After a sentence, do you use one space or two?

[GooeyGUI]

I use one space. Once a sent a report to a manager who came and complained, "How am I supposed to read this?" I was a little surprised that it was such an issue. I just didn't send her any more reports.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: OdiN
I do it the correct way. Which is two spaces. There is a software bug in the forum software which screws this up though.

I meant in the other 1% of my Internet usage that does not include ATOT, I've noticed some people like to only use one space.

Any amount of consecutive whitespace (tabs, spaces, newlines) in HTML is compressed down to a single space... so yeah, most anything you see on the Internet will have a single space before each sentence no matter what the author intended.

 

[lupi]

I can't stand editing someone's document when they used 2 spaces after each sentence. That's a lot of deleting I have to do

 

[Wreckem]

Modern professional writing and style only requires one space.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

<whoa>

http://www.tivocommunity.com/t...howthread.php?t=405513

 

[Aquaman]

2 spaces.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[xanis]

One space. My dad always puts two and he always tried to convert me, but I resisted.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: lupi
I can't stand editing someone's document when they used 2 spaces after each sentence. That's a lot of deleting I have to do

You've never heard of "find and replace?"

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire

Originally posted by: lupi
I can't stand editing someone's document when they used 2 spaces after each sentence. That's a lot of deleting I have to do

You've never heard of "find and replace?"

Sure, in technical engineering documents that may have the same item inserted in other locations there could never be a problem do a full document blind change like that.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: Arcadio
2. I was taught to use 2. I will always use 2.

I was taught to turn my monitor off and on when rebooting my computer in computer class in high school in the 1990s. Should i start doing that?

You were taught by a dinosaur.

 

[darkxshade]

Three, because 2 just ain't enough. Yeah!

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer

Originally posted by: buck

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Two spaces after a period.

KT

this^

Wrong.

Yes, you are.

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
KT, you're supposed to put periods and commas inside the quotes, not outside. So when you posted

'you'.

it should have read

'you.'

People do this a lot.

Nitpicky, yes, but isn't that what grammar is all about? :laugh:

No, he's from Canadia. They have weird rules of grammar there, like spelling ton and color with approximately 300 more letters than they need. In traditional British style, any punctuation falls outside the quotation marks rather than within them, the opposite of the American system.

See, that's interesting. In school, up until University, I was taught punctuation should fall inside the quotation marks, but in University my English and my Economics Professors both tried to get me to do it the other way.

KT

I personally kind of made up my own rule on this. When writing dialogue, I will do it the "correct way" and place the punctuation inside the quote. If I'm quoting some text or whatnot, particularly if it's a fragment of text that does not naturally end in punctuation, I will put my punctuation outside of the quotes. That begs the question though - what about quoting text that ends in punctuation? Would you type 'Blah blah blah.'.? (With two punctuations as such)... no, just the internal will suffice.

I figure the English language is so fucked up as it is, no one other than a school teacher would really give a shit.

 

[grrl]

Originally posted by: Eli
The poll results surprise me.

Why would you use two? lol

Edit: Weird. I was never told to use, nor have I ever even heard of using two spaces.

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=2118193&highlight_key=y">
I asked the same question last year</a> and got similar results.

I still use two because I started on typewriters.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Two spaces. Is there a reason why?

 

[Glitchny]

1, two spaces was standard with typewriters and carried over to computers back in the day. But with modern fonts it doesn't matter. Also considering that in the 4 years I was at college acquiring a degree in English none of my professors wanted 2 spaces.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

Originally posted by: Itchrelief
Screw it, I will continue to put two spaces after periods until society starts to definitely say that it is absolutely wrong and unacceptable. I will also continue to use the comma before the "and" in a list of three or more. I don't see how it contributes to any confusion; in fact, it helps to reduce it (albeit trivially and in rare circumstances). It's my habit.

Commas can only become "and" if the fragment after the comma can stand as a complete sentence on its own. Society says so, caveman!

You guys are talking about different things.

Itchrelief is referring to the serial comma, as in this example:

Serial comma:
My three favorite fruits are mangos, bananas, and tangerines.

No serial comma:
My three favorite fruits are mangos, bananas and tangerines.

In American English, you're supposed to use the serial comma. In UK English, you do not. There are a few situations where it helps reduce confusion, and even fewer where it could conceivably increase confusion, but in general it's just a matter of style (and again, consistency is the most important thing here - either use it throughout your paper or omit it throughout).

 

[SphinxnihpS]

You're all wrong. MLA is right.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Shawn
One. I didn't grow up in the stone ages when all people had were typewriters.

Yeah but that's Courier New which is an even-width font for all letters. If you use Office 2007 now, Calibri's 1 space after some letters makes it look like no space at all.

 

[blinky8225]

Well, my English professor (summa cum laude from Yale and Ph.D. from Columbia, all in English) uses one space in all the handouts and emails that she gives us, so I'll go with one. Along with the MLA and APA suggesting using one space, I don't see how anyone can say that two spaces is right.

 

[Eeezee]

According to the MLA, both forms are correct but one space is preferred. I think that's just because it's one millisecond faster to use one space.

So I guess they're both right

(but in secret, all of the cool people know that 2 spaces is actually correct)

 

[Imported]

Two spaces after every sentence for anything I draft at work, otherwise.. one.

 

[Nik]

On a block-letter typewriter, two spaces. Anything to do with computers, one space.

 

[BW86]

two - I was taught that all through elementary school and college.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: BW86
two - I was taught that all through elementary school and college.

That only matters with block-face type. With the invention of ... nevermind, I forget what it's called. Most fonts space letters differently based on the previous letter for readability. That's what killed the 2 space thing.

 

[Sureshot324]

Always two, even if I'm just neffing on ATOT. I guess I'm just anal about grammer.