No double space anymore! (after a period)

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scottydl

scottydl

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I'm a year shy of being 40 years old, and just recently learned (through my wife's official researching on writing/blogging) that it's no longer considered proper to put a double-space after a period. So I'm trying it in this post.  Oops I just double spaced right before "Oops" by habit.

I've been typing this way since learning decades ago, but I guess the practice goes back to manual typesetting in the 1920's or so. Slightly larger spaces were placed after each sentence for readability, and the double-space rule was adopted with typing machines to keep that trend. But now it has been abandoned in official writing circles. Don't these sentences look too close together? ??? :p

(When I wrote my thesis and finished my Master's Degree last year, none of my professors said a peep about spaces between sentences. So maybe it's not all that universal yet. Anyone else over 40 having a problem with this? ;))
 
4 years in grammar school in the UK, and we were not taught to double space. However, I learned when we came to the US that schools here teach different grammar, spelling and punctuation  :( Actually, I worked for a US company in the UK for 10 years, and we used to kid each other in our daily correspondence about differences in spelling and grammar.

I'm the newsletter editor for several clubs, and always edit out double spaces  ;D

none of my professors said a peep about spaces between sentences.
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Colleges I attended had "form style manuals" or some such, which defined how they wanted things written, although I don't recall what they said about spaces. Did your post graduate college have such a document?
 
I'm a year shy of being 40 years old
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Oh dear, our kids are all significantly older than you Scott, and our oldest grandson isn't far behind you  :(
 
I don't think it's improper as much as it's unnecessary with word processing. I dropped the habit when typewriter ribbons went the way of the dodo bird.
 
gwcowgill said:
I was always taught to double space after a paragraph but not after a period. I just finished my masters last year and I only double spaced after a paragraph.
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How would you notice? The new paragraph begins on a new line.   

You could add five spaces and not see it, like I just did!
 
HappyWanderer said:
How would you notice? The new paragraph begins on a new line.   

You could add five spaces and not see it, like I just did!
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I thought the same thing "J" after reading his post. He had me confused until you replied. I thought it was just me at first.
 
HappyWanderer said:
How would you notice? The new paragraph begins on a new line.   

You could add five spaces and not see it, like I just did!
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What I should have said is I was taught to double space after a paragraph but not after every sentence that ends in a period as seems to be what was implied in the original post. In the military we often double spaced between each line on drafts so it could be marked up before the final. In grade school we were taught to indent the beginning of each paragraph when writing by hand. Gee, I can still remember.
 
I learned to type in the 5th grade.  I've heard this, but cannot break myself from double spacing.  It is so ingrained in me.  I do it without thinking.  Much like the to "dashes" on the F and the J key.  I learned to use those keys to find the home row while in tech school in the Air Force and now it is part of me.  I cannot type anymore without those raised dashes on the keys.  It throws off my thinking to the point that I cannot use that keyboard.  I for one, will continue to double space.  Please feel free to edit them out Tom.  I'll keep putting them in though.
 
Please feel free to edit them out Tom.  I'll keep putting them in though.
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LOL Ed.

Chris, my better half, learned to type while entering DVLA (aka UK DMV) drivers license info. They had 'blank' keyboards with no info on them.

Some trivia ... Chris entered the first drivers license info for Prince Charles.
 
I've heard/read of the trend to single space after periods, but it seems easier understand context and paragraph structure with less conscious thought when double spaces are used.  I guess I'm getting too old to change that particular preference. 
 
Who made this rule? 

I don't care what anyone thinks.
If you were taught to use one space after a period - fine, I won't fault you for it.

But I was taught to double space after a period so please don't fault me for it.

Fair enough?
 
I double space some and single space some.  No one has mentioned it before this. BTW, I never did learn to type----------I look at the keys sometimes-------------and sometimes I don't use periods.
Marvin
 
It's funny reading the posts from, if not a complete male audience,
a majority male. 

In my first typing class, it was all girls and of course you double spaced after the "."  My thumb does it automatically  8)
 
LOL.... I surrender..
I don't look for single or double spacing. (I always single space)..
Rather a coherent and salient thought within a paragraph is always nice.
Not a problem on this forum... You should see some others.
 

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I never did learn to type, one finger hunt and peck while looking at the keyboard. I never thought about double spacing. As Bob says this forum is generally pretty good with punctuation and grammar, others I go on often leave a lot to be desired.
 
I've never heard of it or contemplated it and honestly 40 isn't that old but it does explain the spacing in really old textbooks from the 40s and 50s. I just thought processors back then were a little hard to keep uniform.

Maybe something to do with where you grew up also.  You can set MS word to do that sort of spacing automatically so I'd be willing to bet your professors just thought you liked that classic, scholarly look  :D
 
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