Friday, January 14, 2011

One Space After Each Sentence?

Okay, so I was shocked by this article (in a bored, it's "late" at night and I should be working on "work" or going to sleep early for once since I'm sick, but instead I am reading silly articles in bed, sort of way). The two spaces after a period thing was drilled into us. In fact, if I remember correctly, when we learned to write we learned to put two fingers at the beginning of each sentence to make sure there was enough room (and four in front of a paragraph I think!).

And after years of drilling typing (I was dorky enough to compete in keyboarding in college), I don't think my two spaces will be changing anytime soon. I tried it for one sentence and gave it up as a complete failure.

Did anyone else know that one space is "correct?"

9 comments:

  1. I've ALWAYS thought two spaces was right! In fact, it drives me crazy when I realize I didn't put two spaces after a period...

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  2. I learned to type one space after each period. I think part of this comes from the transition from typewriters to keyboards. Word processors can automatically add the extra space (did you know that?).

    For a while I trained myself to use two spaces (especially when working on fiction), but when I read some articles about using one space instead, I stopped.

    It's funny how grammar, technical rules, and even spelling evolve in language. For example, I always learned that, in past tense, someone pled guilty. I learned in college that now, in past tense, someone pleaded guilty. That just jars me every time I hear it!

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  3. I still use two spaces. Then again, I've also argued for the reinstatement of "he" as a universal pronoun, so maybe some of my language ideas are a bit outdated.

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  4. First off I don't believe the author of the article. I have a keyboarding book in front of me and it distinctly states "Use two spaces to decrease cluster and to increase visual uniformity." This book isn't that old. About five years, I used it in college. As for Nicole's comment I think that the linguists are board so they have to change the rules so they look important and keep their jobs. (Being a speech language pathologist I know a few linguists personally.)

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  5. I was taught two spaces as well and it bothers me to see only one, like seriously grates on me. Dumb, but... eh.

    Pleaded? Really? That's just sad. Then again I don't adjust to change very well on this front (I refuse to go from grey to gray too & its to the point now that even the spelling function on here is picking that up!)...

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  6. I'm a month shy of 50, and back when I took typing in high school - when the dinosaurs roamed - the rule was "2 spaces". My college sophomore son recently informed me that he was taught (probably in middle school) that a period is followed by 1 space, and a comma is not followed by a space. I tried, but I can't make the switch.

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  7. I will be 51 in two months and took typewriting in high school. Back then it was 2 spaces after a period. For teacher recertification I have to take college courses every 5 years and I have taken graduate level courses from Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins. 2 spaces after the period on term papers is acceptable. :)

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  8. It's TWO spaces. Always. I am here typing two spaces after each period, as I assume previous commenters have, and yet I expect that I too will end up with only one in my published comment. HTML can't recognize multiple spaces; it always contracts multiple spaces down to one. If you want to throw in three or four spaces, you have to learn a special code.

    That's why one space has "become correct" -- on the internet, it happens naturally, as a result of a shortcoming in programming. And then people start assuming that's correct. However, everywhere but on the internet, you should still be leaving two spaces, no matter what anyone says!

    Also, it's "all right," not "alright," right? My husband and I have been arguing about that since we met. ;) I'm against changing the rules of English -- it just means more trouble for everyone.

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  9. When I worked on my Masters in 2004, we used one space after a period. (Using the APA format, MLA says to use one also) The one space rule has been around for a while, perhaps if you were taught with a different format than APA or MLA then it's two?

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