You’re a teacher and you want to write a book for Prentice Hall. Perhaps you are writing a textbook or an educational pamphlet. What are you gonna do with those double-spaces after periods?
“Always double-space your manuscript so that it can be easily copyedited. Type all copy flush left, rag right, including heads. Use a single space between sentences.”
http://prenhall.com/author_guide/general/overview.html
Chicago Manual of Style? Single-space.
“In typeset matter, one space, not two (in other words, a regular word space), follows any mark of punctuation that ends a sentence, whether a period, a colon, a question mark, an exclamation point, or closing quotation marks.”
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/ch06/ch06_sec013.html
The Modern Language Association? Single-space.
http://www.mla.org/style/style_faq/style_faq3
The Associated Press Stylebook? Single-space.
http://www.apstylebook.com/online/index.php?do=entry&id=3544&src=AE
US Government Printing Office Style Guide? Single-space.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2008_style_manual&docid=f:chapter2.wais
Typewriter Instructors of the 1980s? Single-space.
“We apologize for improperly indoctrinating a generation of people into the fallacy of double-spacing after periods. We are submitting ourselves for an immediate time-out in the corner, plus assigning ourselves an essay that must describe the evils perpetrated around the world as a result of double-spacing. Our bad.”
The Guatemalan Department of Indigenous Fruit Consumption? Single-space.
Elvis Impersonators Local 509 of Oshkosk, Wisconsin? Single-space.
It never ends.
First!
Always wondered why people do that but then I realized I had the chance and blammo… there it was.
Reason, because it makes you smile.
Oh man…I have always double spaced after every period, etc, What am I going to do now? I am going to go crazy tying to correct myself that’s what. Especially since I am working on a novel. /sigh
I still don’t get what the big deal is …
Oh Em Geeee….. I am so confused now. Double spaces have been engraved directly into the folds of my brain, how am I going to change that? What happened, who started this… whyyy? Look, I just did it again… though luckly, without “& nbsp;” there is no way to double space in HTML.
I think you had an awesome post about this back in the BRK days. I’ll try to dig it up unless you can find it first. =P
My typewriter instructor in the 1980′s taught me to double-space.
Thank you for dispelling this myth! I was always taught to place a single space after a period. When I came to college, I learned several of my classmates had been taught to place a double space.
In one class (a class on graphic design and placement), all double-spacers were smacked on the hand, while I sat there looking smug and all know-it-all-like.
I converted my husband too.
I’d agree with you wholeheartedly (actually i couldn’t give a rats ass about it) but my blackberry, the Droid OS, and I’m assuming the iPhone all automatically put a period when you double space at the end. It really is ingrained in all our heads. Besides, are you really looking at each sentence and measuring to make sure it’s one space? lol.
Love the blog D. Love it!
I learned to double-space as well, in my high school typing class. Wow, I literally had to stop right there and force myself not to hit the spacebar twice. This is going to take some getting used to.
High school keyboarding class taught me to double space. I have a hard time only hitting the space bar one time. I guess this could have been a precursor to the bunny hop / double jump phenomenon in FPS games.
I see nothing wrong with double-spacing everything; I do not understand what your problem is. It just helps you know if the person is a rote-learner with no mind of their own.
I double-space despite knowing single seems to be more common anymore these days. Was what I was taught growing up, but I also just like the extra visual separation between sentences compared to between words. Deliberately not-broken habit, so nyah.
I have always double-spaced after periods and it has nothing to do with being taught any particular rule set. I’ve always found it to be easier to pick up on ending sentences visually when the subtle amount of extra space is included. It doesn’t help that some applications will place certain characters in closer relation due to font, point size, etc. Those types of issues tend to encourage double-spacing after periods.
I learned to double space in typing class ages ago. Then one of my instructors in college told me I needed to single space, due to APA requirements so I started to single space. Now APA is saying to double space. *rubs head*
Alan said,
“I’d agree with you wholeheartedly (actually i couldn’t give a rats ass about it) but my blackberry, the Droid OS, and I’m assuming the iPhone all automatically put a period when you double space at the end.”
This is just a short cut they use so you don’t have to switch keyboard layouts to type a period. In reality, when you put “two spaces” at the end of a sentence on the iPhone, the first space converts to a period (because who puts two spaces between words?) and then there is one space between sentences. If you manually place a period and then hit space twice, you end up with two spaces after the period.
Although I am an avid two space person, I really don’t care. Two spaces after the period is just habit to me and mentally ends a sentence when I’m typing. If the iPhone changes that to a period and a space so I don’t have to switch layouts to get a period, so be it. And if Danial here parses my comment to remove the two spaces as well, so be it
. Maybe I should put my spaces in literally.(space)(space)Like this.
Edit: Also, afaik double spacing refers to when you skip a line (to make the editor’s job easier by giving them room to put comments / markups). Thus, I use the term two spaces.
But… but… but…
I needs a double space. How can you type anything without the double space? I don’t get it. I’m all confused.
Help.
