Subscribe by Email

Your email:

Call for Blog Articles

Want to share your experiences, advice, or ideas with the GrammarPhile community? Do you have grammar, punctuation, editing questions you'd like answered? Submit guest post ideas or questions to conni@proofreadnow.com.

Alltop. We're kind of a big deal.

Posts by popularity

Posts by category

The GrammarPhile Blog

Current Articles | RSS Feed RSS Feed

Double Space or Not - That is the Question!

Posted by Julie DeSilva on Tue, Nov 23, 2010 @ 03:30
  
  
  
  

Recently I have found myself in the midst of a heated debate with two of my close friends—let’s call them Sharon and Mick—who are both excellent writers, but who vet their work through me from time to time for fine-tuning. After all, I am the professional proofreader. Apparently being the only professional proofreader isn’t enough when trying to convince people to give up something they were taught when they were young and hope will appear in their obituaries!

So I bring the debate to this blog and ask you all you to weigh in.

The question is simple: two spaces or one after a period? The answer, in my humble opinion, is also simple: one.

But Sharon came back with 

Since it’s come to my attention that Mick was also severely scolded, I am including him on this email.  After reviewing several websites to clarify the double spacing rule, I have found no significant evidence to support your argument, Julie.  Furthermore (notice the double spacing), each and every website concludes the same result that there is no wrong or right.

If I have time this summer, I will organize a rally on the common promoting double spacing—we have rights too you know.

To which I replied:

As a professional in the publishing business I have to respectfully disagree for 3 reasons:

  1. We don’t typeset with hot lead any more. Digital font creation automatically accounts for proper spacing after a period.
  2. In justified text (like in textbooks, where you will NEVER see double spaces after periods) you create unsightly, tree-killing spaces in between sentences that are down right offensive to the eye.
  3. Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook (the sources for all things published in the universe) have both adopted the MODERN use of one space after a period.

I will be at your rally, Sharon, jumping up and down on a typewriter, wearing a T-shirt that reads “Join us in the new millennium.”

Then Mick weighed in with:

I vote for Sharon’s highly intellectual and even more highly entertaining argument!!  Of course, I do this because it suits my own preference with regards to double double spacing spacing. 

In a phone conversation later he added:

I am just never going to change because that’s the way I was taught. 

Stubborn curmudgeons stuck in the seventies or stalwart stewards of standards of old?

What say you?

Tags: ,

Comments

Hahahahahahahahahaha. Hahahahahahahaha.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 5:29 by Amy McIlwaine
Note that I used one (1) space above. Great article.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 5:29 by Amy McIlwaine
I, too, have struggled with this question. While I understand, and even agree with, the reasoning behind using 1 space, my brain is not willing to make this adjustment. I've tried to use 1 space, but it just never works! I wonder if there's a 12-step program that addresses this...
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 8:06 by Pam
I vote "stuck in the seventies." With my sympathies. But one CAN learn to do otherwise. It would be a mercy, especially in text that will be (ugh) fully justified.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 8:17 by Margo
Those of us who went to college and graduate school since the seventies learned that one types a single space--never two--after a period.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 9:41 by Helen D. Riley
I know that one space is preferred these days. But my brain still wants two spaces, and my eyes think one space after a period looks funny. However, my children and grandchildren use - or are being taught to use - the one-space method, and I will fade away eventually. I don't think I'm a threat to anyone. And I just noticed that I used two spaces after a period here, even though I was determined to use one.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:17 by Mary Lichlyter
Um, Helen, I went to college in the '80s, and we still used typewriters (home computers were still quite pricey and not the norm), and therefore we still typed two spaces. I do think it looks better and gives the eye a an easy way to distinguish between sentences. I do it out of habit now, and don't really care one way or the other, but if an employer wants one space, I'll use the program's autocorrect to fix it. If it becomes a true issue, I'll change. I haven't found many people in my industry noticing, or caring.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:39 by Karen
Being stuck in the fifties causes even more angst. When I was helping a friend with an online college assignment, I found out that "two spaces" was one of the many things of my youth that has gone out of fashion. So I have adopted the "new way." It doesn't bother me nearly as much as some other new conventions too numerous to mention.  
 
