How Distinctly Do You Separate Your
Sentences?
People often ask me whether to use one space or two
spaces after end punctuation (period, question mark,
exclamation point) between sentences.
Many current writing resources advocate (dare I
say "dictate"?) using one space. While this may be
new to many of you, I suspect you have noticed the
two-space practice slowly taking its place in typing
history.
Why the change? People who learned to type on
typewriters were taught to use two spaces after end
punctuation. That is because typewriters had
monospaced fonts; all the letters were the
same
size. Readers needed an extra space for their eyes to
note the beginning of a new sentence.
On the other hand, computers have proportional fonts
that use the appropriate amount of space for each
character. As a result, one space after end
punctuation provides enough distinction between
sentences. One exception, however, is Courier font,
which is monospaced. If you use Courier, you may
want to type that extra space after end punctuation.
I have to admit that after years of typing two spaces,
learning to use just one was challenging, but it is
doable. What might help you is to set your computer
as follows, although the steps may vary slightly with
your version of Word:
- Under the Spelling and Grammar tab,
select Grammar and Style under Writing
Style
in the Grammar section. (Refer to the
December 2008
newsletter, "Tools for Refining Your Writing," for
additional instructions.)
- Click on Settings
- Under Require, on the third line, "Spaces
required between sentences," select 1. Now
every time you type two spaces, you will see a green
squiggly line under the extra space, which will serve
as a reminder to type just one space. After a while,
this will come naturally to you. Just think of the
keystrokes you will save over time!
Of course, you may like the "look" of two spaces and
prefer to stick with that. Right now, no "hard and fast"
rule about one space exists; however, some
resources take a firm stance on the matter. The
important thing is to be consistent throughout your
document.
A Few Additional Spacing
Considerations:
| Colon |
One space after. |
| Slash |
No space on either side when
the slash is used between words to indicate an
alternative:
- Every student should leave his/her
backpack in a locker.
- Jennifer took a pass/fail art appreciation
course.
|
| Dash/Hyphen |
No space on either side;
however, some people still prefer to have them. (Refer
to the October 2007 newsletter, "The Dash and
Hyphen Distinction.")
|
It is a New Year, so consider making a resolution to
take on the spacing challenge and become a
one-space practitioner!
Ilana
