Do type two spaces after your sentence, or just one?

[Laura K (NC)]

When you finish a sentence with a period or question mark, how many spaces were you trained to type before beginning the next sentence?

 

I was trained to hit the space bar twice. The teaching now is to put only one space between sentences. I just can't make myself get used to that.

 

(PS, my typing class was in 1982. Old habits die hard.)

Edited October 22, 2008 by Laura K (NC)

[Zelda]

Two spaces and wha wha whaaat? They teach one space now? :rant:

[Stacia]

I was taught the same way, but adapted. The difference is between typing on a typewriter (2 spaces) or computer keyboard (one space).

 

LOL.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Two spaces and wha wha whaaat? They teach one space now? :rant:

 

I know. Recently I wanted to see if I still typed 70 wpm, so I took an online typing test. I flunked because I put two spaces and couldn't stop doing it.

[Kathleen in VA]

I work as a proofreader/copy editor for a homeschool email newsletter and both of the programs we use (Constant Contact and MODx) will not recognize two spaces following a period. That is one of my jobs - catch all the places in the copy that someone typed two spaces and replace them with one.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

:)

Edited October 22, 2008 by Dulcimeramy
I was trying to test both styles for readability, but the computer corrected the "mistakes"

[Anne in S'pore]

I type two spaces, too. It just seems easier on the eye when reading...

 

Anne

[Plucky]

Just one. I did two when I typed with a typewriter, oh so long ago. LOL

[motherofjoy]

One space. I don't remember what I was taught back in the olden days of typing.

[Once]

I do two. It is funny since dh and I were just "discussing" this. He swore that they only required one now but I could not believe it. Why reinvent the wheel? I must be getting old.....

[Julie in CA]

Two. Spaces. Here!

I don't know that I could actually re-train myself to do it with just one.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Maybe they teach it because the computers are programmed to make it one space. At least this board is fixing it when I type two spaces. I'm going to try it in word and see if it takes two spaces, be right back.

 

UPDATE: I don't know anything about it, I guess. Word accepted two spaces.

Edited October 22, 2008 by Dulcimeramy

[shougmom]

Two, ever since I learned in the early 80's. :blink:

 

BUT, I don't see the difference in Dulcimeramy's test up there...

 

:confused:

[Amy in Orlando]

I'm old, I was taught two spaces. (see how I backspaced and went to one space there?) I try to remember, but it's hard to kill old habits.

[Ellie]

You young whippersnapper, you. I took typing in 1967, so there.

 

And yes, we were taught to use two spaces, but I have adapted. Here's why one space instead of two:

 

Back in the day of the typewriter, each space and each character took up the same amount of space. Capital W and lower case i were the same; a space bar space was a fixed size. You could take a ruler and draw 66 vertical lines on a page and there would be a space or a character in each. Two spaces after a period made a clear stop between sentences.

 

However, you'll notice now that when you enter text on your computer, unless you're using Courier characters take up different space. Capital W takes up more space than lower case i, or punctuation. When you use your space bar, that space is not fixed; the software will make that space fit on the line--IOW, it can be bigger or smaller. Now, when you type two spaces after a period, that space is GINORMOUS, and it is unattractive; your eye sees it, even if you are not conscious of it, and it is distracting.

 

If you're doing something "official," double spaces after periods shouts "I'M AN AMATEUR!"

 

Even worse is when you don't single space, you don't hypenate words, and you justify the right margin. Oh, the white rivers that flow through your text can make a desktop publisher weep!:D

 

If you look carefully at professional typeset printed materials, such as magazines or newspapers, you'll see that they all have single spaces after the periods.

 

Our next discussion on page layout and design will be on why we no longer underline. Thank you.

 

:D

[Amy in Orlando]

You young whippersnapper, you. I took typing in 1967, so there.

 

And yes, we were taught to use two spaces, but I have adapted. Here's why one space instead of two:

 

Back in the day of the typewriter, each space and each character took up the same amount of space. Capital W and lower case i were the same; a space bar space was a fixed size. You could take a ruler and draw 66 vertical lines on a page and there would be a space or a character in each. Two spaces after a period made a clear stop between sentences.

 

However, you'll notice now that when you enter text on your computer, unless you're using Courier characters take up different space. Capital W takes up more space than lower case i, or punctuation. When you use your space bar, that space is not fixed; the software will make that space fit on the line--IOW, it can be bigger or smaller. Now, when you type two spaces after a period, that space is GINORMOUS, and it is unattractive; your eye sees it, even if you are not conscious of it, and it is distracting.

 

If you're doing something "official," double spaces after periods shouts "I'M AN AMATEUR!"

 

Even worse is when you don't single space, you don't hypenate words, and you justify the right margin. Oh, the white rivers that flow through your text can make a desktop publisher weep!:D

 

If you look carefully at professional typeset printed materials, such as magazines or newspapers, you'll see that they all have single spaces after the periods.

 

Our next discussion on page layout and design will be on why we no longer underline. Thank you.

 

:D

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was taught 2 spaces (late 70's). I was doing Mavis Beacon with ds11 and noticed that it had changed to 1. Thank you for telling me why!

[jamnkats]

You young whippersnapper, you. I took typing in 1967, so there.

 

Our next discussion on page layout and design will be on why we no longer underline. Thank you.

 

:D

 

(holds her head in her hands and sobs)

 

No underlines?????

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Two, ever since I learned in the early 80's. :blink:

 

BUT, I don't see the difference in Dulcimeramy's test up there...

 

:confused:

 

I'm typing with two spaces after my sentences, but only one is posting! Very strange. I guess spacing after sentences is like spell check in these modern times.

 

I miss my dad's old black manual typewriter.

