you are using a word processor. (Decided LONG ago....)

All right you filthy viper cunts. I have to eat my words. But at least I did a GODDAMN SEARCH!! Which is more than I can say for the rest of you. MLA requires ONE space after punctuation.

I may not be an expert on punctuation, but I certainly am an expert on [italic] PRIORITIES !

One meal or two between sunrise and sunset ?

One meal or two between Monday and Friday ?

Read.

R60, your reading comprehension skills suck. Go back and reread what I wrote. People will assume--maybe incorrectly.

One or two depends on the brand/communications guidelines you use for work.

For personal correspondence, use one … please. Using punctuation already dates you. Pretty soon, we will all be writing in lower case words, abbreviations and emojis.

MS -Word doesn't change one space to two automatically. Check your setting to see what spacing is set to and change it one space after a period.

I type with a pencil.

I type with a quill.

All you need is two spaces a day and a sensible dinner.

Fuck you Marie. The Normal.dot template of Word and the Normal Style are set to two periods you cunt. You have to manually modify it to one period you menstruating monster. I hate you, you old hag!!

[quote] Paging The Evening Punctuationist!

Thank you, dear. I got your page. I am skiing in Flumserberg with my assistant, Randolf; but this is important, so I will take a moment.

I have held off on commenting because anything that gets people interested in punctuation is obviously a good thing.

There is much controversy in the punctuation world as you might have also read up-thread. The reality of it is thus:

Oldsters use “two spaces” which is still acceptable in any typeset; however, I bow to modern ways and “one space” is the wave of the future and the preferred use on these computer things and similar devices.

Honestly, it's been a very very long time, but in my day, after my period, I needed a lot of space.

I work in publishing. Have for my whole life.

No question: One space after a period. Two spaces and you're clearly someone over 50 who took a typing course back in 1974.

It’s been a long post and I feel at this time it would just better if I left the Datalounge. This decision has been difficult to come to but I don’t need this stress anymore. So I’m formally leaving the Datalounge because of this horrible thread and all the awful people on it. I hope you all get shingles.

TWO spaces, motherfuckers. Allow your copy to breathe and have life. One space junks up the message.

Two spaces, even in a text.

You two-spacers are too spacey, stop abusing the young'uns. Two spaces is just wrong today.

R37

Generally not. Italics are mostly reserved for foreign words/expressions that haven't entered common usage in English. I'd say quid pro quo is pretty commonly understood among English speakers.

I say this as someone who worked as a proofreader for over a decade.

[quote]TWO spaces, motherfuckers. Allow your copy to breathe and have life. One space junks up the message.

Coming from someone who only used ONE space after his period.

Clearly, generic letters should be addressed to "Yo, asshole".

R29

Not exactly. You'd need an additional "and" to make that the case. If it's "Jane ate spaghetti, salad and garlic bread" what's that random comma doing there after "spaghetti"? If you want to say she's eating "salad and garlic bread", you'd need something like this: “Jane ate spaghetti and salad and garlic bread for dinner”

It would be even more clear it's "salad-and-garlic bread" if it's hyphenated like I did here.

Most examples of the utility of the Oxford comma are actually faulty parallelism. In those cases the Oxford comma clarifies confusion to the reader (but not to anyone who hears the sentence spoken out loud), but doesn't make the sentence correct.

If you say "I like cooking, my family, and my dog" out loud, it sounds like you're a monster regardless of any use of the Oxford comma. Using correct parallelism clarifies things: "I like cooking and spending time with my family and my dog."

I'm an Oxford comma stan because it clarifies when a statement is not an appositive: "I'd like to thank my parents, Gandhi and God" is hilarious, but probably inaccurate. The Oxford comma fixes it: "I'd like to thank my parents, Gandhi, and God." Although, if you say it out loud, it still would make you sound delusional, so it would be better to rework it to avoid confusion: "I'd like to thank God, Gandhi, and my parents." That's the change I would make if I were proofing a speech someone was planning on making.

Two spaces if you're nasty!

[quote]Coming from someone who only used ONE space after his period.

