Poll: One space or two

[gardenmom5]

I do two (In elementary school, I was taught "two fingers" after a period - and it has stuck.)

 

drives my grammar cop daughter absolutely nuts.

[AngieW in Texas]

I automatically put in two, but I'm trying to do just one.

[Lilymax]

I'm 42 and was taught to use 2 spaces in high school and college. When I started writing for my local paper a few years ago, I was quickly informed that one space was the new rule.

[MissKNG]

Two - that was what I was taught in school.

[ednkirstin]

Wow! I guess I needed this thread. I've always used two, since that's what I learned in typing class. Guess I have to change what I've been telling my kids...lol. I hate getting older. :)

[chicagoshannon]

I was taught 2 in school. This was in 1995 (took typing my senior year).

[Melinda in VT]

ONEONEONEONEONE.

 

One.

 

If you send anything into an editor with two spaces, they will wring your neck. Not to mention Word redlines it. Not that word counts for anything...:glare:

 

:iagree:

 

I don't know of anyone writing or editing professionally who uses two.

[Mosaicmind]

Ugh, this is one of my biggest pet peeves as an editor. One space. One. What do you read nowadays that includes two spaces after periods? Newspapers? Books of any kind? Online communications? Magazines--even scholarly ones?

 

This is an old rule that dates back to typesetting days and should have gone by the wayside loooong ago. It is no longer necessary and instead causes the majority of readers to stumble and pause unnecessarily after every sentence.

 

PET. PEEVE. Regardless of what the APA style dictates (sorry MM :tongue_smilie:)!

 

Unfortunately, I think it depends on the profession your are editing for and who it is. I have been sent back papers marked incorrect if I only used one space and alot of scholarly peer reviewed articles still use two. I personally believe it should still be two. I see it as a run-on sentence when someone uses only one; it is confusing to me.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I can't break the habit. I still use two. But I've never had any word processing programs try to correct this usage.

[ChiMomNP]

If it is a journal article/research paper submitted to my university I use 2 spaces. That is correct APA format in the current 6th edition and papers must be in *perfect* APA format before submission. When I'm doing email or on forums and so forth, I just use 1.

[HistoryMom]

One space is the generally accepted way on a computer. I took a typing class with a typewriter too. But, I adapted and overcame.

 

This. :)

 

I think the difference is that computers deal with spacing differently thank typewriters do. They adjust it based on the previous character, which typewriters can't do.

[Parrothead]

I can't break the habit. I still use two. But I've never had any word processing programs try to correct this usage.

:iagree: Me too. I've never noticed the auto change, but I've always noticed what I'm reading just does not look quite right when one space is used.

[melissel]

I personally believe it should still be two. I see it as a run-on sentence when someone uses only one; it is confusing to me.

 

:iagree: Me too. I've never noticed the auto change, but I've always noticed what I'm reading just does not look quite right when one space is used.

 

In all the books/newspapers/magazines/online articles/forum posts you read, you read all the sentences as run-on or awkward? Still? I'm not being snarky (or sarcastic!), I'm truly asking. That must make reading very uncomfortable on a daily basis, no? Or have you gotten used to it in some contexts but not in others?

[Word Nerd]

In all the books/newspapers/magazines/online articles/forum posts you read, you read all the sentences as run-on or awkward? Still? I'm not being snarky (or sarcastic!), I'm truly asking. That must make reading very uncomfortable on a daily basis, no? Or have you gotten used to it in some contexts but not in others?

 

I was wondering the same thing. Pick up any printed material, and you'll see a single space used, not two. I understand that most people stick with the way they were taught when typing something that isn't intended for publication, but not the claims that one space makes things hard to read. That isn't a new development; it has been the standard in published materials for years.

[twoforjoy]

I use two, out of habit. You are only supposed to use one when using a computer, though. But, since everything corrects that now, I'm not going to worry about changing it.

[Sandsam]

What I learned was it was 2 spaces with a typewriter; 1 space on a (ahem) word processor. I do one space.

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

I love style guide nerds... seriously... :001_smile:

 

The medical transcription Book of Style doesn't have a preference. (At least in version 2, which is what my account uses.) It leaves that as something that is account-specific.