Please.
One of the beautiful things about the rules for the ‘net — all spaces are collapsed unless you use a non-breaking space (by way of in your HTML).
So you can double-space all you want, and it’ll appear single-spaced.
FWIW, I learned to double-space as a child, but broke the habit years ago, somehow.
Okay. I submit.
Now to break myself of the habit.
I think the first example meant there should be double spaces between lines of text, as they go on to say, “Use a single space between sentences.”
I’ve double spaced between my sentences since I learned to type. I don’t really see myself breaking the habit now.
Single space after punctuation FTW! And thanks for the links; I’ll use em to help convert more people at work.
Steve
*kaboom* goes my brain!
I found out about this 2 or 3 months ago. I was taught in both my high school typing, and my high school office documentation class (form letters and all that jazz) to double space after punctuation. I still double space out of 14 years of muscle memory but I’m starting to auto correct them automatically. Eventually I’ll stop doing it altogether.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
You dropped the lede:
Disk Format
We can accept electronic files in the following formats: floppy disks: 3 1/2″ (both double density and high density) Optical disks: 128MG, 650MG and 1.3G. (Macintosh systems only) Syquest disks: 44MG, 88MG and 200MG We need to test a sample disk in advance if any type of compression system will be used. We do not accept files on tape.
nomorespacesperiod.ifyoucan’tfigureitouttoobad.
*shrug* I LIKE my double space. So I will continue to use it. Aggravating other people’s OCD tendencies is just a bonus!
Additionally, having spent all of my working hours yesterday reading math textbooks, I can assure you that were I to write one I would hope to be published by better than Prentice Hall. They were the second-worst book of the day, just in front of the one that had a college-level reading skill requirement* and the most bizarre formatting any of us had ever seen.
*When you teach struggling students as I do, this is a serious issue. They already struggle to read the book we are currently using and this one was worse.
I don’t want to nitpick, but when an editor writes “Always double-space your manuscript so that it can be easily copyedited,” it reads to me like double LINE spacing. You know, so notes can be written between lines. I don’t see anything in the Prentice-Hall guidelines (quoted here, I’m too lazy to go check their website) that addresses whether you should put two spaces after a full stop.
I think it goes way back to the time pre-computer. Back in the dark ages, at my very first experience with newspaper work, the company had an old lineotype machine. They kept it in mint condition, ready to run. All interns were given a small article they had to type on the machine. The first thing you did was type your name. Once you could do that without error, you typed this article. It was something 3 paragraphs long. I think mine was about a chili supper one of the local churches was doing. I spent 3 hours working on that. You can’t backspace on a lineotype machine. The letter you type is what gets made. They would put the copy on a printing board and have someone quickly proofread it. Some of the typos were hilarious.
Everything was the same space back then. You needed those two spaces to even out the look of the text. You don’t need that now.
Yes, I still have the lineotype with my name.
I double-space after periods and I’m proud of it! Rise up, my double-spacing brethren! Resist the foulness of single-spacing!
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!
“I don’t want to nitpick, but when an editor writes “Always double-space your manuscript so that it can be easily copyedited,” it reads to me like double LINE spacing. You know, so notes can be written between lines. I don’t see anything in the Prentice-Hall guidelines (quoted here, I’m too lazy to go check their website) that addresses whether you should put two spaces after a full stop.”
It’s right at the end of the quote in the blog entry: “Use a single space between sentences.”
I used to use two spaces between sentences, but work made me use only one.
I have a British friend who does a single space before the period . Like this .
Now that’s maddening .
Really, people double space after a period? Why? Online its collapsed to a single space on almost everything rendered by HTML. Most smart phones if you double space after a word you get a period and a single space. I mean, double spacing after it just makes no sense, if I saw it in a word document and was reviewing it, I would assume it was a typo. If I saw it more then once I would assume their machine was broken or that they are an idiot. I mean, I just don’t understand. You don’t do it in hand-writing, you shouldn’t do it in typing. I’m sure most graphic artists would smack anyone (like the poster said above) for doing this. *shrug*
Double spacing is left over from the monotype days, when all typefaces were fixed-width (every letter took up the same amount of space). Gimmlette, your lineotype machine, for example, used a fixed-width typeface, as did typewriters and most early computers. The double space had to be there to break up sentences visually.
Almost all commonly used typefaces today are proportional, so only a single space is needed to break up sentences. I also had to be broken from the double-space habit, as I learned in high school, but my graphic design professors in college took care of it pretty quickly.
Edit: Also, the poor teacher who double-spaced in their manuscript has an easy solution. Do a find and replace! Gotta love technology today.
Some Devil’s Advocacy to follow.
Daniel, from your very own proof, MLA in all its goodness:
http://www.mla.org/style/style_faq/style_faq3
“As a practical matter, however, there is nothing wrong with using two spaces after concluding punctuation marks unless an instructor or editor requests that you do otherwise.”
Right there at the bottom. “NOTHING WRONG.”