R92. I always use two spaces after a period; however, DL auto adjusts when posting the response and always makes it one space. But DL is wrong!

DL is not wrong, in this case, it's you.

Girls! Girls! Stop it! You’re all annoying!

Either one is acceptable these days.

I learned to type on a typewriter like this, so it's always been two spaces for me.

[quote]Fuck you Marie. The Normal.dot template of Word and the Normal Style are set to two periods you cunt. You have to manually modify it to one period you menstruating monster. I hate you, you old hag!!

You may or may not be working on the Normal.dot template. What I said is still applicable.

[italic]you menstruating monster. I hate you, you old hag!! [/italic]

r83 Please get help. Punctuation usually does not illicit such a strong reaction. Were you abused by someone obsessed with grammar, someone who perhaps used antiquated punctuation, someone who wrote in copperplate?

R99 I bet you're not using that typewriter now, so you need to fix the habit.

Fuck, I'm really fucking old now. Semi-retired education consultant/administrator. I had no fucking idea that one space was the preferred style... MLA style sheets etc. Just got on DL about a year ago and now I understand how I am easing into senescence. Thank you fucking much for documenting my slide into the fucking grave.

What next? They're and their are the same because they sound a like, right? It's and its... oh fucking forget it.

R101, You're not the boss of me!

^^ R102 alike. I also read recently that millennials are driven to anxiety attacks because perceiving boomers' use of ellipses (in texts and emails) seems so discounting and passive-aggressive. They read it as "whatev'" …

So ….

r104 - yeah millennials hate ellipses, in particular the response

ok.....

Please you 👍🏻 when indicating you are okay with something. The OK emoji (👌) can be a white supremacist symbol. The victory sign (✌️) also means peace is an all-purpose acknowledgement.

[quote][R92]. I always use two spaces after a period; however, DL auto adjusts when posting the response and always makes it one space. But DL is wrong!

Hmmm. I wonder if that's really true. We should probably test that. If it really does do auto-correct, then I would, of course, apologize.

^^^ He's not lying. DL does remove the extraneous space as I had inserted them consistently.

Apologies for mocking the post.

You are, of course, still wrong about inserting the extra space.

Two spaces. Always. It's quite the struggle when working with a character-limited field, though - especially Twitter. People argue that it is outdated and used only because of typewriters v. word processors, but I was tought (and believe!) the purpose is to distinguish between the spacing of just words (1) and full thoughts (sentences, 2).

Also, yes to the Oxford comma. Also, Chicago style in-text citations - at the footer of a paper - is the best format. APA SUCKS AND LOOKS HIDEOUS. Finally, effect CAN be a fucking VERB and I use it that way often.

One thing I no longer do is use tab when beginning paragraphs. Two spaces is ingrained within me, but that tab rule no longer is. I think since word processing/electronic correspondence doesn't require saving paper you can space out the paragraphs enough where the indentation is no longer necessary.

One, you tired old twats. One. You never see two anywhere.

This is all fine. But you can't tell me the space after that period there in my first sentence is larger than the space before "fine" or the one after "But."

[quote]What`s the rule here on DL?

Now, how (why?) did OP do that with the apostrophe?

R9 I think DL does it because that's what html automatically does.

And I think you can add the two spaces at DL by typing in the html code for such spacing, which actually uses the old typesetting spacing "en" and/or "em."

Using R3's sentences:

Two just looks better. One makes everything look crowded.

Two just looks better.   One makes everything look crowded.

Note the difference in the examples above?

Look at any reputable newspaper, book or website: one space.

I can't believe we're arguing about this, but it's fun, and classic DataLounge.

Yes, R111, I see the difference. Once space looks better. Two spaces is too much. In a paragraph, you would get "rivers" of space as wide as the Mississippi running through your text.

Does anyone really have trouble figuring out that a new sentence has started when there's only one space? Isn't the period followed by one space and a capital letter enough?

