Proper typing

MrPeriod

Several of you have been typing very poorly of late. I'll refrain from mentioning names for the time being, but be aware of the following.

1. Use TWO spaces between sentences.

2. Use ONE space after a comma or other punctuation within a sentence.

3. Do NOT use "..." in lieu of proper punctuation on a regular basis.

4. Double-space between paragraphs.

5. Use paragraphs to separate ideas. Don't just jumble all of your sentences together.

I've been breaking up the posts of several individuals for some time now. As there is nothing removed, there was no red indication that I had made a change. I will soon begin noting these alterations in red in hopes that repeat offenders will be shamed into submission.

Andrew

dowhut?youmakeverylittlesensetomeihavenograspofbasictypingskillzplzteachmeohgreatoneireallyneedhelpz

I, Mr. Period, suck and will never touch any of WaterIsPoison's posts again.

Apreche

I don't put two spaces after periods when something will be read in digital form. I only do it when something will be printed.

Rym

I don't put two spaces after periods when something will be read in digital form. I only do it when something will be printed.

It looks pretty ugly to -me- even in digital form. Granted, extraneous spaces are removed in many digital forms, but it's still good practice to type them regardless. I see a lot of printed memos here at work where sentences are single-spaced, and they infuriate me. It's easy to pick up a bad habit.

dowhut?youmakeverylittlesensetomeihavenograspofbasictypingskillzplzteachmeohgreatoneireallyneedhelpz

Burn!

Andrew

dowhut?youmakeverylittlesensetomeihavenograspofbasictypingskillzplzteachmeohgreatoneireallyneedhelpz

I, Mr. Period, suck and will never touch any of WaterIsPoison's posts again.

Wow, thanks Mr. Period! I'm glad you are so humble and notice that my posts are amazing. ^_^

Apreche

Hmm, I just realized how easy it is to pretend that Mr. Period edited your post when he did not. Perhaps I need to make a Vanilla extension so Mr. Period can leave his mark on a post so that you know it was him who did the editing.

Ametto

The only reason you would put a double space is when the spacing between the letters are all equally spaced like in a typewriter or a monospaced font. Anything else you only use one space.

Rym

Printed documents with single spaces, no matter the fonts, are annoying to me.

After a quick scan of the multitudes of papers and books I have in my office, not a single one was single-spaced, nor was a single one in a monospaced font.

Jason

I refuse to use two spaces. One space matches AP style, and I cannot afford to switch back and forth at work. I have a big stake in that, as it involves a lot of muscle memory and money. Ban me if necessary.

Pilitus

Printed documents with single spaces, no matter the fonts, are annoying to me.

After a quick scan of the multitudes of papers and books I have in my office, not a single one was single-spaced, nor was a single one in a monospaced font.

Ladies and Gentlemen, once again, Rym proves that he is completely full of shit. Jason's point about AP style extends beyond just the AP, all printed works have a single space after a period. The programs that we crazy people use to print your shit don't deal well with two spaces after a period. It's not done.

Rym

all printed works have a single space after a period.

I'm looking at two reference manuals on my desk, which I'd looked at before when I posted. 2mm spaces between words. 2mm space between comma and next word. 4mm between period at end of sentence and next letter.

Throughout the entire books, there are consistently double-spaces between sentences. I just measured about a dozen of them in these books.

You're very likely right about how things should be done or are done most of the time, but what I said before is entirely true: all of the documents I have in my office right now have printed double spaces.

Rym

Now I'm looking at a stack of professionally printed reference cards we had made for some equipment here. 1m spaces between letters on average. 2mm spaces between sentences on average. In no case is the distance between two sentences equal to or less than the distance between two words.

The instruction manual for my label printer is single-spaced. The manual for my pager is double-spaced. One memo is single-spaced and one is double-spaced. One is both single and double at different parts. (After measuring, I opened the original online and found that it was indeed both single and double spaced at different points). My Cisco reference is single-spaced, but the addendums I printed are double-spaced.

Ametto

Everything professional I have seen and done are single spaced. I am looking at a graphic design magazine (Print) and packaging for Avery sticky notes. They're both using single space.

In all of my graphic design classes, I was always taught to use single space and that double spacing only came about because of typewriters. In my profession, everyone I know uses single space.

The reason why you should use one space is because it does not create holes text. Here's an example. Holes in text are bad because your eye will be attracted to them. An example of this would like a justified newspaper column that had 2 words in a line that meant to have 5. Didn't the spacing between them jar you just a little bit?

Another reason to use single space is because you don't need a double space. Have you ever had a problem reading some text that used single spacing?

I should have said earlier that double spacing only seems appropriate for typewriters only because of tradition. For mono-spaced fonts, because they try to imitate typewriters.

Kate Monster

Mr. Period,

While I appreciate your attempts to educate the forum users and elevate the quality of the forum, I think people should be allowed to communicate and express themselves in any manner they see fit unless it is particularly annoying to the creators of this forum. If this means that they utilize incorrect, sloppy, relaxed, conversational, or distasteful language and conventions, then so be it.

As Scott Rubin would say. "Freedom."

As ever,
Kate

Rym

Well, then I guess the printer my company uses isn't very professional. =P

Rym

If this means that they utilize incorrect, sloppy, relaxed, conversational, or distasteful language and conventions, then so be it.

Sloppy writing -does- bother us. That's why we made Mr. Period a mod. I'll concede the single-space issue, but poor spelling and grammar are still grounds for banning. ^_~

Kate Monster

I think that level of anal-retentiveness is a bit silly, particularly in a recreational forum, but it is your forum.

Kite

I find the font far more important on how readable a doc is then how many spaces after the period.

Andrew

If this means that they utilize incorrect, sloppy, relaxed, conversational, or distasteful language and conventions, then so be it.

I have trouble understanding why anyone would want to do this. There is a right and a wrong way to speak. You only look like an idiot of you do it wrong.

Jason

I'll concede the single-space issue

Thank you, sir. I believe that is the responsible route to take. I doff my hat to you in respect.

bunnikun

Huh, I was never taught that you had to put two spaces after you had to end a sentence. I'll have to ask my English teacher about that.

Pilitus

I'll concede the single-space issue

Thank you, sir. I believe that is the responsible route to take. I doff my hat to you in respect.

Likewise, thank you. I stand in complete agreement with every other example of torture visited upon the English language.

Johannes Uglyfred II

Huh, I was never taught that you had to put two spaces after you had to end a sentence. I'll have to ask my English teacher about that.

Same here - I always used just one space after a period and was never once corrected about it by anyone. I think it's sort of a non-issue, except among grammatical purists.

Alex

...always taught to use single space and that double spacing only came about because of typewriters

Oddly, I've always heard the reverse explanation: that single spacing between sentences became acceptable because modern word-processing and page layout software was intelligent enough to space them properly without help.

I was definitely brought up in the double-space-between-sentences tradition, and continue to do so out of habit if nothing else. Of course, because of the way HTML handles whitespace, and because most of what I write these days is destined for the web, it's a fairly pointless habit.

Cramit

I find it amusing that after all this argument that the forum software strips the second space out of the post. While reading at Rym's post I noticed that there was a single space between each sentence. I copied and pasted the text into TextEdit and sure enough, no double space.

Sail

Mr. Period, there are not two spaces between your own sentences. I'm not gonna do it if you're not gonna do it.

WallyBman

Just so everyone knows, from 9pm central until 7am central, I post to these forums using my wndows phone. And while it has a decent keyboard, its not perfect, and the spell check doesn't work that great in opera. So please forgive any typos or other mistakes made in my posts during those hours. When I get home from work, I try to check any posts I made and correct them.

tuttle88

3. Do NOT use "..." in lieu of proper punctuation on a regular basis.

Guilty.

HMTKSteve

3. Do NOT use "..." in lieu of proper punctuation on a regular basis.

Guilty.

I use "..." to denote a pause. Sometimes it works better than a comma.

Pilitus

...always taught to use single space and that double spacing only came about because of typewriters

Oddly, I've always heard the reverse explanation: that single spacing between sentences became acceptable because modern word-processing and page layout software was intelligent enough to space them properly without help.

I was definitely brought up in the double-space-between-sentences tradition, and continue to do so out of habit if nothing else. Of course, because of the way HTML handles whitespace, and because most of what I write these days is destined for the web, it's a fairly pointless habit.

Actually Alex, both of those explanations are the case: double spacing is a relic from typewriting, and modern word processors are designed to manage space the way typesetters used to.

Ametto

Yep you are right Pilitus and Alex.