So I'm sitting in my College Writing II class today, and we're going over the graded versions of the papers we turned in last week. My professors mentions something about the number of spaces that should be after the end of a sentence. I wasn't paying attention, mostly because I got a 93 on my paper and none of the examples of what not to do came from mine. Then I started to hear something about single spaces and what the MLA book said and everything. I started to pay attention. I've got to know, when you type, do you put one space or two after a period at the end of a sentence?
I swear I had no idea that ANYONE only put one space, much less that this is becoming the norm!! It's becoming correct. This is taken straight from the MLA website:
"How many spaces should I leave after a period or other concluding mark of punctuation?
Publications in the United States today usually have the same spacing after a punctuation mark as between words on the same line. Since word processors make available the same fonts used by typesetters for printed works, many writers, influenced by the look of typeset publications, now leave only one space after a concluding punctuation mark. In addition, most publishers' guidelines for preparing a manuscript on disk ask authors to type only the spaces that are to appear in print.
Because it is increasingly common for papers and manuscripts to be prepared with a single space after all punctuation marks, this spacing is shown in the examples in the MLA Handbook and the MLA Style Manual. As a practical matter, however, there is nothing wrong with using two spaces after concluding punctuation marks unless an instructor or editor requests that you do otherwise."
I felt betrayed! I've been raised my whole life to put two spaces at the beginning of a sentence. How did this happen? I honestly had no idea that there was any other way to do it! I thought that people who only put one were ignorant. Am I the ignorant one? I don't think I could possibly start using only one space. I'm really going to have to go through a grieving process...it's very disturbing...
Friday, February 09, 2007
Wait...what??
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I've actually heard rumors that putting only one space is correct. I couldn't do it though. Remember how in kindergarten you put two fingers at the end of a sentence, and that's the space requirement that you need to start the next sentence? Yeah ... that's how I learned typing. Two fingers in kindergarten, two spaces on the computer.
It's just habit now, I always put two spaces after the ending punctuation... first Pluto and now this... sheesh...
I've always done one, for as long as I can remember. Dunno why, though.
i only put one space
Well, using two spaces also helps take up space when you're trying to lengthen a paper... you can only make the margins so big... and the font so big... and have so many footnotes... and pictures...
I was wondering if you could say that the use of two spaces after a full stop has been "plutoed" as it is no longer used? (although to be honest I have only ever used one space!)
i swear i had no idea...i really didn't know that there were people in existence who only put one space... i'm still reeling from this new information.
Online, I've usually just used one space, but for literature writing and homework offline, i double-space because it makes me feel good. (?) Sure.
Janelle, how do you just put once space? I mean, I'm just so used to doing two spaces, it just comes naturally no matter if i'm doing something formal or chatting online or whatever... my thumb just automatically does it twice... It would be so hard to switch only doing it once. I'd have to write the paper, and then go back and make everything single-spaced! It would probably be faster... :)
ove only ever put one space. but look at the way i type now.... i dont capitalize, spell correctly, or use proper punctuation -heidi
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