How many spaces after a period? When I was in Connecticut, a teacher taught me two space. But then in NC they basically told me to stop it, and almost nobody else did it.

3/6/2011 5:48:02 PM

Doesn't matter to me as long as you're consistent.

[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 5:49 PM. Reason : grammar]

3/6/2011 5:48:46 PM

i was taught 2 spaces as well...

back in '95 when i took keyboarding in high school...


but i don't know anyone who does it that way now

3/6/2011 5:49:29 PM

i use 2 spaces, was taught it at some point

probably at Toisnot

[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 5:51 PM. Reason : ]

3/6/2011 5:51:10 PM

i too, have wondered this

i was always taught 2 spaces.

3/6/2011 5:53:12 PM

usually I see people use/formatting requirements say 2.

every now and then I see 1.

I much prefer two.

3/6/2011 5:54:45 PM

I always go with two...I suppose it goes back to keyboard in elementary school

3/6/2011 5:55:52 PM

I was never taught 2. therefore, it is blasphemy.

3/6/2011 6:00:10 PM

I've always used 2 since keyboarding in high school, same for after colons

3/6/2011 6:00:15 PM

yeah...i ALWAYS double space after colons

3/6/2011 6:01:06 PM

I was taught two spaces. I don't even think about it anymore whenever I type out sentences...except this one of course. I had an english teacher at a community college tell me that I was wrong, but I ignored her because she was wrong on several occasions.

3/6/2011 6:02:55 PM

2 after a period/question mark/exclamation point

2 after a colon

1 after a semi-colon

1 after a comma

3/6/2011 6:05:35 PM

space is so relative

3/6/2011 6:11:00 PM

^^I agree with everything except for the colon.

3/6/2011 6:12:41 PM

I was taught 2, but I never do it even if I remember to, it looks strange to me.

3/6/2011 6:13:01 PM

I was taught 2 spaces. Went to school in Raleigh my whole life.

3/6/2011 6:15:32 PM

It's supposed to be two if you're using an old typewriter, when spacing was even for every stroke/letter/symbol on the typewriter or something. Now while using a computer/word processor you're supposed only need one space-- it's compensated for.

I still use two out of habit but always do a find/replace for spaces after typing up a document.


[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 6:26 PM. Reason : ]

3/6/2011 6:15:37 PM

Two after a colon is new on me, I've never done or heard that

3/6/2011 6:19:12 PM

I go with two.

3/6/2011 6:20:46 PM

dos

3/6/2011 6:23:47 PM

Two if you're using a typewriter

One if your calendar says 2011

3/6/2011 6:25:12 PM

Two when using a monospaced type (like courier). In these fonts, an "i" takes as much space as an "m", so some letters have extra white space around them. To be certain to differentiate the space after a sentence, you should use two. This is how typewriters worked.

In the modern era (that is, since 1990) we use magic fonts that are able to space the letters out correctly. There is no need to use two spaces.

This sentence has skinny letters next to each other like the 'li' at the beginning of like. It also has mmultiple mms next to each other. mmiimmjj. jjmmllmm. mmtt

Normal fonts are fine without double spaces. mmii. iimm. mmjj.



[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 6:29 PM. Reason : dammit, the double-spacing after my sentences in courier isn't showing up....]

3/6/2011 6:25:18 PM

How did all of y'all miss that massive debate that was going on a couple of weeks ago about this? It seems to be the official answer is that it used to be 2 spaces when typing was done on a typewriter, and now all the font nerds agree that is no longer necessary so they mercilessly make fun of people that do it. The new correct way is to use 1 space.

That being said, I will use two spaces until I die.



[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 6:28 PM. Reason : http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/ was the bitchy article that started the debate.]

3/6/2011 6:27:11 PM

I wonder how many retards are double-spacing after periods on TWW only to have that unnecessary whitespace zapped

3/6/2011 6:28:14 PM

Quote :

"I wonder how many retards are double-spacing after periods on TWW only to have that unnecessary whitespace zapped"

Ha, I tried editing my post a couple of times to get the double spaces to show up, but it looks like the TWW overlords are forcing us to use modern conventions!