[wapiti]

I really think it depends on your audience. Obviously, in some situations you have to follow the specific style requirements. Generally, however, for documents that have double-spaced lines, two spaces after a period makes more sense to me.

 

Though it's been awhile since I was practicing, two spaces after a period are the standard in the legal profession (as are double-spaced lines). (DH informs me that, as far as he knows, that is still the case.) The old judges need it to see, LOL, and the aim is to please them. Generally, I do find the single-space after periods harder to read. If I'm in editing mode (as opposed to reading), I can identify one or two spaces after a period in most proportional-spaced fonts from a mile away.

 

It drives me nuts that my second space after periods disappears when I post.

 

Thinking out loud, I wonder if this is a visual-spatial thing. I tend not to read sequentially, but in chunks. I am lazy, and I read fast - I read parts of paragraphs at once (one eye on this sentence up here, another on this sentence down there; but then, I probably needed VT, LOL). It's much easier for me to do that when I see the separation of the sentence at a glance. To really see the periods, with my pathetic eyesight as I get older, I need to read sequentially and it irks me. It takes a lot more focus and energy.

Edited August 14, 2011 by wapiti

[bbkaren]

Shows what I know. I always thought two spaces went between sentences, while one space between words. Like this. And this. And this. It never occurred to me that it would be any different. I guess I never noticed that people did it the other way. I'm so observant. :lol:

 

That's true, you're right!

 

But I believe that on the computer, I'm not sure if it's because of proportional spacing in word processing/e-writing or if it's just quicker to do it this way, but I was in college in the 80's as well. We learned on the typewriter, it's two spaces...in WP it's one.

 

Not certain why exactly.

[TrixieB]

I was taught two, but once computers started changing them to single spaces automatically, I stopped.

What? You mean my computer is overriding my 9th grade typing habit? And it hasn't told me? And I never noticed?

 

I type two spaces. Computer changes spaces to one.

 

:boxing_smiley:

[swellmomma]

Shows what I know. I always thought two spaces went between sentences, while one space between words. Like this. And this. And this. It never occurred to me that it would be any different. I guess I never noticed that people did it the other way. I'm so observant. :lol:

 

 

Don't worry you are not alone. When I learned typing in school, and when I took medical transcriptionist in college we were always told 2 spaces after a sentence, 1 after a word. So that is why I have always done so.

[beaners]

 

Thinking out loud, I wonder if this is a visual-spatial thing. I tend not to read sequentially, but in chunks. I am lazy, and I read fast - I read parts of paragraphs at once (one eye on this sentence up here, another on this sentence down there; but then, I probably needed VT, LOL). It's much easier for me to do that when I see the separation of the sentence at a glance. To really see the periods, with my pathetic eyesight as I get older, I need to read sequentially and it irks me. It takes a lot more focus and energy.

 

I do this too! I pick out the main words and then sort of construct the rest of the sentence around it. I greatly prefer to read with two spaces after the period. I can read quickly word by word, but I feel like I'm speeding through instead of reading comfortably.

[Robin M]

Two. Old habits die hard and it's totally ingrained after 30 years. However I'm going to have to change when start submitting writing for publishing. Guess I'll let the computer do it for me when I'm done. Find and replace is a wonderful thing. :)

[eaglei]

This is an old rule that dates back to typesetting days and should have gone by the wayside loooong ago. It is no longer necessary and instead causes the majority of readers to stumble and pause unnecessarily after every sentence.

 

I am definitely in the minority! While the one space doesn't cause me to stumble in my reading, it does nonetheless make the text [to me] look all jumbled together, messy, and as if the writer was sloppy in style and uncaring about the appearance of the text and its' readability ease on one's eyes. Jmho and not meant to be snarky . . .

 

Btw, I used to do some typing and press releases for smaller newspapers; the rule was always two spaces.

 

As for me, I'll continue with two spaces! :)

[Evergreen State Sue]

Didn't we have a post like this before? I use two spaces because that was the way I was taught on a manual typewriter!

[DaffodilDreams]

Two.

[KarenB]

Two spaces when typing on a computer. One space when texting (and cringe while doing so, as I learned the two spaces after a period rule) only because it eats up a space on the number of characters you can post in one text.

