One or two spaces after a period?

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x26

Senior member
Sep 17, 2007
734
15
81
One space after a period leads to sodomy. The grammar lords had one chance to teach me and I'm not going back to "learning" just because they want to change their minds now.

You are sooo Right...

Sodomy+Other Crimes against Nature...

Obama Lied; Children Died...
 

trmiv

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
14,670
18
81
I was taught 2 spaces when I was in school, so that's what I've always done. It's a really hard habit to break.
 

Bateluer

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
27,730
8
0
I've always used 1 space after a period. Except in one college class that the professor wanted two spaces, I forget what standard the course used. She dinged me a point for every single sentence in my first paper for the course two, one point for ever 'missing' period. Got near perfect marks on everything else, but for a zero on it.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,278
14,698
146
I learned the "period, space, space" way back in the olden days. My typing instructor carried a wooden pointer (you might be old enough to remember those) and if he caught you using one space, you got whacked with that pointer... It was a good way to "reinforce the teaching." :rolleyes:

It took me a LONG time to break that when I converted to typing on a computer...in fact, when I took a keyboarding class at the community college, I had the option of single or double space for the class. <shrug> Nowadays, I use a single space at the end of a sentence.
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,481
2,418
136
2 spaces after a period as instructed when I took "typing" lessons on typewriter. Largely ignored this days since fonts are proportionally spaced using a computer.
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
6
71
I still do two. Even when writing posts for the forums. But it doesn't matter. All forum software and modern word processors that I use will always truncate the added space accordingly. I just still do it out of pure habit.
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
Two spaces. I couldn't care less what people think is 'proper'. I've never seen a business-level email use one space after a period. It would make the writer look like an idiot.
I am not sure what that means. I write "business-level" emails multiple times a day and never, ever use two spaces. I don't have any interest in that.

I just reviewed some emails from various people at work, all one space. I also opened up an organizational announcement sent to at least a thousand people today. Of the four sentences after a period three had one space and one had two.

So I'd have to say this "writer look like an idiot" is more or less (more) in your head.
 

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
Is it too late for me to say repost?

Well, I find that the people who uses one space after a period have sentence structure similar to this "wer u at? lol. git here nao. kthxbye!!!!!!!"
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
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Two. And I will reformat your document if it comes across my desk with single spaces.
You really don't have something better to do at work?

I worked once with a guy who reviewed ALL documents--that was his job--sent out of the company. Very smart, master of writing and English and all that. Anyway, he once wanted me to do two spaces but finally admitted that actually all that he cared about was consistency; if I was to use one space by God it better never be two and vice versa.

I still regularly in a professional environment see people who use it's instead of its, among other things. I guess life goes on.
 

PaperclipGod

Banned
Apr 7, 2003
2,021
0
0
Two. The written word should be as emotive and nuanced as possible to reflect the authors meaning. Two spaces indicates a longer pause between thoughts, just like a new paragraph indicates an even longer pause. Using one space limits the expressiveness of the author.

Although, i've got some rather unconventional ideas about sentence structure... e.g., Whenever ending a sentence with a quote, I put the punctuation outside the quotes. If the quote has its own punctuation, then i'll render it something like this: ...outhouse!".

It's clearer and more accurately describes my intent, imo, even though it's not accepted by any style guides.
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
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I don't get paid to post here, sorry if I don't care much for it.
So you're pretending that when at work you actually put two spaces in? You must write what, two emails/day? There's no way you are switching the two space habit on or off at whim depending on whether you're at work or not and if you are you're constantly making mistakes in this.
Two. The written word should be as emotive and nuanced as possible to reflect the authors meaning. Two spaces indicates a longer pause between thoughts, just like a new paragraph indicates an even longer pause. Using one space limits the expressiveness of the author.
I really thought that's what the period did.

Two spaces expresses nothing. It just increases readability very slightly because sentence separation is easier for those with poorer eyes, that's really all.
 

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
So you're pretending that when at work you actually put two spaces in? You must write what, two emails/day? There's no way you are switching the two space habit on or off at whim depending on whether you're at work or not and if you are you're constantly making mistakes in this.I really thought that's what the period did.

Two spaces expresses nothing. It just increases readability very slightly because sentence separation is easier for those with poorer eyes, that's really all.
No, I always use two spaces after a period, don't really know what you're on about.

On a serious note, I ALWAYS wait at least two spaces after a period before doing ANYTHING ;)





For the slow learners - spaces = days.
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
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Well I found a bunch of posts of yours and were all one space from what I could tell!
 

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
Nope, the forum took out one space, it's baked into the rules. People used to leave a lot of spaces in between words...
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
Ah, you got me :)

I did know one guy who always put one space in before a period at the end of a sentence like this . It was very upsetting to read .
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
6
71
Code:
Hey guys!  Guess what?  I found a way to properly incorporate the
 two spaces in all of my posts.  Now I can finally express myself in the 
manner that I always wanted!  Thanks VBulletin!  :awe:
 
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