Spaces between sentences

I was always taught that when typing, two spaces should be put between the end of a sentence and the start of the next. I've met many people that have heard either way, and I've noticed that vBulletin automatically reverts any double spaces to single spaces. Anyone have any light to shed on this, or have heard (or have links) of any authoritative statements on this?

I realize most people won't care, but I'm honestly curious.

How ya doing, buddy?

I'm pretty sure that's the accepted usage, but it just doesn't look right on a message board.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I always type all my posts with double spaces too! I've just come to expect that it will revert to a single space but I do it anyway.

Actually, if you look at your post when you edit it, it will remember how many spaces you put. =)

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yeah, it's the HTML rendering that ignores any extra spaces you put. For example, there are twenty spaces between this sentence and the last, and it still shows as one. That's just how web browsers work. (if you try to indent a paragraph with tabs, the tabs will be ignored too)

When I type stuff as schoolwork, I use two spaces after periods as a habit because some professors require it as style, and it's just easier to do it across the board. Everywhere else, though, I just use one space because I'm lazy. CAN'T BE HAVING WITH EXTRANEOUS KEYSTROKES

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Weird. So it's somehow the internet standard to have single spaces, or just *a* standard that they happen to hold to? I don't think about double spaces, they just happen by sheer habit and motion-memory. Or something.

CHz: Ah, didn't consider the HTML rendering aspect. Duh.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I've always used the single space between sentences method. To me, I think that makes the whole flow of a paragraph better and less disjointed by the extra space.

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Well, if you really want double spaces then you can make a clear gif the width of two spaces and put it at the end of each sentence.

FELIPE NO

I've used two spaces after my periods for as long as I can remember. Like others here, I "double space", if you will" after every sentence in my posts, possibly just out of habit. I used to have two spaces after colons, too, but that was due to a misconception.

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Mine are usually more than two.

I feel like these are like Megalith posts (excluding some lame-ass lines and the sort).

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The single space between sentences kind of bothered me when I first started browsing forums, but I've grown used to it. I wasn't aware that some people did that on purpose offline. It seems like a pretty clear rule to me, and it's really annoying to see when critiquing classmates' papers.

How ya doing, buddy?

I was taught that when using a typewriter, or a mono-spaced typeface, you should put two spaces after each period. When working in a modern word processor with proportional fonts and real kerning, use a single space.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Dullenplain

I've always used the single space between sentences method.

I too have always used single spaces after a completed sentence. I was taught this at an extremely early age and never heard of any different practice until now. This subtle variation in our education amazes me since I never would have suspected others to learn otherwise! I'm also curious as to where everyone who learned other methods actually received their schooling. I hadn't thought of how important a role the location of one's education plays.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

My early schooling was in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. I suppose it could be an eastern thing, but I'd be interested in seeing the spread on it, too.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I actually asked someone about this who said that while in the past, two spaces after a period was standard...things are now changing that both one or two spaces are acceptable.

At any rate, two spaces for me. It breaks up sentences better.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I'm with Plarom. I've never heard of using two spaces after a period. Rarely wrote the essays I was assigned in school, but I read a lot of books and they all look like one space after a period, so that's what I do. The few essays I did type up and turn in, I was never called on only using a single space between sentences. Guess it does just depend on where you're taught, and I've lived in New York all my life.

FELIPE NO

From Wikipedia:

Originally Posted by The Full Stop

Many descriptivists (i.e. people who describe how language is used in practice) support the notion that a single space after a full stop should be considered standard because it has been the norm in mainstream publishing for many decades. This also includes the MLA, APA, and the CMS. Many prescriptivists (i.e. people who make recommendations for rules of language use), meanwhile, adhere to the earlier use of two spaces on typewriters to make the separation of sentences more salient than separation of elements within sentences. Some, however, accept that in modern word-processing the single space is better because two spaces may stretch inordinately when full justification is applied. Additionally, many computer typefaces are designed proportionately to alleviate the need for the double space (the opposition would of course reply that this does nothing to satisfy the aforementioned saliency issue). Most modern typesetters, designers, and desktop publishers use only one space after a period, as do most mainstream publishers of books and journals.

It really boils down to the fact that in professional typesetting, a full stop was the width of 1.5 spaces. On a typewriter, or when using a monospaced typeface, the best approximation of a full stop would have been two single spaces. Modern word processers with proportional fonts can correctly render the 1.5 space full stop after a period, so the use of a "double space" is unnecessary.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I was taught in college (UNC) to use 2 spaces after a period. I've spent the past 4 years proofreading audit reports for the federal government, and that's what most everyone in the office does.

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Crazy... I've always used just a single space after any sentence, but I'm starting to wonder if it's a higher form of "grammar etiquette" to use two. I've never heard of that before, though it makes sense with things like typewriters I suppose.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I've heard of the double space thing, but I never took it to heart or anything when I type. I've always used a single space after a period. Anything more than that, and Microsoft Word would tell me I'm wrong. Either way, it just looks too weird for me.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I personally learned how to type using the double space method first. But It never stuck with me and I just do single spaces now. I could do the 2 spaces, but I see no point to. The only thing I can't do is to put no spaces between sentences. ^.^

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Single space for me. From what I remember from all my English classes its never been double space. It probably just depends on the teacher though... If that ever changed, it'd take so much effort for me to hit the space key twice after each sentence. I'd need to think about it, because of my one-space habits.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I always used to use two spaces but it's standard practice in professional letters and legal documents (The things I write the most) to put in only one these days so I find myself missing out the additional spaces most of the time now.

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I think it's a complete and total waste of time to use two spaces, especially online. Guess what: the fancypants computar fonts are advanced enough and designed to be perfectly readable with one space, unlike hundred-year-old typewriters, or whatever the absurd two-space practice comes from.

FELIPE NO

I was taught on papers and essays, I should type in double spaced, but when it comes to typing online, I type in single space.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Two spaces after a period is just plain incorrect. The only reason that you would hit the space bar twice after a period when using an old-fashioned manual typewriter is because that uses fixed-width characters. When you're using a computer, or a modern electronic typewriter, the size of the space will be sufficient if you just hit it once.

http://www.webword.com/reports/period.html

That link should help to clear up any remaining confusion. It's entirely standard to use one space after a period, and there is a very good reason.

It just took a long while for this to become widely accepted and known. So basically when you've been tought two use two spaces, that's just because the person who tought you still has the old habit from using a typewriter.

Jam it back in, in the dark.