 

Karen

[Soror]

Two, that is what I was taught!

[Mosaicmind]

In all the books/newspapers/magazines/online articles/forum posts you read, you read all the sentences as run-on or awkward? Still? I'm not being snarky (or sarcastic!), I'm truly asking. That must make reading very uncomfortable on a daily basis, no? Or have you gotten used to it in some contexts but not in others?

 

Not ALL of these modes of reading material use one space after a period. That's what I am trying to say is that it really matters what you are reading, whether it be a psychological scholarly journal article or a newspaper. Not all magazines or online forums do either. So, yes when I am reading a post that has one space after a period it's as if the sentence just never ends. My computer, word doc, ect... does not automatically correct for this either.

 

Honestly, if I see it in a post or something like that I will usually skip reading it because it is just too frustrating. This is exactly what several of my professors have said in writing for research, also.

 

I think that for those of us that have always used two spaces that will never change. It is just a personal preference and makes it easier for me to read personally.

[LauraQ]

When you type an electronic document of any kind, do you put one space or two after a period?

 

I voted one BUT I absolutely hate it. I am a firm believer in the need for two spaces after each period, period. However, I also did web dev for years, and html eliminates extra spaces unless you add them in manually with special characters, so online style guides started eliminating the second space. Eventually, I have learned to not bother with the extra space online (such as on these forums) and in text messages & other places where characters are generally limited and spaces count. I still feel strongly that we should require double spaces for any documents meant to be printed, such as children's school papers or letters. Unfortunately, Word doesn't automatically mark single spaces after periods as errors!

[LauraQ]

Shows what I know. I always thought two spaces went between sentences, while one space between words. Like this. And this. And this. It never occurred to me that it would be any different. I guess I never noticed that people did it the other way. I'm so observant. :lol:

 

When I quote your message your double spaces are back in the input box, but if you look at your message above, you will see that your browser renders your text with only single spaces after your periods, even though you typed two spaces!

[LauraQ]

GASP! This message board automatically changed my two spaces into ONE! Check it for yourself! :001_huh:

 

I feel so violated! :glare:

 

Oh dearie, it's not the message board, it's HTML, the language of all the browsers you use to see things on the internet (Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.). That's why all the bloggers you read look like ignoramuses for using only one space after their periods. They may not be, but that's how the browsers render them!

[Perry]

Honestly, if I see it in a post or something like that I will usually skip reading it because it is just too frustrating.

 

But you know that on this forum, there is only one space between sentences, right? Does it bug you here?

[twoforjoy]

MLA is wishy-washy on the matter and considers one standard/preferable but two acceptable unless told otherwise by an instructor/editor.

[Melinda in VT]

I voted one BUT I absolutely hate it. I am a firm believer in the need for two spaces after each period, period. However, I also did web dev for years, and html eliminates extra spaces unless you add them in manually with special characters, so online style guides started eliminating the second space. Eventually, I have learned to not bother with the extra space online (such as on these forums) and in text messages & other places where characters are generally limited and spaces count. I still feel strongly that we should require double spaces for any documents meant to be printed, such as children's school papers or letters. Unfortunately, Word doesn't automatically mark single spaces after periods as errors!

 

Even before web development, material that was professionally printed used one space after the period. Even those that required two spaces after a period in the submitted manuscript would only use on space after a period when they transferred the material to the typesetter.

 

Once everyone with a computer had access to variable-space fonts (like the ones you used to get only on the typesetter), it was only a matter of time until most style guides switched to recommending we follow the typesetting rules instead of the typewriter rules.

[Ellie]

One space. And I'll tell you why:

 

Back in the day of typewriters, every character (all letters, punctuation, space-bar spaces) took up the exact amount of space. Using a ruler, you could draw vertical lines on a typewritten page and there would be a space or a character all nice and tidy in each little column.

 

Two spaces after end punctuation was "required." Without those two spaces it was harder for your eye to see where the stops were, kwim?

 

With the advent of computer software and fonts after "courier," which emulated typewritten text, came characters that were kerned. Each character, including punctuation marks, took up a different space; IOW, an uppercase W takes up more space than a lowercase i or a period. Software mushes the characters around to make them fit on a page, and that includes the space that you make with the space bar--it isn't a fixed space but will be little larger or smaller, even within the same sentence, depending on how the software figures it out.