A friend still clings to two spaces claiming that it is easier to read. Can I trade two spaces for, oh, say, adverbs used appropriately?
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:00 PM by Paula Mochel
So nice to have so many comments on my piece! So sad that Karen pointed out "I haven't found many people in my industry noticing, or caring." My guess is that those of you who care about 2 spaces also care about proper use of adjectives and a host of other things that happen in text, so in the spirit of Thanksgiving I say I am thankful that you care . . . go forth and double space!
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 1:34 PM by Julie D
I care about spaces and love this article. I've been using one space for about ten years. As the agency proofreader, I make sure everyone follows suit. I'll share this article with my team!
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 3:16 PM by Alison Stringham
Alison, you go girl! : )
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 3:49 PM by Julie D
In the 1960's I was taught on a typewriter to place two spaces. In the 1980's I was taught keyboarding on a PC to place one space between sentences. The reasoning was the automatic justification needed the one space to even letters in the lines (or something like that). I was just dinged by a contracting agency for only using one space between sentences. So, I changed again. I would prefer one space. I just hope my headstone will stay accepatable.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 4:23 PM by Diana P
Nobody taught me to leave two spaces after a period. It must have wasted tons of sheep skin in old ages before paper was invented!
Posted @ Tuesday, November 23, 2010 4:29 PM by Jeffrey
I was taught two spaces after a sentence period at the start of my graduate education, but around 2000, the reigning practice changed to one space. One space saves paper, but I understand habit, and I'm allowing the 94- year-old author I'm editing his two spaces.
Posted @ Saturday, November 27, 2010 12:43 PM by Sarah Abts
I was an English major and a Techical Writer for three years. I prefer two spaces and not using full justification. But I'll trade the spaces for never having to see there instead of they're or your instead of you're. Let's not lose our grip on the actual language of English!
Posted @ Saturday, November 27, 2010 8:10 PM by Liz
TWO. 
 
 
 
My typing teacher taught me that in tenth grade and until she changes it, that's the rule for me :)
Posted @ Sunday, November 28, 2010 4:12 PM by Jsmith
In 1968, my typing teacher, Mrs. Hamilton, taught us two spaces. We were using IBM Selectrics then, and she walked around the room with a yardstick, whacking our wrists if we ever laid eyes on the keyboard. She taught two spaces. Seemed fine at the time. After all, most of us who had typewriters at home had manual ones that didn't react as swiftly as the electric ones in school. But when I sold DECSystem computers in the seventies, with WORD PROCESSING software (WOW!), I easily made the switch to one space, and have loved every minute of it ever since. It saves my thumb, too.
Posted @ Sunday, November 28, 2010 5:57 PM by Phil Jamieson
Well I really like the two spaces. A little bit of space in the text isn't such a bad thing is it? And if people call me old fashioned, well I can live with that too.
Posted @ Monday, November 29, 2010 4:50 PM by Matthew G
When posting messages to web sites, it always count it as one space no matter how many you type in.     Unless you use HTML entities.     Like this.
Posted @ Monday, November 29, 2010 5:02 PM by Jeffrey
Definitely two. Yes, it was the way I was taught, and change is hard. But beyond that, I teach court reporting and I am always telling the students to use two spaces after final periods, because they are taught elsewhere to use one.  
 
My reasoning is that it makes it easier to distinguish separate sentences, especially combined with the use of periods for abbreviations which, of course, only require one space. Also, it makes it immediately apparent that it is a period rather than a comma. A comma followed by a capped word can sometimes look like a period. To me, one space makes the text look crowded and like a solid block. 
 
When I copy things off the Internet to read for class dictation, I always add another space for ease of reading. Obviously, this dog (I'm not THAT old) isn't interested in learning new tricks!
Posted @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 1:59 PM by Merilyn Vaughn
I might add that it's not fair that the computer program here automatically uses one space so those of us who prefer two spaces have our comments written with only one!
Posted @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 2:07 PM by Merilyn Vaughn
I am delighted by the conversation here, and surprised that the answer is no more clear after informed debate! Dare I say that "Sharon" is right, that there is no right or wrong?! As a proofreader I like rules, but as a thinking person when so many other thinking people disagree (and with good reason--some clients are still calling for 2 spaces!) I have to say we might just have to agree to disagree!
Posted @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 2:13 PM by Julie D
Merilyn: I completely agree with you. Darn software program! Wish there was something I could do about it but it's not something I can control as the webmaster here. Just something we all have to live with. Sorry.
Posted @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 4:02 PM by Conni Eversull
Thanks, "factory coach" ... we love to share here at PNCI!
Posted @ Wednesday, January 12, 2011 8:10 PM by Julie D
I'm a professional proofreader, too, and most of my clients use one space. However, if the piece is dense or technical, clients will often use two spaces just to give the reader's eyes a rest. Whether you use one space or two at the end of a sentence, don't forget that it also applies to question marks and exclamation points.
Posted @ Monday, December 26, 2011 7:22 by Nancy Simonds
Post Comment
Name
 *
Email
 *
Website (optional)
Comment
 *

Allowed tags: <a> link, <b> bold, <i> italics