How many spaces after a punctuation mark?

Exactly how many spaces should there be after a punctuation mark?

Personally, I only allocate one space after a period but I often see a lot of articles out there that place two

 

Hi what,

I tend to place one space after a mark. That's what I was taught in school, anyway.

take care...

.

 

In my high school typing class, I was taught to use two spaces after periods and colons. One space in other places.

 

Two spaces norm existed in old-fashioned writing, IMO. I still notice it at places when I read some of journals and old papers uploaded online. In web professional writing, there should be one space after punctuations or period.

This article may be of your interest

http://www.evolt.org/article/Two_Spaces_After_a_Period_Isn_t_Dead_Yet/25/213/index.html

Cheers

 

chillingbreeze -
Thanks for posting that link! The comments were actually more interesting than the post itself. The debate was amusing. I have to agree that 2 spaces is "old school." This topic actually came up recently as my husband typed up a post for his golf blog and he used two spaces. I asked him kindly to use one space from now on as two spaces...especially with web writing...is antiquated. We has a mini-debate and I won. But then, I'm the writer in the family. LOL

 

Two spaces shows a complete lack of respect for the reader and the space the writing occupies.

It has nothing to do with web or not. Sure, if you took a typing class in the 1950s, perhaps they would do it this way. They'd also say that women could only be secretaries in the world.

Time to move on . . .

 

Not sure about time but probably the person who taught or what the school curriculum could be, old fashioned?

In my typing class more than one space was considered a typo, hence another practice hour to achieve digiting accuracy

 

Or 2000.

 

That's sad.

 

I thought it had something to do with the typeface. Back in the day (a day I know well, lol), the typeface on typewriters didn't properly adjust for more space after punctuation. But now the typefaces used today will automatically adjust the space width after punctuation.

My high school typing teacher taught us to always double space after sentences. I've since tossed that advice out the window, thanks to the nifty invention of the personal computer. My husband, on the other hand, still insists on double spacing. When will he ever learn?

 

Your observation makes sense to me wordscientist.

A few months ago I was planning to run a publishing service at home and my sister-in-law took me to the editorial office she worked for, where I was told about IBM composer machines and how they contributed with page proof.

I don't remember the technical name of the chart, but each machine (now in exhibit) had a printed guideline with symbols used in proofing to correct those typeface mismatches

 

They taught us two back in school as well, but I always use one. Now when I see something using two I have to go in and correct it before I can actually read it. lol

 

Ditto! I also had a typing class in school but we were only told to allot one space after every punctuation mark. It doesn't matter whether it's a colon or a period...just one space. That's it.

I also personally feel uncomfortable when I read articles that have two spaces after the punctuation mark. It just doesn't "feel" right.

 

Well in the Microsoft Word it normally makes me put a space after a punctuation mark. So I'm guessing you have to put one space after it and continue. And now I'm use to it, lol.

 

I always use one, I think it's a matter of your own preference and I believe one space to be the norm nowadays. I imagine elementary school teacher would say, "Leave SOME space after period."

 

This is an interesting topic, I was always taught by my school (UK if anyone's interested) that you leave one space after punctuation aside from a '.' which you use two spaces.

I do this automatically now and I think it would be hard for me to change to using just one space. My first sentence using one space <---

 

this should have been a poll I was taught one but i get 'spacebar' happy and do 2 by accident most of the time - bad habbit i have gotten into over the years.

 

It's a matter of personal preference. Different people have been taught different ways for a reason: there's no right or wrong way.
Much of what I write is read as hard copy, so I prefer one space after a colon or semi colon, comma etc, but two spaces at the start of a new sentence within a paragraph. I don't indent the first line of new paragraphs either though which will also make the blood boil for many of you now doubt.

I believe this improves readability when printed (and on screen IMHO) - some of you won't though. The best thing to do is to have your own style (and/or style guide) and stick to it. 'Accepted' style is only important if you are delivering to a customer who has a stated preference. Otherwise it's up to you. All of the style guides out there are just that - guides.

 

After comma, colan, semicolan single space. After fullstop 2 spaces i was taught.

 

I got taught to use two after a fullstop but I can't STAND it and if I see writing with that feature I go through and delete all the extra spaces