 

So on computers, the new norm is one space after end marks (and FTR, professional typesetting--print matter such as the New York Times or Good Housekeeping--have used a single space after end marks for.ev.er). And I'll tell you why: If you use your space bar twice after an end mark, the software will mush around the space between characters, including that space-bar space, to make characters fit on a line. And if you don't (or are not able) to hyphenate words in the text, double-space after end marks, and justify the right margin (so that all the text is even, as in a book or magazine), you end up with what page-layout people call rivers of white streaming through your text. Your eye notices those, and it is perceived as less eye-appealing. It also causes your eye to slightly stop at those spaces, which impedes the smoothness of reading the text.

 

Instruction in keyboarding has not kept up with technology, and most people who are entering text have just picked up the old typewriter norm of double-spaces, or have been taught that by people who used to teach real typing (i.e., on a typewriter).

 

I say all of this as someone who took two years of typing back in the day when we used actual typewriters; in fact, at one school we used typewriters that had blank keys, so that we had to learn to type by touch. :blink: I had been typing doublespaces for many, many years when I began doing desktop publishing on a computer, which is to say that it wasn't easy to give up those double spaces. However, I have seen enough badly-produced documents over the years to convince me that, indeed, it needs to be one space, not two, after end marks.

 

FTR, the software used on this forum automatically uses one space after punctuation, even though many of you are doing two. HA. :lol:

[iona]

I put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence but only one after a period used in an abbreviation like Dr. Who.

[Word Nerd]

Which magazines or journals use two spaces after a period?

[Word Nerd]

I put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence but only one after a period used in an abbreviation like Dr. Who.

 

Serious Doctor Who geeks always spell out Doctor. ;)

[Denisemomof4]

two spaces is what I was taught in high school.... and that was a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time ago!!:001_smile:

[Negin]

In college, I was taught to always put 2 spaces.

I got married and was helping dh type up his thesis. He was shocked and said to put in one. I never went back to two. :)

[LindaWood]

Two, because that is what I learned in typing before we were using computers.

 

Linda

[wapiti]

Which magazines or journals use two spaces after a period?

 

It appears from PDFs that articles of the Harvard Law Review (a prominent law journal) use two spaces after periods with a proportional-spaced font, though the website itself uses one space. See, for example, this article and this article. Perhaps this is peculiar to the legal profession.

 

ETA: It appears that the Stanford Law Review has moved to one space (if you click on the PDF here), as has the Yale Law Review, in this article here.

 

Still, I'd have a hard time getting myself to submit a brief to a court with only one space, in spite of page limit issues. Also, FWIW, I vaguely recall (>10 yrs ago) that the Supreme Court requires briefs to be in the Courier font. I think they've made some changes to the rules since then, but probably not that one. I don't remember there being a rule about the spacing after periods, but I wouldn't be surprised. For some reason I can't find the rules at this moment. ETA again: looks like they changed it to New Century Schoolbook.

Edited August 14, 2011 by wapiti

[SailorMom]

two spaces for normal writing, one space for academic writing (ie papers for my graduate degree).

[emubird]

Two. It's a lot easier to read. I know copy editors often insist one is the "standard", but I think they're just repeating a rule they heard, rather than putting some thought into what reads better.

 

If typesetters have a problem with that, they can take out the extra space. It's not that hard to do. But while one is working on the draft, it really makes sense to leave the double space in.

[hsmom]

I do two. I went to highschool in the '90s and that is what I was taught and what I teach.

[Mosaicmind]

But you know that on this forum, there is only one space between sentences, right? Does it bug you here?

 

I put two spaces after a period and this forum doesn't autocorrect unless you are using the "quote" box. So, no it doesn't always bother me.

[nmoira]

I put two spaces after a period and this forum doesn't autocorrect unless you are using the "quote" box. So, no it doesn't always bother me.

 

But I see only one space when I read your posts.

[Lolly]

Learned to do two way back when. It was difficult, but I have managed to change to only one. This old dog did learn a new trick.:D

[Word Nerd]

I'm only using one space here. I'm only using one space here. #

 

I'm using two spaces here. I'm using two spaces here. #