Grammar Issue: Spacing After a Period

[scotpens]

. . . It's a bit easier to read, yes. But what I really wish people would get more in the habit of doing is two hard returns after the end of a paragraph, avoiding the big block of text.

Even if the first lines of paragraphs are indented, there should always be a bit of space between paragraphs.

Good god, no!

I have yet to see a printed novel that has extra space between paragraphs; I see it in ebooks all the time though, unfortunately. It looks awful and is a waste of space.

Well, newspapers, at any rate, don't have extra line-spacing between paragraphs. Paragraph breaks are indicated by first-line indentation only. So I stand at least partially corrected.

But printed novels aren’t quite single-space between lines, aren't they? They’re more like 1.5 space between lines, right?

In professional typography, we don't use "spaces" between lines of type. The distance from the base of a line of text to the ones above and below it is measured in "leading" (rhymes with bedding). For example, 10-point type is usually set with 12-point leading, making six lines per vertical inch. But that's just a general rule.

 

[JiNX-01]

I've always used one space my entire life.

Me too. Why would anyone use more than one space?

 

[bigdaddy]

I'm not reading the whole thing, but it's two spaces. They want only one because in the long term it might save paper, and thus money.

 

[Bisz]

There... are... TWO... spaces!!!

 

[Kestra]

I've always used one space my entire life.

Me too. Why would anyone use more than one space?

Because some people were taught to, due to previous technology.

 

[Newton]

You do, however, have a choice. You can live out your life in misery... held here, subject to my whims... Or you can live in comfort, with good food and warm clothing... women as you desire them... allowed to pursue your studies of philosophy and history. I would enjoy debating with you. You have a keen mind. It's up to you. A life of ease... of reflection and intellectual challenge... Or this.

What... must I... do... ?

Tell me how many spaces you see.

How many?

How many spaces? This is your last chance... the guards are coming... don't be a stubborn fool...

 

[trampledamage]

My daughter puts a finger space between each word - that's three spaces at least...

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's a good rule of... thumb.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I'm not reading the whole thing, but it's two spaces. They want only one because in the long term it might save paper, and thus money.

Truly ignorance is bliss.

 

[CaptMurdock]

The thread is too long for me to read completely through, so I summarize thusly:

1. I learned to type two spaces after a period on a typewriter in the late 70's. Yes, I'm THAT old-school.
2. While I am a fan of Robin Williams (not the actor/comedian, but the Mac evangelista and desktop publishing guru), I have to disagree with her volume The Mac Is Not a Typewriter on this point. If the billion monkeys on a billion typewriters reproduce the works of Shakespeare, they damn well better use two spaces after every period. I will not tolerate sloth -- especially from monkeys.
3. Even before I studied journalism, I disdained the use of the Oxford/Harvard/serial comma. I still have my AP Stylebook somewhere...

 

[scotpens]

I learned to type two spaces after a period on a typewriter in the late 70's. Yes, I'm THAT old-school.

I learned to type on a typewriter when I was in seventh grade — in the mid-1960s. That makes me older old-school than you.

. . . If the billion monkeys on a billion typewriters reproduce the works of Shakespeare, they damn well better use two spaces after every period. I will not tolerate sloth -- especially from monkeys.

But will you tolerate monkey business from sloths?

 

[Caretaker]

Well, I've always used two spaces after a period (although only one after an exclamation, comma, semi-colon or question mark). That's what I was taught and have used ever since. I don't think I'll be changing that anytime soon. Of course, none of my employers has ever asked us for formatting it one way or the other.

 

[CaptMurdock]

I learned to type two spaces after a period on a typewriter in the late 70's. Yes, I'm THAT old-school.

I learned to type on a typewriter when I was in seventh grade — in the mid-1960s. That makes me older old-school than you.

Hey, it's nice to know someone with some experience, amongst all these kids.

. . . If the billion monkeys on a billion typewriters reproduce the works of Shakespeare, they damn well better use two spaces after every period. I will not tolerate sloth -- especially from monkeys.

But will you tolerate monkey business from sloths?

... <---[simulates pregnant pause]

No.

 

[Naira]

I am not an English/American person and we did not use computers for school so I had never thought about the two-spaces rule until the 4th year at the University when a professor asked for it (the others did not care).

I like the extra spacing, I find it better looking. However, I find it stupid to actually type two spaces. I think all editor programs and browsers should be smart enough to do it automatically for you. Like Latex does.

(I also find it extremely annoying when people type "e.g." and "i.e." in Latex and don't escape the double spacing so that the sentence has a big space in the middle of it!)

 

[Misfit Toy]

I will not tolerate sloth -- especially from monkeys.

I never thought I would see that phrase outside of a Jayson thread.

 

[Sean Aaron]

I was taught to leave two spaces, but this was in Canada in 1982 on manual typewriters.

Ditto, although my typing class was in California in 1985. I persisted with this until I started writing news and reviews for a website in the UK and had it handed down from the "editorial board" to please stop double-spacing as "we don't do that in the UK" - ditto for em-dashes, which became single-dashes.

Since then I've abandoned the double-space/em-dash and not looked back.

 

[scotpens]

^^ In the case of dashes and hyphens, the different lengths have different purposes. An em (long) dash is a typographic pause — it sets aside and emphasizes a phrase. An en (short) dash is used for duration or distance, e.g. Open 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. And a hyphen is used for — well, for things that get hyphenated.

 

[spooky spice]

I've always used two spaces after a full stop, or similar punctuation mark. I am old though, and set in my ways.

 

[Sean Aaron]

^^ In the case of dashes and hyphens, the different lengths have different purposes. An em (long) dash is a typographic pause — it sets aside and emphasizes a phrase. An en (short) dash is used for duration or distance, e.g. Open 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. And a hyphen is used for — well, for things that get hyphenated.

Eh, the point seems to be understood regardless and I'm not fucking around with control keys when it's not necessary. If I was writing the New York Times in my flat I might though.

 

[RoJoHen]

I was always taught that a long dash can also be represented by two short dashes -- like that.