Edited October 22, 2008 by Dulcimeramy

[RoughCollie]

And yes, we were taught to use two spaces, but I have adapted. Here's why one space instead of two::D

 

Thank you for explaining that. I knew what to do, but I didn't know why it was necessary.

 

RC

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

(holds her head in her hands and sobs)

 

No underlines?????

 

I have been noticing the absence of underlines. Somebody let me know when we cover this in class!

 

Is the new thing that we don't underline book titles in online work, but instead we hyperlink to the title at amazon?

 

When I was a page editor for our high school newspaper, we didn't have computers until my second year. X-acto knives, rubber cement, light tables, electric typewriters. That's where I earned my stripes.

 

Somebody quick, link me to a book that will update me before I teach my children 1980's information!!

[Ellie]

(holds her head in her hands and sobs)

 

No underlines?????

No, dear, no underlines. Back in the day, when people had to actually write their manuscripts by hand or type them and then give them to the printer to be typeset, they would underline things which needed to be in italics. IOW, underlining something means "MAKE THIS ITALICS." Now that our computers can intalicize text, we don't need to underline.

 

Furthermore, underlining is not very attractive. Descenders (p, g, q, y) are dissected by the underlines: p, g, q, y. See? Not attractive at all, and difficult to read, as well. And again, it screams "I AM AN AMATEUR."

 

The absolute worst thing you can do is to make something bold and italics, *and* to underline, like this: Please don't do that! Bad. If you want to emphasize something, make it bold, or a different font, but don't underline. Please. (Hypertext is automatically underlined in programs like Word. When I'm doing a document that will include e-mail addies or Web sites, and Word automatically underlines that text, I just select the text and turn off underlining.)

 

FTR, I am a semi-professional desktop publisher. I love to talk about this stuff the way you WTMers like to talk about clenching Latin or whatever it is.:D

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Clenching Latin! :lol:

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Ellie, have you a book? If not, can you please write one before next fall?

[cathmom]

one space. Never heard of typing two!

[cathmom]

Furthermore, underlining is not very attractive. Descenders (p, g, q, y) are dissected by the underlines: p, g, q, y. See? Not attractive at all, and difficult to read, as well.

 

My 10 yo dd just told me this is why all her letters don't go below the line when she writes. She thinks it looks ugly!

[Ellie]

one space. Never heard of typing two!

 

That's 'cuz you're a young whippersnapper who didn't take actual typing in high school before home computers were invented.:D It was mandatory back in the day.

[Ellie]

Ellie, have you a book? If not, can you please write one before next fall?

You sweet thang!

 

How could I ever follow in the footsteps of SWB!:D

[Tabrett]

My dd's school requires 2 spaces after a period. It was my understanding that if it was typed on a computer you only put one space. I'm confused as to why they require 2?

[LisaNY]

Two spaces. I was *wondering* why it defaults to one space in my posts! Now I know. :001_smile:

[Lizzie in Ma]

I type 2. :)

[Rich with Kids]

2 spaces and proud of it. *spits* Why, when I was a kid we had ta walk uphill, both ways, in the snow, carrying bricks... :D

[TraceyS/FL]

That's 'cuz you're a young whippersnapper who didn't take actual typing in high school before home computers were invented.:D It was mandatory back in the day.

Mrs Moore... i can still here her walking around the room... "j k l . space space a d g"

 

I was taught the same way, but adapted. The difference is between typing on a typewriter (2 spaces) or computer keyboard (one space).

 

LOL.

 

This is what i do - for the spacing reasons Ellie laid out.

 

Hey Ellie - maybe this can be the one thing CA did teach right!?!?!?! (child of the whole word thing here).

[elegantlion]

I had not thought about this in years. Honestly, I guess I only type one now. Ha! I just did two.

 

I remember those manual typewriter things. UGH! :lol:

[cathmom]

That's 'cuz you're a young whippersnapper who didn't take actual typing in high school before home computers were invented.:D It was mandatory back in the day.

 

Actually, I did take typing in high school in 86 or 87. I have often said it was the most practical class I took! But I believe we were taught one space, however, I could be wrong.

[Tammyla]

Two of course or Mr. Moody the typing teacher will have a melt down and make you retype it.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

When you finish a sentence with a period or question mark, how many spaces were you trained to type before beginning the next sentence?

 

I was trained to hit the space bar twice. The teaching now is to put only one space between sentences. I just can't make myself get used to that.

 

(PS, my typing class was in 1982. Old habits die hard.)

 

 

Two spaces. Of COURSE! :D

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

2 spaces and proud of it. *spits* Why, when I was a kid we had ta walk uphill, both ways, in the snow, carrying bricks... :D

 

Carrying our Selectric typewriter, you mean.

[TraceyS/FL]

Oh and i'm guessing the board is changing them to one because of bandwidth issues. a space takes up just as much room as a character, so it makes sense for it to take them out.

 

I always hated typing 2 spaces - i was thankful to jump on a computer and have Pagemaker tell me that it was wrong :D

[runamuk]

I grew up typing two spaces between sentences (I graduated high school in 1986, for reference. :) ) When I took typing in my community college class, it was 2 spaces. And I had a college professor who wouldn't even read a paper if it wasn't margined and spaced properly.

 

Can I say how much I detested typing essays and papers? I'd always, always, always find a mistake on the first page that I would have to go back and fix. It was never just a mispelled word, either. I'd leave out a sentence or half a paragraph.

[Aubrey]

I was taught the same way, but adapted. The difference is between typing on a typewriter (2 spaces) or computer keyboard (one space).

 

LOL.

 

I just finished a degree in '03, & it was still 2 spaces! It was an online degree! I. cannot. abide. change. It's RIDICULOUS!!!! (Yes, I mean ALL. CHANGE.) :lol: