Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Stephen Larivee Stephen Larivee is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 13
Default two spaces or one

What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces at the
end of a sentence?

  #2   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Jay Freedman Jay Freedman is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,854
Default two spaces or one

Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?


Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to PC-vs.-Mac.
Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient when
writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains that
two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in the
Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be marked,
not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.


  #3   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
JoAnn Paules JoAnn Paules is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,241
Default two spaces or one

One of my managers and I have differing opinions on this topic. I'm a single
space, he'd a double space. When I'm working on something he worked on, I
have to struggle with the desire to get rid of the extra space.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?


Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to PC-vs.-Mac.
Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient when
writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional
fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in the
Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be marked,
not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so all may benefit.


  #4   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
AR88 Enthusiast AR88 Enthusiast is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8
Default two spaces or one

I'll quickly hijack this thread Jay. You once kindly sent me service pack 1
foir Word 2000. Can you help re the help file? -- see other thread.

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...


  #5   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Stefan Blom[_3_] Stefan Blom[_3_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,897
Default two spaces or one

For what it's worth, in Swedish texts this isn't an issue at all: always one
space, even if you use an ancient typewriter...

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP



"JoAnn Paules" wrote in message
...
One of my managers and I have differing opinions on this topic. I'm a
single space, he'd a double space. When I'm working on something he worked
on, I have to struggle with the desire to get rid of the extra space.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?


Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to
PC-vs.-Mac. Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient
when writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional
fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in
the Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be
marked, not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so all may benefit.







  #6   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
AR88 Enthusiast AR88 Enthusiast is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8
Default two spaces or one

I used to be a two space man, but my understanding is that this was
necessary when we used fixed spaced fonts like Courier. Now with kerning
etc.the single space is sufficient. I confess that I still find myself doing
it though.

(But I resist the horrid modern practice of lower casing the i and omitting
most punctuation!)

"Stephen Larivee" wrote in message
...
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces at the
end of a sentence?



  #7   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Tom Willett[_2_] Tom Willett[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 372
Default two spaces or one

In all my years of using any word processor, I have never once had anyone
contact me to point out whether there is one too many spaces in my
documents. Nor have they complained that there were'nt enough spaces.

The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those who chastise others
for top posting ;-)

Tom
"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
: Stephen Larivee wrote:
: What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
: at the end of a sentence?
:
: Preferred by whom?
:
: This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to PC-vs.-Mac.
: Neither side will give in soon.
:
: One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient when
: writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is a
: holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that
: two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional fonts.
:
: Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in the
: Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be marked,
: not automatically changed.
:
: --
: Regards,
: Jay Freedman
: Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
: Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
: all may benefit.
:
:


  #8   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
bj bj is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default two spaces or one

When I'm writing, I usually do the one-space method -- though I grew up &
was taught the two-space method (even then, my typing teacher was cranky
about the fact that I hit the spacebar with *the wrong thumb!).

When I'm editing articles for a newsletter I don't usually go through &
eliminate any two-spaces, though I do change paragraph formatting to
extra-space-after rather than the two-carriage-returns.

Actually, for the newsletter I do, I just make it look as easily-readable as
possible. I don't hold to any hard & fast rules even with the styles I've
set up & been using for years.

I don't remember what I did for my thesis 15 years ago but I didn't get any
complaints about it.
bj

"Tom Willett" wrote in message
...
In all my years of using any word processor, I have never once had anyone
contact me to point out whether there is one too many spaces in my
documents. Nor have they complained that there were'nt enough spaces.

The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those who chastise
others
for top posting ;-)

Tom
"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
: Stephen Larivee wrote:
: What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
: at the end of a sentence?
:
: Preferred by whom?
:
: This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to
PC-vs.-Mac.
: Neither side will give in soon.
:



  #9   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Dave Symes Dave Symes is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 36
Default two spaces or one

In article ,
Tom Willett wrote:
[Snippy]

The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those who chastise
others for top posting ;-)


Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be flogged around the
fleet.

Dave

And no emoticon get-out, it's a serious business y'know.

:-\~

  #10   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Tom Willett[_2_] Tom Willett[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 372
Default two spaces or one


"Dave Symes" wrote in message
...
: In article ,
: Tom Willett wrote:
: [Snippy]
:
: The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those who chastise
: others for top posting ;-)
:
: Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be flogged around the
: fleet.