I learned the two-space method on a typewriter a long, long time ago. When PC's with word processing programs (WordStar first, then WordPerfect, which seemed like the most spectacular thing ever, at the time) arrived in early '80s, I switched to one space because ... well, I don't remember why now. But one-space is now standard everywhere, to the point that two-space, in modern typefaces, looks like too much.

Always two spaces. It is much easier to read, which it was the convention to being with. Typing was a required at my all girls Catholic HS and I am ever so grateful it was. I heard bad stories of people w/o training having a bad adjustment to anything requiring a keyboard. I'm 55 so it's likely a generational thing, like kids aren't taught cursive or penmanship in grade school anymore. I guess they just pick up typing over the years or become really efficient at using their thumbs on phones?

Thank you, R114 and all the other folks who associate two-spacing with being old. I'm a one-spacer. I feel old most of the time (I'm 62, so I actually am old), but for a few brief moments, this thread has made me feel young.

I wonder if one-spacing is linked to the age at which one switched from typewriter to computer. I was an early adopter; no typewriters for me (except envelopes) since I was 26 or so. Could that make a difference?

^ which IS WHY it was the convention to being with

Not reading all 114 responses but clearly DLEGs are going to say two spaces because #ItsAlways1982OnDL but R86 nails it

[quote]I wonder if one-spacing is linked to the age at which one switched from typewriter to computer.

I switched from an IBM Selectric (work) and a Corona (I think) manual for school in '88, so I was 24. I was a later adopter than you. I don't think that's a factor, though. It's just the training. If you do something for an entire semester and then realize, decades later, that it might not be the current convention is very weird. Regardless, I think it's visually easier to follow the flow of text with a distinction between the use of commas and periods.

What R86 said really intrigues me. He must really be a young 'un if he's been in publishing "his whole life." My understanding is that the convention switched over in the advent of word processing (back in '82 and '83 the law firm I worked for transitioned to computers, but only the legal secretaries had them. I was a Girl Friday, so Selectric for me.)

So why did it go from two spaces to one?

[quote] So why did it go from two spaces to one?

I've been trying to remember that, R118. I sort of have a vague recollection that in some early WP programs, using two spaces after a period did something bad. Either it messed up the spacing of the paragraph or it did something to commands. In those days, there was no WYSIWYG (ha! initials from the past!). Your screen showed the codes, which you turned on and turned off by typing a command - usually shift, control or alt + a function key. Thus, you couldn't see exactly what your document would look like until you printed it.

I [italic]think[/italic] putting in two spaces after a period could result in funky formatting, like a space at the start of a paragraph, or something like that.

We should all be used to that problem - the DL software is also not WYSIWYG, as the many screwed-up lists you see on the site demonstrate.

I was never taught two spaces after a period. It looks ridiculous to me.

^^Forgot to add: I distinctly remember having to train myself to stop using two spaces after a period. This would have been around 1983-84, on a PC, using WordPerfect. I just don't remember why.

I learned to type on a manual typewriter back in the 60s. And it was touch-typing, where you ordinarily don't look at the keyboard. So it's something that's been pretty much hard-wired in me for a long time. I never said that I preferred one way or another. But there are sometimes good reasons for those of us who never even used an electric typewriter, much less a word processor, until our habits had already been set.

This one is probably apocryphal since back then (and even now) some of us were total noobs in word processing, coding, etc. One "explanation" I've heard is that adding the extra space between sentences ate up too much memory, so documents were kept shorter by removing the period. I know, it sounds sketchy, but I recall hearing it. I didn't know whether to believe it or not because I had no basis to understand it.

This article explains why two spaces started, and why it's no longer required.

It’s two you little brats. Now get off my lawn.

I skip the punctuation altogether. It's hard enough drawing those crude pictures on the walls of my cave.

Spelling doesn't matter either, as long as the reader knows what you mean, it's all good bro!

A bit off topic, but I had the choice between jerking off to gay porn or reading this thread. I choose this thread and I don't regret my decision. Congrats, guys.

And when it comes to the Oxford comma this never gets old.

My apologies. I CHOSE this thread ...

What is going on in OP's pic? No capital letters after the period? WTF?

