General Discussion

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)

95. No. It was proper English punctuation to use two spaces after a period/end of sentence.

Wed Feb 13, 2013, 09:37 PM

Feb 2013

There was no exception. This was to break the sentences up more clearly, making it easier for the eye to discern end of one thought and beginning of the next.

Certain industries have their own standards, however, that do not go by standard English punctuation and grammar rules. I don't know about magazines, but they may have their own standards because of limited space and the nature of magazines. I took a journalism course years ago, though, and I don't recall that it was standard to use one space after the end of a sentence.

I work in the legal business. It is still the standard to use two spaces after a period indicating end of a sentence. It is formal business English grammar and punctuation. I imagine it will eventually change, but it hasn't yet.

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For the grammar police: One space after periods, people [View all] mfcorey1 Feb 2013 OP

This message was self-deleted by its author trumad Feb 2013 #1

In proportional fonts, it does not matter Kolesar Feb 2013 #2

yep i was production designer at a magazine for years Phillip McCleod Feb 2013 #83

No. It was proper English punctuation to use two spaces after a period/end of sentence. Honeycombe8 Feb 2013 #95

You are WRONG. Atman Feb 2013 #103

no it's changed. long since changed. Phillip McCleod Feb 2013 #121

Whose job was it to restore capitalization, then? Kolesar Feb 2013 #124

Anyone who learned to touch type, learned two spaces... I agree that with proportional font that hlthe2b Feb 2013 #3

Right-- it is a punctuation issue. Art_from_Ark Feb 2013 #5

No, it is a typographical issue. Punctuation applies to writing, not typing "style." WinkyDink Feb 2013 #23

And then along came HTML and the convention of ignoring extra whitespace by computers. Coyotl Feb 2013 #46

I remember being taught 2 spaces after a period too. But that was back in the days of typewriters. backscatter712 Feb 2013 #58

Who changed the rule and when? I never got the memo. robinlynne Feb 2013 #78

I believe the two-space thing was to deal with typewriters with monospace fonts. backscatter712 Feb 2013 #88

who knew? robinlynne Feb 2013 #93

I did. Atman Feb 2013 #105

lol. (double space) robinlynne Feb 2013 #107

thank you! angel823 Feb 2013 #113

Yeah. Same here. I am doing this out of habit. tblue Feb 2013 #109

Neither did I. Delphinus Feb 2013 #129

I cant believe "back in the days of typewriters." I know it is so, but it doesn't feel "back in the robinlynne Feb 2013 #79

Which is EXACTLY what I said. hlthe2b Feb 2013 #100

I still use two spaces out of habit. Laelth Feb 2013 #4

Ditto this^ my habit is an error stuntcat Feb 2013 #7

I prefer the 2 space habit..... less visual gluttony. firehorse Feb 2013 #102

I typed too long with two spaces, can't stop now easily. Don't see what diff. it makes on blogging. northoftheborder Feb 2013 #104

This is the case for me as well. gollygee Feb 2013 #9

okay . but are u sure ? whistler162 Feb 2013 #6

That's one of the things I couldn't care less about. hobbit709 Feb 2013 #8

Eye no, write?!? savebigbird Feb 2013 #12

Not this tripe again! TM99 Feb 2013 #10

Great article! actslikeacarrot Feb 2013 #42

But you're wrong. Atman Feb 2013 #115

No, sorry, TM99 Feb 2013 #117

Two spaces forever! savebigbird Feb 2013 #11

love it. robinlynne Feb 2013 #81

Is spacing that important? Really? ( n/t ) Make7 Feb 2013 #13

Do you think spacing disobedience should be a bannable offense? Squinch Feb 2013 #138

When I am in MS Word, I actually prefer two spaces because one space avebury Feb 2013 #14

I hate that "run-on" look, too. Buns_of_Fire Feb 2013 #25

<snort> truebluegreen Feb 2013 #49

Raise your arms above your head... Callmecrazy Feb 2013 #82

Hey! You forgot a period...some typist! Auntie Bush Feb 2013 #98

I w i l l f o l l o w y o u r a d v i c e f r o m n o w o n . Ikonoklast Feb 2013 #15

In the middle of your second paragraph my eyes totally lost track of the place lunatica Feb 2013 #16

But you are using only one in your post. WinkyDink Feb 2013 #18

No. I used two lunatica Feb 2013 #19

Only on computers, mon ami. On typewriters from back in the day? TWO spaces. This? One space. WinkyDink Feb 2013 #17

Typewriter??? Kalidurga Feb 2013 #111

I was taught to put two spaces after a period and one after a comma and semicolon. ananda Feb 2013 #20

Yet you used only one space in your post: "...period. In....." See? WinkyDink Feb 2013 #22

No, DU auto-corrects double spacing TorchTheWitch Feb 2013 #29

i wondered why my two spaces looked like one! ellenfl Feb 2013 #31

Thank you! gvstn Feb 2013 #38

If it is really important to you, Jamastiene Feb 2013 #127

DU autocorrects the double spacing as I noticed to my dismay. Blue_In_AK Feb 2013 #67

You can preserve the spacing in your posts if you really, really want to... Make7 Feb 2013 #69

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Blue_In_AK Feb 2013 #71

Two spaces after a colon, too, and capitalize the first word following the colon. eom tledford Feb 2013 #68

P.S. This isn't "grammar"; it isn't even "punctuation." It is "typography." WinkyDink Feb 2013 #21