Which fleet would that be?





  #11   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
JoAnn Paules JoAnn Paules is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,241
Default two spaces or one

Oh please no! I have enough trouble getting him to communicate in English!
He seems to think I am a mindreader.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Stefan Blom" wrote in message
...
For what it's worth, in Swedish texts this isn't an issue at all: always
one space, even if you use an ancient typewriter...

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP



"JoAnn Paules" wrote in message
...
One of my managers and I have differing opinions on this topic. I'm a
single space, he'd a double space. When I'm working on something he
worked
on, I have to struggle with the desire to get rid of the extra space.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?

Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to
PC-vs.-Mac. Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient
when writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is
a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional
fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in
the Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be
marked, not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so all may benefit.






  #12   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
JoAnn Paules JoAnn Paules is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,241
Default two spaces or one

http://www.fleetlabs.com/index.php

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Tom Willett" wrote in message
...

"Dave Symes" wrote in message
...
: In article ,
: Tom Willett wrote:
: [Snippy]
:
: The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those who chastise
: others for top posting ;-)
:
: Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be flogged around
the
: fleet.

Which fleet would that be?




  #13   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Tom Willett[_2_] Tom Willett[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 372
Default two spaces or one

;-)

"JoAnn Paules" wrote in message
...
: http://www.fleetlabs.com/index.php
:
: --
: JoAnn Paules
: MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
: Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"
:
:
:
: "Tom Willett" wrote in message
: ...
:
: "Dave Symes" wrote in message
: ...
: : In article ,
: : Tom Willett wrote:
: : [Snippy]
: :
: : The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those who
chastise
: : others for top posting ;-)
: :
: : Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be flogged around
: the
: : fleet.
:
: Which fleet would that be?
:
:
:
:


  #14   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Suzanne S. Barnhill Suzanne S. Barnhill is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33,624
Default two spaces or one

For some reason my similar reply to this post (made eleven minutes before
yours) is not showing up, and one posted by Terry is struck through and
marked as "unavailable." Looks like we're having server upsets again. sigh

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?


Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to PC-vs.-Mac.
Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient when
writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional
fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in the
Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be marked,
not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so all may benefit.



  #15   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
LVTravel[_2_] LVTravel[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 12
Default two spaces or one



"Stephen Larivee" wrote in message
...
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces at the
end of a sentence?


OK, now since you posted over 10 hours ago and have gotten quite a bit of
advice, here is the definitive answer. It totally depends on your target
audience and personal preference in that order. If you are doing a document
that is going to be published and are told to use a particular style
publication manual then you need to use it for your work.

If this is correspondence to a business associate, where neatness counts,
find out what the company policy may be. After all you are working for the
company. If they don't care, as long as it is neat and readable, then you
shouldn't care either.

I came up through the typewriter days and had to double space after the
period all the time. I now normally single space on a computer as this is
just one less keystroke I have to make between sentences. I still forget
sometime and do put double spaces between sentences some times. Again mostly
it will be personal choice.

Have a great day.



  #16   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Terry Farrell Terry Farrell is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,904
Default two spaces or one

Weird. I cannot see my post either. But it was of no great significance.

Terry Farrell

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
For some reason my similar reply to this post (made eleven minutes before
yours) is not showing up, and one posted by Terry is struck through and
marked as "unavailable." Looks like we're having server upsets again.
sigh

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?


Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to
PC-vs.-Mac. Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient
when writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that two spaces look better and improve readability even in proportional
fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in
the Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be
marked, not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so all may benefit.



  #17   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Stefan Blom[_3_] Stefan Blom[_3_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,897
Default two spaces or one

:-)

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP



"JoAnn Paules" wrote in message
...
Oh please no! I have enough trouble getting him to communicate in English!
He seems to think I am a mindreader.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Stefan Blom" wrote in message
...
For what it's worth, in Swedish texts this isn't an issue at all: always
one space, even if you use an ancient typewriter...

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP



"JoAnn Paules" wrote in message
...
One of my managers and I have differing opinions on this topic. I'm a
single space, he'd a double space. When I'm working on something he
worked
on, I have to struggle with the desire to get rid of the extra space.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces
at the end of a sentence?

Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars, akin to
PC-vs.-Mac. Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least sufficient
when writing in proportional fonts, and that the two-spaces practice is
a
holdover from the fixed-pitch typewriter era. The other side maintains
that two spaces look better and improve readability even in
proportional
fonts.

Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set either preference in
the Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but an infraction will only be
marked, not automatically changed.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup
so all may benefit.








  #18   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Stephen Larivee Stephen Larivee is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 13
Default two spaces or one

I had wondered if one of these choices had emerged as the standard for word
processing. I was going to try to adapt to the "one space after the period"
if that were the standard of today. Apparently you can still do it either
way so I will stick with the way I have been typing/word processing for many
years now, two spaces after the period, with no guilt feelings about
violating current usage.

Thank you, everyone, for all the input!!

"LVTravel" wrote in message
...


"Stephen Larivee" wrote in message
...
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces at
the end of a sentence?


OK, now since you posted over 10 hours ago and have gotten quite a bit of
advice, here is the definitive answer. It totally depends on your target
audience and personal preference in that order. If you are doing a
document that is going to be published and are told to use a particular
style publication manual then you need to use it for your work.

If this is correspondence to a business associate, where neatness counts,
find out what the company policy may be. After all you are working for the
company. If they don't care, as long as it is neat and readable, then you
shouldn't care either.

I came up through the typewriter days and had to double space after the
period all the time. I now normally single space on a computer as this is
just one less keystroke I have to make between sentences. I still forget
sometime and do put double spaces between sentences some times. Again
mostly it will be personal choice.

Have a great day.


  #19   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
CyberTaz CyberTaz is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,348
Default two spaces or one

Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this conversation...
Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted to ask one fundamental question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print sentences, did your
teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces" between sentences or was the
instruction to leave "space" between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac


On 4/3/10 12:59 PM, in article ,
"Stephen Larivee" wrote:

I had wondered if one of these choices had emerged as the standard for word
processing. I was going to try to adapt to the "one space after the period"
if that were the standard of today. Apparently you can still do it either
way so I will stick with the way I have been typing/word processing for many
years now, two spaces after the period, with no guilt feelings about
violating current usage.

Thank you, everyone, for all the input!!

"LVTravel" wrote in message
...


"Stephen Larivee" wrote in message
...
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces at
the end of a sentence?


OK, now since you posted over 10 hours ago and have gotten quite a bit of
advice, here is the definitive answer. It totally depends on your target
audience and personal preference in that order. If you are doing a
document that is going to be published and are told to use a particular
style publication manual then you need to use it for your work.

If this is correspondence to a business associate, where neatness counts,
find out what the company policy may be. After all you are working for the
company. If they don't care, as long as it is neat and readable, then you
shouldn't care either.

I came up through the typewriter days and had to double space after the
period all the time. I now normally single space on a computer as this is
just one less keystroke I have to make between sentences. I still forget
sometime and do put double spaces between sentences some times. Again
mostly it will be personal choice.

Have a great day.



  #20   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
bj bj is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default two spaces or one

When I was first taught to *type* the teacher was most insistant about
2-spaces & even got cranky because I used my *left* thumb to press the
spacebar (I still do, more than 50 years later).

My early *hand*-writing school years were in several different
states/countries/languages; no telling what I was told.
bj

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this conversation...
Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted to ask one fundamental question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print sentences, did
your
teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces" between sentences or was the
instruction to leave "space" between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac





  #21   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Suzanne S. Barnhill Suzanne S. Barnhill is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33,624
Default two spaces or one

I would have no idea which thumb I use for spacing; apparently it's the
right, but I would have assumed you use whichever is handiest at the time,
same as for shifting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"bj" wrote in message
...
When I was first taught to *type* the teacher was most insistant about
2-spaces & even got cranky because I used my *left* thumb to press the
spacebar (I still do, more than 50 years later).

My early *hand*-writing school years were in several different
states/countries/languages; no telling what I was told.
bj

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this conversation...
Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted to ask one fundamental
question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print sentences, did
your
teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces" between sentences or was the
instruction to leave "space" between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac





  #22   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
LVTravel[_2_] LVTravel[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 12
Default two spaces or one



"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I would have no idea which thumb I use for spacing; apparently it's the
right, but I would have assumed you use whichever is handiest at the time,
same as for shifting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"bj" wrote in message
...
When I was first taught to *type* the teacher was most insistant about
2-spaces & even got cranky because I used my *left* thumb to press the
spacebar (I still do, more than 50 years later).

