General Discussion

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)

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

Wed Feb 13, 2013, 09:30 PM

Feb 2013

At least according to most lawyers and judges.

Formal business still uses two spaces. The internet world uses one. Ha...I see by habit I used two spaces just now. But truth is, I often use one space on the internet. But in formal business, I use two.

Either way is considered correct, I believe...at least when I looked it up.

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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