You think this is some sort of game?! Earth_First Feb 2013 #24

who gives a rats ass. Oops isn't that rat's ass? n/t 2pooped2pop Feb 2013 #26

Been using two spaces for 51 years. GreenStormCloud Feb 2013 #27

I still use two spaces. LWolf Feb 2013 #28

Nope. Two spaces. Sheldon Cooper Feb 2013 #30

Two spaces was what I learned in high school typing class. Screw up and get a whap on the knuckles. dorkzilla Feb 2013 #32

Me too Aerows Feb 2013 #34

Me three. no_hypocrisy Feb 2013 #60

Not this again Aerows Feb 2013 #33

What happens if I use 2? Marrah_G Feb 2013 #35

3 Republicans die, 14 Republicans lose their front teeth LiberalFighter Feb 2013 #43

Really? Chellee Feb 2013 #59

You've been foiled by your web browser. backscatter712 Feb 2013 #92

Tell me again why I should start using only one space? name not needed Feb 2013 #89

You rant on Twitter about grammar? Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2013 #36

This is the best answer. Jamastiene Feb 2013 #126

I think that is the giveaway that the OP is a subtle trolling effort... Blue_Tires Feb 2013 #136

omg u srs jsr Feb 2013 #37

*snort* dorkzilla Feb 2013 #64

The reason for double-spacing after a full stop: fixed-width fonts on typewriters. Spider Jerusalem Feb 2013 #39

Oh, boy. Bertha Venation Feb 2013 #40

Double spaces is from an era when typewriters were in use. LiberalFighter Feb 2013 #41

Yes, ONE SPACE. And after commas as well. And be sure to use oxford comma's. JaneyVee Feb 2013 #44

... FightForMichigan Feb 2013 #50

I use three spaces. To hell with you conformists! Orrex Feb 2013 #45

Thanks, but pipi_k Feb 2013 #47

I use two spaces just as I learned in grade school. Tyrs WolfDaemon Feb 2013 #48

your logo needs some Comic Sans pokerfan Feb 2013 #106

You have a point and I don't just mean type size Tyrs WolfDaemon Feb 2013 #112

I don't agree! Two spaces is the way to go! MADem Feb 2013 #51

My curse has always been run-on sentences. When I write one I can't cut down, it's a paragraph! freshwest Feb 2013 #120

I agree but my biggest peeve is with people who leave no spaces at all fried eggs Feb 2013 #52

If it's not worth reading formercia Feb 2013 #53

"Every modern typographer agrees on the one-space rule" AgingAmerican Feb 2013 #54

Does anyone here know a modern typographer? robinlynne Feb 2013 #85

What if mainstreetonce Feb 2013 #55

In high school for our senior English project TlalocW Feb 2013 #56

Every modern typographer agrees... TlalocW Feb 2013 #57

The rule is for publication only BainsBane Feb 2013 #61

Several premises of this thread are factually wrong -- just plain wrong BlueStreak Feb 2013 #62

Yes, I was a typographer and one space is the rule. n/t RebelOne Feb 2013 #63

uh oh. robinlynne Feb 2013 #86

Keep your modern typographers. mattclearing Feb 2013 #65

I was a typographer for magazines. RebelOne Feb 2013 #72

I was a typesetter for years kskiska Feb 2013 #123

Old habits die hard. Blue_In_AK Feb 2013 #66

Life is too short to worry about grammer bigwillq Feb 2013 #70

Maybe you should learn to spell. It is grammar, not grammer. n/t RebelOne Feb 2013 #96

Yea, I did that puerposely (nt) bigwillq Feb 2013 #97

  frogmarch Feb 2013 #73

I learned how to type in 1971 Le Taz Hot Feb 2013 #74

Sorry.... llmart Feb 2013 #75

Whoah! tblue Feb 2013 #110

And Photoshop is not a verb Auggie Feb 2013 #76

I took the commerical course in high school and we learned two. I think even southernyankeebelle Feb 2013 #77

You will never get me to use only one space at the end of a sentence. Curmudgeoness Feb 2013 #80

I was converted from two to one. Ilsa Feb 2013 #84

And no second period if the sentence ends in an abbreviation with a period. gulliver Feb 2013 #87

That is debatable, and is not used in certain businesses. In the legal world, one space is incorrect Honeycombe8 Feb 2013 #90

I worked in offices for many years forestpath Feb 2013 #91

I'll keep using 2 spaces Lex Feb 2013 #94

Does DU need a style manual? pokerfan Feb 2013 #99

Is "Oh, put a sock in it" correct grammar? Squinch Feb 2013 #101

typesetters BainsBane Feb 2013 #108

I was taught two spaces. Don't make me go back and learn all over! NYC_SKP Feb 2013 #114

Two spaces was the standard and will stay that way with me. Waiting For Everyman Feb 2013 #116

I'm another old-timer who learned to type SheilaT Feb 2013 #118

I'll Stop Using Two Spaces When They Pry The Space Bar From My Cold, Dead Keyboard ChoppinBroccoli Feb 2013 #119

One-spacers are of dog-like intelligence and a similar odor. Throd Feb 2013 #122

I know it to be true Dorian Gray Feb 2013 #125

LOL! Anyone with time enough to count spaces after periods - lynne Feb 2013 #128

That's my space and I'm stickin' to it! ashling Feb 2013 #130

I was taught 2 spaces. And get off my lawn! nt raccoon Feb 2013 #131

Finally!! Someone has posted an important thread. 2pooped2pop Feb 2013 #132

Whats a period ? Safetykitten Feb 2013 #133

First they came for our double spaces and I did nothing...nt Javaman Feb 2013 #134

Your computer is not a typewriter pokerfan Feb 2013 #135

This is going to enter the pantheon of DU Classic Controversies.... steve2470 Feb 2013 #137