One space or two?

[Acsenray]

@Hilarity N. Suze

As I said, it’s more likely that they’d do this than that they’d replace their software to accommodate the quirk.

But I always submit my manuscripts just the way my publisher asks for them.

I do want to note, however, that at my publishing company, a great many of the authors are lawyers. And they do seem to be clinging to the two-space standard a lot more vociferously than people in other professions.

Lawyers tend to be very resistant to change when it comes to style matters. Look how long they clung to 14-inch paper and WordPerfect.

[chris156]

I’m 22 and I was taught to put two spaces after full stops and colons and semi-colons!

I don’t understand what using fixed- or variable-width fonts has to do with anything; in either case, using two spaces does the same job: separating sentences to make them more readable.

[Exapno_Mapcase]

You were taught wrong.

I suggest you sue.

[pulykamell]

@chris156

I don’t understand what using fixed- or variable-width fonts has to do with anything; in either case, using two spaces does the same job: separating sentences to make them more readable.

The fixed and variable-width reasons have been explained in the many links given in this thread. In short, in proportional-sized fonts, the optimal space between characters is built into the typesetting. With monospaced fonts, every single character, including spaces takes up exactly the same amount of space.

I’ve never heard of two spaces after a semi-colon. When I was taught, I was taught two spaces after a period and colon only, one space after a comma and semi-colon. A quick glance of online sources confirms this.

Anyhow, I was taught two-spaces after a period into the early 90s. I gave it up in college because it looked wrong to me (i.e., it didn’t look like the text I was used to reading, the spacing looked exaggerated), and it turned out that, indeed, the new rule was one space for proportional fonts.

[Siam_Sam]

In Thailand, it’s sometimes hell convincing the locals to put ANY space at all after punctuation. And they’re always putting spaces before punctuation.

[633squadron]

@goofball

I was told in high school to use two spaces after the period that ends a sentence. Lately though, I’ve noticed some web sites advocating the use of only one space after the period at the end of a sentence.

So which is correct - one space or two.

:eek:

The real answer is “42”.

But by all means remember the question, because if you ever encounter a group of self-important writers, and you want to have some fun, just ask them this question. Anyone who doesn’t give a humorous answer has a pole up his/her ass.

[Gary_Robson]

@chris156

I’m 22 and I was taught to put two spaces after full stops and colons and semi-colons!

I was taught the two spaces after periods in high school typing in the 70’s. Court reporting school was teaching two spaces after colons in the 80’s (my wife was a court reporter).

I have never, ever, heard of putting two spaces after a semicolon.

[garygnu]

I just got an agenda for an event I’m producing that included two spaces after full stops… and a carriage return at the end of each line and it used spaces to indent lines.
Oh my Og.