All of your other links oddly required purchased subscriptions, save for the “U.S. Government Printing Office” guidelines. And such guidelines really ought not to be OUR guidelines, considering that this is in the context of the interwebs and not a treatise with Bangladesh. Love your work and your humor, but I’m not a sycophant. You’re getting upset about something completely nonsensical, albeit well within your rights to do. Single space yourself into oblivion if you like, but ease up on the double spacers. There is no shame, nor no crime associated with double spacing. Think about it.
Holy crud, im just happy that you mentioned Wisconsin! Let alone the Elvis impersonators. As for the single to double space debat really dont care hafve read and graded both. shrug. Yes my spelling sucks.
Ugh. Double-spaces after punctuation is a horrible and despicable thing. I used to be a professional typesetter before the age of computers and nothing drives me crazier than all the bad typography I see nowadays. The wife has to hit me upside the head whenever I start reading a menu and instead of figuring out what to eat I start critiquing the layout. Makes me feel like Frederic Goudy.
Why is double spaceing bad? I find it easier to distinguish the sentences when reading if there is a double space. Of course it could just be the force of 30 years habit
Single spaces, double spaces dosen’t really matter to me. Now spelling, for God’s sake lets not use any version of text speak or twit/tweet speak. I feel like I will soon have to return to school so that I may learn to read again.
I wonder what it is like for todays english teachers when they have to grade an essay full of tweetlish grammar?
I think I am going to start putting my spaces before punctuation ,just to start driving everybody nuts .I wonder how long I can keep this up ?Right now my muscle memory is fighting this small attempt .Ouch ,that aneurysm just decided it had enough .
I. Cannot. Stand. Single. Spacers.
Yes, I made a point there. Single spacing after a sentence makes the whole body of work look absolutely cramped. I have read books that are single spaced, and it drives me bonkers. It makes it hard to read the work. It totally distracts me.
I hate that wordpress, my own blog, forces me to single space (it auto removes the second space).
When will the single space madness end???
To me, the biggest thing is I’m able to read it. Which means grammar and proper spelling matter more to me than whether you use one space or two spaces after periods. What’s really irksome is seeing people using there/their/they’re incorrectly.
The Bottomline:
Professional typesetters, designers, and desktop publishers should use one space only. Save the double spaces for typewriting, email, term papers (if prescribed by the style guide you are using), or personal correspondence. For everyone else, do whatever makes you feel good.
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/typespacing/a/onetwospaces.htm
Lighten up Daniel.
hmmm…I wonder where it all started since all these places/knowledgeable locales seem to indicate it should be a single space. I’m just so used to using double spaces after I finish a sentence that I do it without thinking. I was always taught that, from the time I started writing all the way up through college…how odd. /ponder
Oh, and btw, I like how you have your website set to fix any double spaces people include automatically LOL
You have to read some of those sources pretty selectively to interpret them as solely in favor of single spacing.
From the MLA style FAQ: “Because it is increasingly common for papers and manuscripts to be prepared with a single space after all punctuation marks, this spacing is shown in the examples in the MLA Handbook and the MLA Style Manual. As a practical matter, however, there is nothing wrong with using two spaces after concluding punctuation marks unless an instructor or editor requests that you do otherwise.”
As for the US Government printing office, on all such issues they just choose whichever convention they think is most commonly used and standardize things that way. It’s not an imprimatur of quality, common sense or historical practice.
I learnt to type on a manual typewriter! Will (lookee 2 spaces after punctuation mark) continue doing so! After years of teacher verbal direction (ie yelling) and paper covering keys until touch typing was ingrained. I’m not giving up my double space.
Well Hello! It’s a pleasure reading your blog,even though i have some problems understanding some things sometimes,because i’m not american/english.
It’s been almost a year since your last post on http://www.bigredkitty.com and I know you said that you’ll take a break,or at least that’s what I understood.You never said you’ll quit,so I come here and ask you:
“BRK will ever come back? BRK will ever make tutorials or videos with a lovely voice and perfect hunter?”
I’ll be visiting your blog frequently(hope I spelled right) and will be waiting for your response.
Best regards
Poor Daniel. Still obsessed…
Holy crud you people. It’s supposed to be two spaces between each word, three after a comma, & five after one of those symbols over the number keys! And seven, of course, after an exclamation point… (11 after a dot dot dot, and single spacing within parentheses).
Where the HELL* did you people go to school?
*13 spaces after a capitalized swear word
Oh, and now I see that your evil-empire blog editor has removed all those spaces necessary to allow me to communicate with the subtlety and nuance I require.
BLOODY HELL! (that’s 13 for the HELL, + 5 for the captalized modifier, 7 for the exclamation point, and 1 for the “go”)
What you write plus the great observations already made before I get around to reading not to mention commenting, result in me feeling like I need to say something profound.
I will always double space, even when handwriting. To my eye, it’s cleaner. Then again, I always put the period outside of the quotation marks when it rightfully belongs to the sentence, not the “quotation”. Drives editors nuts, but that’s their problem.