If you use any up to date MS Word or Grammarly application, it'll show a tinted underscore -where you leave two spaces- for what it is: a mistake.

R130 I'm more concerned with OP trying to use the grave accent [`] where there should be an apostrophe [']. WTF?

R131 Doesn't Word still allow one to just go in and simply change the default one space to "two spaces after a sentence" under the settings for punctuation conventions?

Yes, you regress MS Word settings to be wrong.

I'm not worthy.

R86 It's apparent your "whole life" is under thirty years.

LETSBEGLADWEDONOTLIVEINCLASSICALTIMESWHERETHEYDIDNOTUSESPACESORPERIODSBETWEENWORDSORSENTENCESANDTHEYHADONLYCAPITALLETTERS

^^ There were no spaces in my post. DL did that.

Two live as one, one live as two, under the bamboo tree.

di-dah-di-dah-di-dah

ONE.

Two looks and is old fashioned.

There you have it.

It's one space, unless you're a pearl clutching prisspot.

I guess we two-spacers have lost the Space Race.

I have no issue with one space after a period. After all, you have the capital letter that follows as another indication that a new sentence is beginning. But I actually prefer the old-timey convention of two spaces after a colon, as a kind of stop or pause before what's to follow. And I think two spaces actually goes along with the idea that the writer is setting something apart or emphasizing what's coming up.

[italic] I before E

Except after C

Or when sounded as A

In neighbor & way

These days it should be considered a blessing to receive a letter that doesn't begin with "Whazzup?"

I'm over 40 and two spaces looks wrong to me so fuck off with this ageist shit already. It's getting old.

The only thing that should come after a period is a tampon, paid for by the state.

What R148. I said it as well. Assholes.

This is why we need a Spaceforce.

R146 Sounds like something ancIEent or wEIrd or quite forEIgn, but definitely not an exact scIEnce.

I need spaces for my Morse code. Just messing with you young whippersnappers.

R146 it is weigh not way.

Try sending smoke signals on a windy day.

😱 No Weigh, R254 !

di-dah-di-dah-di-dah

Works for me.

Two spaces. Even when I'm texting, it will only automatically enter in a period for me at the end of a sentence without me having to type it if I use two spaces.

And also another vote for the Oxford comma.

It's two spaces. I'm not about to take lessons on spacing from people who don't even know how to write cursive.

R159 Amen, sister

TWO spaces allow your copy to breathe life so you can read the fucking thing without getting bogged down in a pile of shit.

I'm in my mid 40s. Was taught the two spaces in school all the way through college. That changed in the mid to late 1990s. When it changed, I just started using a single space. It really doesn't take much effort to change. When I see people at work type with two spaces, I laugh...especially at the ones my age or younger. They seem quaint.

[quote]Two just looks better. One makes everything look crowded.

[quote]Two just looks better. One makes everything look crowded.

[quote]Note the difference in the examples above

R3's examples look identical because DL corrects multiple spaces down to one.

R163, that has been pointed out about a hundred times so far in this thread. I mean, really, all you had to do was read the first ten posts. And, you even went to all that trouble to quote everything properly. Did you really think that 100+ other posters had no idea what was going on? Hubris.

Of all the things you were taught in school, THIS is the rule you choose to follow? It’s one space now. It’s been one space for at least 30 years. Look at published works. Look at online articles. It isn’t just DL that automatically converts two spaces to one. It’s the norm. Welcome to the late 20th century.

It's not just the last 30 years, kids. Any published text that used proportionally-spaced fonts or typefaces inserted one space after a period. Look at any book or magazine from the 1950s, 1960s, etc., even back in the 19th century.

I love how the MLA style sheet handles the question:

[quote] Leave one space after a period or other concluding punctuation mark, unless your (ancient dinosaur) instructor (who learned to type on a manual Royal DeLuxe typewriter from the 1940's when he was a gayling still can't get over it and) prefers two spaces. Whichever spacing you choose, be sure to use it consistently throughout your paper. See the MLA's formatting guidelines for more information. Jul 27, 2016

Queens who insist on two spaces as correct, but still can't parse its from it's or to from too:

S--a--d--z

"I'm not about to take lessons on spacing from people who don't even know how to write cursive."

