Do You Double Space After A Period?

I still do it. No offense to anyone here, but some lazy-minded millennial probably decided it "wasn't necessary anymore", when it clearly does make a difference in ease of reading.

r1...

Forbes not only making the case why it isn't necessary, but why it was done in the first place.

That article in R2 actually points to all the flaws in that study claiming 1 space is enough. It doesn't make the case for why it's not necessary.

If you look at it from the stand point of a graphic designer it makes a lot of sense. Graphic design is basically words, text pictures arranged on a page to look good and easy to read. Real graphic designers utilize negative space as much as positive space. Bunched up type reads as a block, in fact that's what they call it. But when you put space around things it emphasizes them more. So if you want your reader to pause between sentences, it makes a lot more sense to add a double space than just another character.

r3, did you read the part about the size of the m on old typewriters?

I'm male and don't get periods so it's not relevant.

Using two spaces tells the world you are over 40. Kind of like how a yahoo.com, aol.com or hotmail.com shows you are old.

Yes, because I'm a highly educated individual who was taught how to write by some of the masters of the craft. I'm not some silly young fool who thinks it's cute to change something that has been standard for centuries.

There are some who feel it's no longer necessary to leave a space after a comma.

Personally, I always use four spaces.

Since it's not the 60s and I'm not using a manual typewriter, no, I do not do this.

Changes in the way word processing places and displays lettering is what caused the change - not "some dumb millennial." I'm not a millennial by any stretch but I also recognize when minor technological changes make sense. Trying to compare actual typography from the past as a 1:1 comparison to digital word processing really doesn't make sense.

I still do it. It’s how I learned, and it looks better.

If it makes me look old, that’s fine. I’m not trying to deceive anyone. *shrugs*

Are the people who say it's unnecessary the same people who cannot read and write in cursive?

I love that we have serious discussions about the topics such as this one while staring at the face of a dangerous global pandemic. And I don't mean it in a sarcastic way.

Call me old fashioned but yes !

When I took keyboarding (what they call typing nowadays) we were taught one space.

We just covered this topic in November 2019 and you don't want to know what I do after a period.

[quote] There are some who feel it's no longer necessary to leave a space after a comma.

When I come to power those people will be euthanized.

I'm so ancient, I didn't learn to type until computers (I'd always had secretaries). It's always been one space for me. So don't give me this "also can't read cursive" chazerai.

Oddly, I have an early-millennial friend who insists on double-spacing.

Those who write run-on sentences are probably wondering what the fuss is all about.

Thanks to Covid-19 and our masked society, it is no longer necessary to double space around me before, during, and after my period.

It looks better.

May as well start making the argument that we should always write ‘ U ‘ instead of ‘ you ‘ - because why use three letters ?

. . . . .

Two spaces give the eyes a millisecond to rest. With shortened attention spans, anything that encourages literacy is needed!

[quote]Some lazy-minded millennial probably decided it "wasn't necessary anymore"

No, modern fonts eliminated the need for a double-space, as they automatically adjust the kerning.

two spaces makes the sentences easier to read

When I took typing in HS, it was definitely two spaces after the period. It took me a while to unlearn it, but I only use one now; in thinking back, it does seem pretty unnecessary.

When I type emails or documents for work there is a visual difference between one space and two spaces after periods. I continue to put two spaces because it looks better.

One of my journalism professors would take off five points a paper for every time we didn't double-space. Lots of students received a B grade in a course instead of an A they would have gotten otherwise, solely because they made too many double-space mistakes.

This woman was a hard-core reporter when female reporters in the 50s were not taken seriously. She could spit nails. She also added bourbon to the coffee cup she refilled between classes. You wanted to take her classes in the mornings...

... So I have a generalized fear of single-spacing.

There is a simple reason for the change. In the days of typewriters all characters were created equal -The space that was created between typed characters was always the same, while the size of the letter (in width) was wildly different. Compare an M and a . and you see it clearly. The convention of double-spacing after a period was done to create a slight separation after that end punctuation, just as people did when writing by hand. Cut to the computer age. Now the space of every character is unique. When you type a period there is no space before or after it. Except that the machine is smart enough (rather, the programmers were) to know that human eyes prefer extra space between sentences, so the machine creates it automatically -And that extra space is different, depending on the character that follows the period. On a computer, typing two spaces after an end mark makes text look ragged. People can type as they like, of course, but if you're in school you can expect to have points deducted for not adhering to what is considered correct style (both MLA and APA).

For the record, I am most definitely an eldergay, but I keep up with the times.

[quote]No, modern fonts eliminated the need for a double-space, as they automatically adjust the kerning.

Actually that is incorrect. You assuming everyone is using MS Word or similar program, but not all programs do that. Don't believe me? Start a new *.txt file on your desktop on any Windows PC. Type one space and you only get one space. There is no automatic formatting or kerning. Some lazy-minded millennial cant think outside his "do it for me" button.

MS Word is now marking two spaces after a period as an error.

I used to use two but have tried to get in the habit of using just one.

Nitwit R35, Microsoft word is not a TXT file. Go back to school and come back when you learn the difference.

We just had this topic not long ago...🙄

I meant it IS 2 spaces after a period.

R36. I didn’t say it was a text file. You are strangely hostile regarding punctuation.

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