My early *hand*-writing school years were in several different
states/countries/languages; no telling what I was told.
bj

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this conversation...
Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted to ask one fundamental
question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print sentences, did
your
teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces" between sentences or was the
instruction to leave "space" between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac






Actually in typewriter days it was always the right thumb, even for
southpaws that were trained as touch typists. And yes, my typing teacher,
Miss Becky Moore, would really get on your case if you used anything other
than your right thumb.

  #23   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Suzanne S. Barnhill Suzanne S. Barnhill is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33,624
Default two spaces or one

I guess my typing teacher taught me well, then, even if I still can't type
on the top row without looking. It's a funny thing about that, actually: I
*can* type many characters on the top row without looking, but if something
hides the top row (as when I'm copying from a book that sticks out over the
edge of the desk and shades the top row of the keyboard (which is on a lower
keyboard tray), then I will inevitably miss when I go for a hyphen or
parenthesis. It's bound to be purely psychological, since I can hit them
unerringly without looking otherwise.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"LVTravel" wrote in message
...


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote in message
...
I would have no idea which thumb I use for spacing; apparently it's the
right, but I would have assumed you use whichever is handiest at the
time, same as for shifting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"bj" wrote in message
...
When I was first taught to *type* the teacher was most insistant about
2-spaces & even got cranky because I used my *left* thumb to press the
spacebar (I still do, more than 50 years later).

My early *hand*-writing school years were in several different
states/countries/languages; no telling what I was told.
bj

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this conversation...
Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted to ask one fundamental
question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print sentences, did
your
teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces" between sentences or was the
instruction to leave "space" between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac






Actually in typewriter days it was always the right thumb, even for
southpaws that were trained as touch typists. And yes, my typing teacher,
Miss Becky Moore, would really get on your case if you used anything other
than your right thumb.


  #24   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
CyberTaz CyberTaz is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,348
Default two spaces or one

Exactly the point...

It wasn't until the introduction of the typewriter that the concept of "a"
space took on any finite dimension. The objective of "space between
sentences" is for the purpose of visual clarity, but the appropriate amount
of space is subjectively predicated on what precedes & follows the space. I
seriously doubt that '2 spaces' ever dripped from the tongue or even crossed
the mind of Guttenberg.

As so often happens, laxity in communication is what has triggered this
seemingly unending but totally unfounded debate. My 'guess' is that the
actual original instruction was "Press the spacebar twice after a period."
because pressing the spacebar once often did not create a sufficient amount
of space. The compensatory workaround for *increasing the amount of space*
became loosely translated into "type 2 spaces".

Logically there can't be "2 spaces" -- the size of the 1 space is either
more or less, narrower or wider. To accomplish the objective on a typewriter
necessitates pressing the space bar a second time, whereas the precise
adjustment of that space is intrinsic to proportional fonts.

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac



On 4/3/10 5:35 PM, in article , "bj"
wrote:

When I was first taught to *type* the teacher was most insistant about
2-spaces & even got cranky because I used my *left* thumb to press the
spacebar (I still do, more than 50 years later).

My early *hand*-writing school years were in several different
states/countries/languages; no telling what I was told.
bj

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this conversation...
Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted to ask one fundamental question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print sentences, did
your
teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces" between sentences or was the
instruction to leave "space" between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac




  #25   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
bj bj is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default two spaces or one

"LVTravel" wrote in message
...


Actually in typewriter days it was always the right thumb, even for
southpaws that were trained as touch typists. And yes, my typing teacher,
Miss Becky Moore, would really get on your case if you used anything other
than your right thumb.


(My other reply went off on cyber-vacation.)

I think we must have had the same teacher, or a clone thereof.
:-)
bj
(left-thumb-spacing since 1957)



  #26   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Twayne[_2_] Twayne[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 173
Default two spaces or one

In ,
Stephen Larivee typed:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or
two spaces at the end of a sentence?