R159, I've known how to write cursive since I was in the third grade. And it's one space.

Since the MLA at R167 doesn't seem to know how to make "1940" into plural (HINT: no apostrophe!), I would have doubts about following any of their other guidelines. .

Yes, apostrophe abuse is much worse than double-spacing. I'm not being sarcastic!

While we´re at it, if s sentence ends with a word or phrase in quotation marks, does the period go inside or after the closing quotation mark?

Example:

He said my remark was "ageist".

or

He said my remark was "ageist."

r172 Depends on which side of the Atlantic you're on.

For most printed material, the period goes inside the quotation mark.

It might depend if you're British or American.

[quote] He said my remark was "ageist".

[quote] or

[quote] He said my remark was "ageist."

American here. If it's at the end of a sentence, the period goes inside the quotation marks. So, the second example would be correct.

R176, I'm American, too, but our rule is less sensible than the British rule. The period goes inside the quotation marks if it belongs to the quote. If it doesn't, it goes outside. In this example, "he said my remark was 'ageist'. " is most sensible. That's the rule I follow and wish Americans would adopt. It does require more thinking, which may be the reason it has not caught on here , but it's a more logical system.

Is the dress blue or gold?

One tap of the space bar.

If you are having a period, I would prefer two spaces between us, not one.

This guy must be a DLer.

Always two for me. See?

You can type 60, 100, or 160 WPM. It's one space after a period.

[quote]While we´re at it

Wait, is OP back or there another DL citizen who goes to an awful lot of trouble to type an apostrophe?

Two spaces, motherfuckers. Allow your copy to breathe! It looks so much better and readable.

One space makes everything look so cumbersome, heavy and uninviting.

Two spaces, Great.

R185, I suggest from now on, you put two spaces between all words and three spaces between sentences. Think of all the breathing the words could do with all that space. If you're going to be a troglodyte, at least be original.

It's one space. If you use two, you will be judged as old. I can even affect your ability to get a job because if you haven't kept up on that, you probably haven't kept up on a lot of other stuff, either, and no one wants to hire an old person who is unwilling to adapt to the modern world.

R187 You don't seem to realize. Being perceived as old, or even actually being old is not a crime. Now is it an insult. Now, fuck off, Greta.

R188, was the type on the 'posted by' line of my post too small for you to read? Also, grammar is your friend. You might want to look into a book on the topic.

At 45, I consider myself getting close to being considered an "old person" (especially since, generationally, there are so many young people) but I'm not one that refuses to adapt. Grow up, Gramps, because even people your own age are going to think you're old if you refuse to change or adapt to any changes in society as a whole.

^ Like spaces are so fucking important.

R190, the refusal to change when the rest of society has already done so is indicative of other issues.

And, you aren't even using the "Greta" insult correctly. I've already said I'm 45 years old. Did you not understand its context when explained above?

Perhaps we should just go back to the occasional interpunct.

[quote]At 45, I consider myself getting close to being considered an "old person"

Oh, honey.

I'm 61. One space after a period is fine. Also, period goes "inside the quotation marks." It's not rocket science. It's just proper spacing of type.

R187 nails it.

[quote] Over 50 years old = two spaces after a period. Under 50 years old = one space after a period.

I'm 54 and use one space, as everyone should unless using a typewriter.

Oh, and I know how to write in cursive, but understand why teaching cursive is unnecessary today.

R196, I had an argument with someone a little younger than I (age 54; he's in his 40s) about cursive writing not worth teaching because don't need it. I very much disagree--why wouldn't it be taught? No one physically writes anything anymore? Is all communication via computer, laptop and phone? I don't buy that.

*because kids don't need it.

R197, how do people who never learn cursive sign their names? Even in the modern world, a real signature (or e-version of same) is required on a lot of very official documents.

Kind of funny how the people who are so adamant about (still) using two spaces aren't actually doing it in their posts here at DL.

