# Annoying Writing Style or Far Sighted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382 "2014-04-18T01:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/1 "2014-04-18T01:21:57Z")
There is a thread in the MPSIMS forum in which there seems to be some controversy about starting each sentence with a lower case word. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17299760#post17299760](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17299760#post17299760) I didn’t want to discuss this in that same thread since it might be seen as “off topic” or “thread hijacking”. But I would like to ask if this is seen as a problem or if anyone believes this is actually a better way to write the English language? It seems to me that many of the changes that happens to a written language occurs because someone seems to think it’s a better method and then more and more people agree and begin to write that way. I’m really not certain where this discussion might belong. However, it seems to me that it might very well be worth writing English in that way (as well as other languages too). Maybe the person who writes in this style is actually a “far sighted” thinker and if they persist, maybe one day the language will be written in that way? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/2 "2014-04-18T01:30:44Z")
Stupid and annoying. It impedes the proper flow when attempting to read it. Im curious, what do you think is good about starting sentences with lower case letters? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/3 "2014-04-18T02:07:45Z")
It looks like two people in the thread mention took time out from their discussion about a missing airplane, so it’s pretty obvious THEY saw it as a problem. I agree with **Ambivalid**. It definitely impedes reading flow. In the old days, teletypes only had upper case letters to avoid transmission problems with shifting. Here’s an old piece of teletype copy, written in[ALL CAPS.](http://www.downhold.org/lowry/helencopy.jpg) Tell me if you think it’s easier to read than conventional capitalization. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/4 "2014-04-18T02:49:48Z")
It strikes me as laziness, like hitting Shift at the beginning of every sentence is too much bother. Lazy doesn’t equal far-sighted. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/5 "2014-04-18T02:50:35Z")
True, **kunilou** , BUT I will say that if, for some bizarre reason like **Skald** could actually impose a mild type of his thought experiments ;), and we could only have everything written in all-caps or no-caps, I definitely find no-caps the easier to read of the two. But that’s neither here nor there. And as someone who types ~90-95% of my posts on my phone but still makes sure to manually type out vbcode to format text and links, excuses for lack of capitalization don’t go far with me. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/6 "2014-04-18T04:40:21Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Stupid and annoying. It impedes the proper flow when attempting to read it. Im curious, what do you think is good about starting sentences with lower case letters? 😕 \*\*Whoa! \*\*I’m not defending the practice. I have seen a few people use this approach on other boards and I was curious if anyone felt it was worth doing this to save a tiny number of keystrokes. IMO, the disruption to the normal flow when reading text is clearly not worth this tiny savings of keystrokes. However, if you used some software that automatically recognized the end of a sentence and then that software automatically produced the period followed by one or two spaces and then automatically capitalized the first letter of the following sentence, the text would “appear” normal and in that case, there would be no disruption to the flow of reading the text because the text would appear normal. In that case, it may be worth doing because there would be no disruption to the flow of reading because the text would appear normal. Of course, if that was the only technique the software handled, then, IMO, it would not be worth the effort because the total savings would just be too small to make it worthwhile. Fortunately, there are a few other techniques that can produce much greater savings of keystrokes and when all those techniques are used together, then it might be worthwhile. But that is a very lengthy and involved discussion and probably not of much interest to the people posting on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/7 "2014-04-18T04:50:22Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I’m really not certain where this discussion might belong. However, it seems to me that it might very well be worth writing English in that way (as well as other languages too). Maybe the person who writes in this style is actually a “far sighted” thinker and if they persist, maybe one day the language will be written in that way? Language is about communication. It’s not just about the writer. You have to think about the reader as well. So a writer who introduces unilateral changes in the accepted standards of the language is doing a disservice to the readers. A writer should write with the goal of having his message flow easily into the mind of his reader; he shouldn’t be making the reader work for his message. On a practical level, I’d oppose this even as a theoretical rule. Capitalizing the first letter of each sentence makes it easier for the reader to distinguish when a new sentence begins. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/8 "2014-04-18T05:38:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Language is about communication. It’s not just about the writer. You have to think about the reader as well. So a writer who introduces unilateral changes in the accepted standards of the language is doing a disservice to the readers. A writer should write with the goal of having his message flow easily into the mind of his reader; he shouldn’t be making the reader work for his message. > > On a practical level, I’d oppose this even as a theoretical rule. Capitalizing the first letter of each sentence makes it easier for the reader to distinguish when a new sentence begins. Very well constructed! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/9 "2014-04-18T05:45:55Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > However, if you used some software that automatically recognized the end of a sentence and then that software automatically produced the period followed by one or two spaces and then automatically capitalized the first letter of the following sentence, the text would “appear” normal and in that case, there would be no disruption to the flow of reading the text because the text would appear normal. “Some software”? This is a native feature of the iOS soft keyboard: if you type two or more consecutive spaces after a word, the first space transforms into a period and there shift is turned on for the next word. It also turns on the shift when you hit return. This behavior is optional, but I leave it on because it is more often useful than annoying – unlike that damn _stop helping me_ auto-correct. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/10 "2014-04-18T09:02:18Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > \*\*Whoa! \*\*I’m not defending the practice. > > I have seen a few people use this approach on other boards and I was curious if anyone felt it was worth doing this to save a tiny number of keystrokes. IMO, the disruption to the normal flow when reading text is clearly not worth this tiny savings of keystrokes. > > However, if you used some software that automatically recognized the end of a sentence and then that software automatically produced the period followed by one or two spaces and then automatically capitalized the first letter of the following sentence, the text would “appear” normal and in that case, there would be no disruption to the flow of reading the text because the text would appear normal. > > In that case, it may be worth doing because there would be no disruption to the flow of reading because the text would appear normal. > > Of course, if that was the only technique the software handled, then, IMO, it would not be worth the effort because the total savings would just be too small to make it worthwhile. > > Fortunately, there are a few other techniques that can produce much greater savings of keystrokes and when all those techniques are used together, then it might be worthwhile. > > But that is a very lengthy and involved discussion and probably not of much interest to the people posting on this board. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/11 "2014-04-18T09:26:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Brilliant. How so? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/12 "2014-04-18T12:54:18Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > How so? 😕 I keed, I keed. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/13 "2014-04-18T17:06:35Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/14 "2014-04-18T22:33:43Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > True, **kunilou** , BUT I will say that if, for some bizarre reason like **Skald** could actually impose a mild type of his thought experiments ;), and we could only have everything written in all-caps or no-caps, I definitely find no-caps the easier to read of the two. Fair enough. But we don’t even need one of Skald’s thought experiments. Let’s just run one of our own. Same font, same size. > [@](#): > > but, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. it is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. it is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under god, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Compare that to > [@](#): > > BUT, IN A LARGER SENSE, WE CAN NOT DEDICATE, WE CAN NOT CONSECRATE, WE CAN NOT HALLOW THIS GROUND. THE BRAVE MEN, LIVING AND DEAD, WHO STRUGGLED HERE, HAVE CONSECRATED IT, FAR ABOVE OUR POOR POWER TO ADD OR DETRACT. THE WORLD WILL LITTLE NOTE, NOR LONG REMEMBER WHAT WE SAY HERE, BUT IT CAN NEVER FORGET WHAT THEY DID HERE. IT IS FOR US THE LIVING, RATHER, TO BE DEDICATED HERE TO THE UNFINISHED WORK WHICH THEY WHO FOUGHT HERE HAVE THUS FAR SO NOBLY ADVANCED. IT IS RATHER FOR US TO BE HERE DEDICATED TO THE GREAT TASK REMAINING BEFORE US—THAT FROM THESE HONORED DEAD WE TAKE INCREASED DEVOTION TO THAT CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION—THAT WE HERE HIGHLY RESOLVE THAT THESE DEAD SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN—THAT THIS NATION, UNDER GOD, SHALL HAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM—AND THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-writing-style-or-far-sighted/686382/15 "2014-04-18T23:55:03Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Fair enough. But we don’t even need one of Skald’s thought experiments. Let’s just run one of our own. Same font, same size. > > … Compare that to … Is it not pretty well established that lower-case is generally easier to read than all-uppercase, based on the fact that the ascenders and descenders of lower-case letters lend more shape to the words, making it easier to see whole words at a glance rather than scan the letters? But caps at the beginnings of sentences provide a handy clue for scanning through, and no reasonable person fails to capitalize the first person singular (I know I would not, “i” looks wrong). It is fine to be e. e. cummings or k. d. lang, just to be quirky, but writing mostly should be done in a way that facilitates reading. Homogeneity does not facilitate reading.