It would seem that, with fixed-width fonts, a doublespace is
used. With proportional spaced fonts it's often only necessary
to use one.

But you'll find a lot of various opinions - some even the
opposite of what I just gave. I learned two on the typewriter
and still use it; no one has ever complained and most seem to
not care anyway. I'd say it's up to the person at the keyboard
and what he thinks it looks like.

HTH,

Twayne`


  #27   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Twayne[_2_] Twayne[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 173
Default two spaces or one

In ,
Dave Symes typed:
In article ,
Tom Willett wrote:
[Snippy]

The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those
who chastise others for top posting ;-)


Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be
flogged around the fleet.


On some sites. But here the concensus seems to be that it
doesn't matter. I bottom post unless there is already a top
post; then I top post to keep it all aligned.
It's a silly thing for anyone to argue about or even
debate, actually. Netiquette & most gurus believe in the trim
& inline, then bottom if no inline. Personally I couldn't
care which. I stay out of trouble by simply using what the
concensus is. Oh, and ignoring dummies who troll to make an
arguement out of it.

I agree - who really cares?

HTH,

Twayne`

Dave

And no emoticon get-out, it's a serious business y'know.

:-\~




  #28   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Twayne[_2_] Twayne[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 173
Default two spaces or one

In ,
Suzanne S. Barnhill typed:
For some reason my similar reply to this post (made eleven
minutes before yours) is not showing up, and one posted by
Terry is struck through and marked as "unavailable." Looks
like we're having server upsets again. sigh


Had one a moment ago. I've found that if you go on to the next
post, then come back to the lined thru one, often it'll show
the second time. Just a reload doesn't work though. From
Here, anyway.

HTH,

Twayne`


"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
Stephen Larivee wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or
two spaces at the end of a sentence?


Preferred by whom?

This is the subject of one of those never-ending wars,
akin to PC-vs.-Mac. Neither side will give in soon.

One side maintains that one space is "correct" or at least
sufficient when writing in proportional fonts, and that
the two-spaces practice is a holdover from the fixed-pitch
typewriter era. The other side maintains that two spaces
look better and improve readability even in proportional
fonts. Word takes a more hands-off approach. You can set
either
preference in the Spelling & Grammar options dialog, but
an infraction will only be marked, not automatically
changed. --
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups
to the newsgroup so all may benefit.




  #29   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Twayne[_2_] Twayne[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 173
Default two spaces or one

In ,
CyberTaz typed:
Hi Stephen;

One more voice to the choir after having watched this
conversation... Whenever it arises :-) I'm always tempted
to ask one fundamental question;

If you think back to when you first were taught to print
sentences, did your teacher instruct you to put "2 spaces"
between sentences or was the instruction to leave "space"
between sentences?

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac


Yeah, but ... wouldn't you consider cursive writing to be moot
compared to a set of keys?




On 4/3/10 12:59 PM, in article
, "Stephen Larivee"
wrote:

I had wondered if one of these choices had emerged as the
standard for word processing. I was going to try to adapt
to the "one space after the period" if that were the
standard of today. Apparently you can still do it either
way so I will stick with the way I have been typing/word
processing for many years now, two spaces after the
period, with no guilt feelings about violating current
usage.

Thank you, everyone, for all the input!!

"LVTravel" wrote in message
...


"Stephen Larivee" wrote in message
...
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or
two spaces at the end of a sentence?

OK, now since you posted over 10 hours ago and have
gotten quite a bit of advice, here is the definitive
answer. It totally depends on your target audience and
personal preference in that order. If you are doing a
document that is going to be published and are told to
use a particular style publication manual then you need
to use it for your work.

If this is correspondence to a business associate, where
neatness counts, find out what the company policy may be.
After all you are working for the company. If they don't
care, as long as it is neat and readable, then you
shouldn't care either.

I came up through the typewriter days and had to double
space after the period all the time. I now normally
single space on a computer as this is just one less
keystroke I have to make between sentences. I still
forget sometime and do put double spaces between
sentences some times. Again mostly it will be personal
choice.

Have a great day.




  #30   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Terry Farrell Terry Farrell is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,904
Default two spaces or one

What really annoys me about bottom posting is that many perpetrators NEVER
trim the post. I agree that keeping at least the previous answer when you
reply is necessary, but sometimes replies are so far down the page I just
refuse to scroll down to read the answer.

