So...just How Old Are You?

[betsygee]

According to this, if you still use two spaces after the puncuation at the end of a sentence, you're old school and need to learn to "stop leaning on the space bar"! Who knew that was such an old-fashioned thing?

Nothing Says Over 40 Like Two Spaces after a Period! | Cult of Pedagogy

 

[foxxycat]

I like to have plenty

of

space in between the words lol.

Makes it easier to read on the older eyes.

 

[denice]

I didn't even know that it had changed so I guess I am really old school.

 

[abyeb]

I type everything here on my phone...

 

[betsygee]

I didn't even know that it had changed so I guess I am really old school.

I know, me, too.

 

[Mother Dragon]

I like to have plenty

of

space in between the words lol.

Makes it easier to read on the older eyes.

YOU FORGOT THE SPACE AFTER THE PERIOD . AND BE SURE TO USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS .

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Too old to care!

Except I'm not old. I just don't care how many spaces people put after their period. Unless it's like 5 or 10 because thats just silly.

I've picked up the one space thing somewhere along the lines. At least online. But I'll have to check what I do in documents and things like that. I'm pretty sure I still use 2.

 

[kashmir64]

But THAT is proper English punctuation. How can they change what is established?
The new generation is lazy and cannot articulate a proper sentence if their lives depended on it. Take for example, something on the lines of "rage much?". This is the entire sentence.

Two spaces after a period and a new paragraph is not old school, it's proper.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

View attachment 193495

According to this, if you still use two spaces after the puncuation at the end of a sentence, you're old school and need to learn to "stop leaning on the space bar"! Who knew that was such an old-fashioned thing?

Nothing Says Over 40 Like Two Spaces after a Period! | Cult of Pedagogy

We had a modern forum, then! Even if you try to put two spaces after your periods here, the forum platform will switch it to one space once you submit your comment. Times change!

 

[Mother Dragon]

But THAT is proper English punctuation. How can they change what is established?
The new generation is lazy and cannot articulate a proper sentence if their lives depended on it. Take for example, something on the lines of "rage much?". This is the entire sentence.

Two spaces after a period and a new paragraph is not old school, it's proper.

Spacing was decided when typewriters were used. They had monotype spaced fonts and it was hard to distinguish the ends of sentences. Now, with modern proportioned typefaces we don't have that problem, so standards have been changed. The same goes for paragraph spacing. One blank line between paragraphs.

Since I was correspondence control officer, I took numerous classes on proper structure, punctuation, and grammar. Check modern punctuation books or the New York Times style book to find current correct punctuation.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

So... just how old are you?

Old enough to remember when this - ¢ - was just one keystroke on the Underwood.
.

 

[Willowy]

I think it's one of those things like the Oxford comma. Use it when it makes sense, don't when it doesn't. No hard and fast rule.

 

[MeganLLB]

I think it's one of those things like the Oxford comma. Use it when it makes sense, don't when it doesn't. No hard and fast rule.

Except that if you want to be proper there is a rule and there is only one space after a period. One of my degrees is in English and I thought about doing freelance editing before I got my current job (still consider it sometimes) and there is a HUGE manual with all the up to date rules on grammar and spelling that you need to study to take a test to get certified for editing. And I know that there is never any circumstance in which you type two spaces after a period because if I were to notice that I would have to mark it so it could be edited to one space for consistency. Ive done a lot of studying so I could edit but just never went down that path.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I suppose if times didn't change; we'd still be speaking "Old English."

The space thing bothers me a lot less than the Oxford comma. I get a kick out of of all the Oxford Comma memes floating around.

 

[Willowy]

LOL, yeah, lack of an Oxford comma can make for some funny sentences. But there are also some situations in which an Oxford comma would make it worse. So you just have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Most of the time, yes, use it!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Except that if you want to be proper there is a rule and there is only one space after a period.

"Proper," according to whom - the CMoS or S&W?

The two space rule is owed solely to the fact that nearly everything was monospaced before the computer age (i.e. about three seconds ago in the history of print):

Two Spaces After a Period

.

 

[muffy]

I had to go back and check my last post to see how many spaces I used. I guess somewhere along the line I changed from 2 spaces to 1 space. Buy the way, I'm 67.

Muffy

 

[betsygee]

I worked as a legal secretary many moons ago, typing out legal briefs on an IBM Selectric. I'm sure some of you remember those. There were serious rules about how a proper legal brief should look, and two spaces after a period or other punctuation at the end of a sentence was definitely part of the protocol. It looks like it's still a debate in the legal community. One or Two Spaces After the Period in Legal Documents? The habit is so ingrained now, it would feel strange, and it looks strange to me, to not do it.

It's interesting how much of a debate there is about it now.

 

[neely]

It may be a one space world but I'm still a two space girl. I write in cursive script as well.

 

[debbila]

I never heard of two spaces after a period until I read this thread. It wasn't taught in the schools I went to. And a one line space between paragraphs? No, they only need to be indented.