As was shown in R111, you simply type or paste the code in to do it.

Also, isn't cursive writing becoming an elective in some schools? That's probably a good way to go with that course of study. And really, after one has been shown the basics, it's pretty simple to continue learning it with practice workbooks and videos. I remember several years ago the PBS station where I live used to have this TV show in the morning that taught it. The lessons on capital "Q" and "Z" brought me back to my childhood .. lol!

[quote]how do people who never learn cursive sign their names?

They just make a squiggly line. Hardly anyone has a legible signature anymore.

[quote]r200 Also, isn't cursive writing becoming an elective in some schools?

Yes.

Come mourn with us.

[quote]r113 I see the difference. One space looks better. Two spaces is too much. In a paragraph, you would get "rivers" of space as wide as the Mississippi running through your text.

Two spaces looks drunken, like the sentences are lurching.

Although if I'm proofing something, I will often put two spaces before a sentence that begins with an I. That [italic]can[/italic] look crowded, as that particular letter is so narrow.

[quote]The lessons on capital "Q" and "Z" brought me back to my childhood .. lol!

In second grade I decided the cursive Q was just ridiculous and made up my own that was much more aesthetically pleasing and true to the spirit of the letter.

Like hotmail and AOL, two spaces make you look like an old fart.

Can people who never learned cursive still read cursive writing? Reading archival sources or old memoirs or something like that? I had to do a project once that required that I read old township records which were obviously written in cursive since all adults wrote that way back then. I would think it might be difficult to read something that you've never been taught and rarely see in everyday life.

even if untrained, if you were older you might make out the jist of cursive samples from the 20th Century. I don’t think a child could.

More antique cursive writing would be a headache because it can be very embellished. Plus the line spacing would perhaps be narrower, the paper discolored, etc. It could get terrifying very fast.

Any literate adult English-speaker can read the Declaration of Independence in its original form, but a child who hasn't been taught cursive won't be able to read a letter his mother wrote 20 years ago. That doesn't seem like a step forward.

We need a cursive reader App that turns cursive into printed text.

r3, the difference isn't even noticeable. Use one or you date yourself as an elder.

[quote] [R197], how do people who never learn cursive sign their names?

You can learn to chicken-scratch a signature without spending time on a whole course in cursive writing. I agree with the poster who said that cursive should be an elective class for those who want to learn it. Or, y'know, just go on youtube and take one of the dozens of tutorials available there. It's not difficult to learn cursive outside of school if you really want or need to, and cursive isn't useful enough to enough people to waste time teaching it in school.

As for reading a letter your mother wrote 20 years ago, she probably sent an email. And if she did handwrite a letter, modern cursive looks similar enough to the print alphabet that I don't think most people would have trouble reading it. Also, quit invading your mother's privacy.

R111. Two spaces! I can’t change an html code. Don’t be ridiculous.

I even use spaces after a period in my text messages. It’s a habit, and I like it. It looks better.

I'm old enough, learned cursive, but I haven't used it for 30 years. I sign my name (beautiful signature), but when I write things, it's ALL CAP LETTERS. For post-its, etc. Otherwise, I don't write anything, just type.

*Two spaces

This sentence has one space after the period. Only one space.

This sentence has two space after the period. Two spaces.

Do as you please, but it's two spaces after for me. But then I use [italic]week-end[/italic] and a few other variants and semi-archaic uses. The MLA is not my guide, though it may be yours.

Two spaces. Always and forever.

R86 for the win. I worked in magazine publishing for ten years. One space is standard in magazine and newspaper articles. And that's what I want everything I type to like like.

And here's how to make an 'em' dash, as in "The brief mention wasn't exactly scandalous—columnists hinted at pregnancy constantly—but MGM's stance was firm: Garland could not have a baby."

On a mac, it's option, shift, hyphen key.

When girls have their period, 5 or 6 spaces is better, Josef. Christ, the smell of girls on their periods.

TWO. Only.

Two spaces.

Two. And another insistent vote for the Oxford Comma.