Top posting a simple answer to a simple question seems to work really well
in here where most users top post.

Terry Farrell

"Twayne" wrote in message
...
In ,
Dave Symes typed:
In article ,
Tom Willett wrote:
[Snippy]

The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those
who chastise others for top posting ;-)


Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be
flogged around the fleet.


On some sites. But here the concensus seems to be that it doesn't matter.
I bottom post unless there is already a top post; then I top post to keep
it all aligned.
It's a silly thing for anyone to argue about or even debate, actually.
Netiquette & most gurus believe in the trim & inline, then bottom if no
inline. Personally I couldn't care which. I stay out of trouble by simply
using what the concensus is. Oh, and ignoring dummies who troll to make an
arguement out of it.

I agree - who really cares?

HTH,

Twayne`

Dave

And no emoticon get-out, it's a serious business y'know.

:-\~






  #31   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Terry Farrell Terry Farrell is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,904
Default two spaces or one

Surely back in the days when printing was achieved by placing mirror
characters onto a plate, there must have been a set of spaces for different
uses (following a comma, following quotation marks, following an end of
sentence stop, etc.). The typewriter had a limited availability of
characters, so the number of different spaces was sacrificed - hence the
need for a double space after the end-of-sentence stop.

Sometimes when I read my daily newspaper, I wish they would return to 'hot
metal' presses!

Terry Farrell

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Exactly the point...

It wasn't until the introduction of the typewriter that the concept of "a"
space took on any finite dimension. The objective of "space between
sentences" is for the purpose of visual clarity, but the appropriate
amount
of space is subjectively predicated on what precedes & follows the space.
I
seriously doubt that '2 spaces' ever dripped from the tongue or even
crossed
the mind of Guttenberg.

As so often happens, laxity in communication is what has triggered this
seemingly unending but totally unfounded debate. My 'guess' is that the
actual original instruction was "Press the spacebar twice after a period."
because pressing the spacebar once often did not create a sufficient
amount
of space. The compensatory workaround for *increasing the amount of space*
became loosely translated into "type 2 spaces".

Logically there can't be "2 spaces" -- the size of the 1 space is either
more or less, narrower or wider. To accomplish the objective on a
typewriter
necessitates pressing the space bar a second time, whereas the precise
adjustment of that space is intrinsic to proportional fonts.

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac



  #32   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
bj bj is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default two spaces or one

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...

Sometimes when I read my daily newspaper, I wish they would return to 'hot
metal' presses!


The way things are going, you won't have to worry about what's *on* the
paper -- there won't *be* any paper, it'll all be online. Maybe a Daily
Linker to give titles & article links. Probably all by e-mail.

I sure do spend a lot less time on the (ever-shrinking) daily paper than I
used to! even the Sunday paper doesn't take that long anymore. It's
confusing my routine. :-)
bj
(what are they lining bird-cages with now?)

  #33   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Suzanne S. Barnhill Suzanne S. Barnhill is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33,624
Default two spaces or one

Along with not trimming, there is the issue of not noticing that you are
posting your answer in an existing line, which is going to start with a
quote character. This makes it very hard to determine where the reply
begins, since it appears to be part of the quoted text.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
What really annoys me about bottom posting is that many perpetrators NEVER
trim the post. I agree that keeping at least the previous answer when you
reply is necessary, but sometimes replies are so far down the page I just
refuse to scroll down to read the answer.

Top posting a simple answer to a simple question seems to work really well
in here where most users top post.

Terry Farrell

"Twayne" wrote in message
...
In ,
Dave Symes typed:
In article ,
Tom Willett wrote:
[Snippy]

The bottom line is, who really cares? Except maybe those
who chastise others for top posting ;-)

Top posting is a heinous crime, for which you should be
flogged around the fleet.


On some sites. But here the concensus seems to be that it doesn't matter.
I bottom post unless there is already a top post; then I top post to keep
it all aligned.
It's a silly thing for anyone to argue about or even debate, actually.
Netiquette & most gurus believe in the trim & inline, then bottom if no
inline. Personally I couldn't care which. I stay out of trouble by
simply using what the concensus is. Oh, and ignoring dummies who troll to
make an arguement out of it.

