Comments on: One Space or Two At the End of a Sentence? http://www.dailywritingtips.com/one-space-or-two-at-the-end-of-a-sentence/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:00:10 -0600 hourly 1 By: Peter http://www.dailywritingtips.com/one-space-or-two-at-the-end-of-a-sentence/comment-page-1/#comment-177061 Peter Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:19:35 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=2597#comment-177061 <i>Also, all modern word processing programs only require ONE SPACE after punctuation.</i> As far as I know, all modern word processing programs let you type as many spaces as you like. If you type ten spaces between sentences, it'll print big wide spaces. This is, of course, utterly stupid. The sensible thing to do would be to recognize the ends of sentences and use an appropriate amount of space -- it wouldn't care how many spaces you typed; if you typed two or ten or a thousand, it would still use the same amount of sentence-ending space. However, in order to recognize the end of a sentence, the software would <i>require</i> more than one space (because full stops sometimes occur mid-sentence, in abbreviations, etc.; unaided determination of end-of-sentence would require human-level language processing ability, for perfect accuracy), so that futuristic word processor I'm describing would <b>not</b> do the right thing if you only typed one space (except in special cases where sentence-ending space is the same as inter-word space ("French spacing") -- but even then, it would lose in the line-breaking algorithm: end of sentence is a better break point than arbitrary inter-word space) Upshot of which: if you want to have a hope in Hades of producing good-looking output (which no modern word processor is even close to being capable of), you <b>must</b> double-space! Also, all modern word processing programs only require ONE SPACE after punctuation.

As far as I know, all modern word processing programs let you type as many spaces as you like. If you type ten spaces between sentences, it’ll print big wide spaces. This is, of course, utterly stupid. The sensible thing to do would be to recognize the ends of sentences and use an appropriate amount of space — it wouldn’t care how many spaces you typed; if you typed two or ten or a thousand, it would still use the same amount of sentence-ending space.

However, in order to recognize the end of a sentence, the software would require more than one space (because full stops sometimes occur mid-sentence, in abbreviations, etc.; unaided determination of end-of-sentence would require human-level language processing ability, for perfect accuracy), so that futuristic word processor I’m describing would not do the right thing if you only typed one space (except in special cases where sentence-ending space is the same as inter-word space (”French spacing”) — but even then, it would lose in the line-breaking algorithm: end of sentence is a better break point than arbitrary inter-word space)

Upshot of which: if you want to have a hope in Hades of producing good-looking output (which no modern word processor is even close to being capable of), you must double-space!

]]> By: David http://www.dailywritingtips.com/one-space-or-two-at-the-end-of-a-sentence/comment-page-1/#comment-167513 David Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:09:38 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=2597#comment-167513 In the very first post, Susan misspelled judgment. Also, all modern word processing programs only require ONE SPACE after punctuation. If you double space you look like an old geezer beeping a telegraph to Abraham Lincoln. In the very first post, Susan misspelled judgment. Also, all modern word processing programs only require ONE SPACE after punctuation. If you double space you look like an old geezer beeping a telegraph to Abraham Lincoln.

]]> By: roylee http://www.dailywritingtips.com/one-space-or-two-at-the-end-of-a-sentence/comment-page-1/#comment-155354 roylee Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:32:02 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=2597#comment-155354 The double space thing is leftover from typewriters; however, business teachers, now often called technology teachers or vocational teachers are still teaching double-space. As an English teacher, I have to change what students have been taught WRONG. Twenty years into the IT age and NC's State Dept of Instruction (Vocational) refuses to change. They have incorporated double-space into curriculum objectives, meaning it must be taught (and will be tested on their revered VoCats End-of Course exam). Pure ignorance (not to mention the general uselessness of VoCats instructors)! The double space thing is leftover from typewriters; however, business teachers, now often called technology teachers or vocational teachers are still teaching double-space. As an English teacher, I have to change what students have been taught WRONG. Twenty years into the IT age and NC’s State Dept of Instruction (Vocational) refuses to change. They have incorporated double-space into curriculum objectives, meaning it must be taught (and will be tested on their revered VoCats End-of Course exam). Pure ignorance (not to mention the general uselessness of VoCats instructors)!

]]> By: Nellie M. http://www.dailywritingtips.com/one-space-or-two-at-the-end-of-a-sentence/comment-page-1/#comment-154269 Nellie M. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:10:29 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=2597#comment-154269 To Sarah & Debbie: Sarah is correct. Periods go inside the quotations, but question marks don't. Unless the person speaking is asking a question. And I always double-space at the end of my sentences; I don't think I could stop if I wanted to. It's just by habit from what I was taught in, like, kindergarten. To Sarah & Debbie:

Sarah is correct. Periods go inside the quotations, but question marks don’t. Unless the person speaking is asking a question.

And I always double-space at the end of my sentences; I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to. It’s just by habit from what I was taught in, like, kindergarten.

]]> By: Ken http://www.dailywritingtips.com/one-space-or-two-at-the-end-of-a-sentence/comment-page-1/#comment-149631 Ken Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:41:57 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=2597#comment-149631 Hi, Just stumbled on this site and got caught up in this thread. The comment from "bad tim" caught my eye. While he is quite correct to point out that Americans have the right to use their own (incorrect) or any other version of english, the rebellion did not give America the right to impose their version on anyone. Personally I would prefer to use Welsh which as everyone knows is The Language of Heaven. Hi,
Just stumbled on this site and got caught up in this thread.

The comment from “bad tim” caught my eye. While he is quite correct to point out that Americans have the right to use their own (incorrect) or any other version of english, the rebellion did not give America the right to impose their version on anyone.

Personally I would prefer to use Welsh which as everyone knows is The Language of Heaven.

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