3/6/2011 6:30:26 PM

Double-space till I die.  What bitches?

3/6/2011 6:34:00 PM

one space, except for type-written communication

3/6/2011 7:26:09 PM

2 after a period/question mark/exclamation point

2 after a colon

1 after a semi-colon

1 after a comma

3/6/2011 7:28:11 PM

TWO


I got into a huge fight with my sister about this when we worked together. To the point of not talking to each other for the rest of the day.

In my defense, she asked me what I was taught and I told her I was always told two spaces, and then she started going on some rampage just like that Slate article and was being super condescending. >_>

3/6/2011 7:29:33 PM

I ♥ the decision made by Sir Tim Berners-Lee to make all stretches of whitespace become equivalent to a single space character when he designed HTML.

3/6/2011 7:33:28 PM

Quote :

"In my defense, she asked me what I was taught and I told her I was always told two spaces, and then she started going on some rampage just like that Slate article and was being super condescending."

Yeah, that's the thing, I can accept that the convention has changed since I learned.   I might even partially agree with the new rule.   But when I read that article it just made me want to keep using two spaces in order to piss off people that care WAAAAY too much about stuff like that.

[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 7:34 PM. Reason : like ^ this faggot, for example. ]

3/6/2011 7:33:47 PM

^ Exactly. That's what pissed me off the most - she was basically saying that my education wasn't nearly as good as hers (she went to f'ing design school for Christ's sake) And she would. not. stop. Kept going on and on and on about white space and all this shit.

Not everyone does design work!!!

3/6/2011 7:35:43 PM

i do two. latex changes it to one

3/6/2011 7:36:47 PM

Quote :

"she was basically saying that my education wasn't nearly as good as hers"

Kind of like you just did?

3/6/2011 7:37:23 PM

.. What?

I didn't mean she actually did have a better education - I was trying to get across it's like comparing apples to oranges... She went to college for design, I went for science. And I guess I should have clarified, but she also brought up what we were taught in grade school.

[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 7:42 PM. Reason : Anyways...]

[Edited on March 6, 2011 at 7:43 PM. Reason : V You really are a giant dickwad. Stop trying to twist it into something it isn't.]

3/6/2011 7:39:45 PM

I said Kind of like you just did?

3/6/2011 7:41:24 PM

I learned 2, but the new standard is 1.

3/6/2011 8:08:23 PM

Dos.

3/6/2011 8:09:36 PM

2 when I was in school

1 now and forever and ever

3/6/2011 8:17:53 PM

Anyone who cares about this either way is an asshat.

3/6/2011 8:20:07 PM

Quote :

"Two if you're using a typewriter One if your calendar says 2011"

3/6/2011 8:23:53 PM

I was always taught 2 spaces. Then a year or two back I heard 1 space for a little while. But now I hear 2 spaces again. Figure the 1 space thing was a fluke.

3/6/2011 8:27:10 PM

this has 12 spaces between sentences. fucking html.

3/6/2011 8:38:24 PM

2 on a typewriter, if i was to use one

1 on a computer

3/6/2011 8:44:16 PM

i have always done two. that is how i was taught, and i guess it is now habit. but that is also what i have done all through college and grad school and never been corrected (writing 30+ page papers and such?!).

so basically, i have no idea. will continue to use two until i am told otherwise by someone that matters to me.

3/6/2011 8:46:29 PM

I always do two spaces. I liked it in college because it made my papers longer without having to add substance. Professors don't generally care, and it's become such a habit (since that's how I learned it in school) that I couldn't change now; I've tried before.

3/6/2011 8:51:11 PM

I never knew it changed from two; next they will take away Pluto.

3/6/2011 9:00:38 PM

2

always

if anyone tells you different, knock them to the ground and ejaculate on their face while looking them dead in the eye

3/6/2011 9:03:59 PM

1

3/6/2011 9:07:10 PM

^ please PM me your full name, address, SSN, and locations where you are commonly found between the times of 2-4PM on wednesdays.

3/6/2011 9:08:46 PM