I agree - who really cares?

HTH,

Twayne`

Dave

And no emoticon get-out, it's a serious business y'know.

:-\~






  #34   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Suzanne S. Barnhill Suzanne S. Barnhill is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33,624
Default two spaces or one

When compositors set type by hand, they insert spaces of varying widths to
make up the line. A Linotype automatically inserts the correct number of
thin spaces between words to justify the line (the Linotypist types all the
characters, pressing the spacebar once after each; when he hits Return, the
machine does the spacing automatically, just as in Word). In some
typesetting manual, I saw an instruction to leave "the space of the line"
(that is, the automatic space, whatever that turns out to be) after a
period, which would mean one press of the spacebar.

By and large, if you examine contemporary printed books from mainline
publishing houses, you'll see this convention followed, but if you look at
older books (typeset in the nineteenth century, for example), you may well
see more space between sentences.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
Surely back in the days when printing was achieved by placing mirror
characters onto a plate, there must have been a set of spaces for
different uses (following a comma, following quotation marks, following an
end of sentence stop, etc.). The typewriter had a limited availability of
characters, so the number of different spaces was sacrificed - hence the
need for a double space after the end-of-sentence stop.

Sometimes when I read my daily newspaper, I wish they would return to 'hot
metal' presses!

Terry Farrell

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
.. .
Exactly the point...

It wasn't until the introduction of the typewriter that the concept of
"a"
space took on any finite dimension. The objective of "space between
sentences" is for the purpose of visual clarity, but the appropriate
amount
of space is subjectively predicated on what precedes & follows the space.
I
seriously doubt that '2 spaces' ever dripped from the tongue or even
crossed
the mind of Guttenberg.

As so often happens, laxity in communication is what has triggered this
seemingly unending but totally unfounded debate. My 'guess' is that the
actual original instruction was "Press the spacebar twice after a
period."
because pressing the spacebar once often did not create a sufficient
amount
of space. The compensatory workaround for *increasing the amount of
space*
became loosely translated into "type 2 spaces".

Logically there can't be "2 spaces" -- the size of the 1 space is either
more or less, narrower or wider. To accomplish the objective on a
typewriter
necessitates pressing the space bar a second time, whereas the precise
adjustment of that space is intrinsic to proportional fonts.

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac




  #35   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
CyberTaz CyberTaz is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,348
Default two spaces or one

snip
On 4/4/10 12:48 PM, in article ,
"Twayne" wrote:


Yeah, but ... wouldn't you consider cursive writing to be moot
compared to a set of keys?

snip

Absolutely not.

The purpose of the space is based on the same fundamental principle
regardless of the technology being used to produce the document :-)

Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac



  #36   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Twayne[_2_] Twayne[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 173
Default two spaces or one

In ,
Suzanne S. Barnhill typed:
Along with not trimming, there is the issue of not noticing
that you are posting your answer in an existing line, which
is going to start with a quote character. This makes it
very hard to determine where the reply begins, since it
appears to be part of the quoted text.


Gotta agree there! A Return before and after a response
improves readability a LOT.

HTH,

Twayne`


  #37   Report Post  
Posted to microsoft.public.word.newusers
Tim Mastrogiacomo Tim Mastrogiacomo is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16
Default two spaces or one

On Apr 2, 1:34*pm, "Stephen Larivee" wrote:
What is the preferred way of typing today, to put one or two spaces at the
end of a sentence?


It seems like using two spaces is becoming less popular, but you still
them used consistently it in certain technical manuals that have many
decimals, symbols, etc. In those situations they make the text more
readable.


Tim Mastrogiacomo


Reply
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Spaces before ? and ! and ; Ken Knight Microsoft Word Help 9 January 27th 09 07:25 PM
Two different spaces Judy New Users 9 November 14th 08 11:47 AM
I want to add spaces after a right tab Nigel Greensitt Page Layout 2 December 28th 05 11:59 AM
How can I replace single spaces with double spaces in a docume TJ Microsoft Word Help 1 February 27th 05 05:22 AM
I cannot type two sequential letters or spaces or back spaces? TLThomas Microsoft Word Help 1 November 30th 04 09:02 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:20 PM.

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 Microsoft Office Word Forum - WordBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Microsoft Word"