When using a monospaced font, where everything is the same width, it makes sense to type two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence to create a visual break. Most authorities recommend using no spaces before or after en or em dashes. The dash is used to set off additional material within a sentence, often in order to emphasize it, to set off appositives that contain commas, or to indicate missing words. Ellipses punctuation rules the blue book of grammar. Debate about two spaces after a period in legal writing. Or should there only be one space so it looks like this. Aug 12, 2014 adding 2 spaces after a period added too much space between sentences. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. Should you put two spaces after a period so it looks like this. Many people wonder whether to use a space before and after slashes in a sentence. Jan 12, 2011 typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong. In word, type two spaces in find and one space in replace and hit enter. Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the best punctuation book, period. Jan 01, 2008 grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing book. Simply write as you always would with two spaces and, when you are finished, got to the toolbar of your word processing program, click edit find replace and then choose to replace all double spaces with single spaces.
Ellipses save space or remove material that is less relevant. The dash, slash, ellipses, and brackets tip sheet butte. Just as with the period, it used to be common to put two spaces after a colon, but now most style guides that address the matter e. And many people were taught to use that extra space in typing class. According to the section on dashes in the tenth edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation, an en dash, roughly the width of an n, is a little longer than a hyphen. Even just a few years ago, farhad manjoo, now a technology columnist for the new york times, argued in slate that two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong. I havent been tempted to type two spaces for decades. Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Learn more about grammar rules in the online course grammar and mechanics. Previously published as part of grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing online sensation grammar girl makes punctuation fun and easy in grammar girls punctuation 911 mignon fogarty, a. Get grammar girls take on how many spaces go after a period. Why was i once taught to put two spaces after every. May 04, 2018 and so the rules of typography fell into chaos.
The slash is used to show a division between paired terms or between lines of poetry. If youre writing for yourself, do what makes you happy. At the first mention, always write the full name, followed by the acronym in parentheses, all caps. Science has definitively found that two spaces after a period in typed text provides the most efficient reading experience for. Published work these days rarely features two spaces after a period. Dec 30, 20 about six years ago, an editor at ragan sent me an email asking me to stop using two spaces after my periods when submitting my columns to the ragan report. Some prefer two spaces and some prefer one space after a period. Mar 01, 2015 even just a few years ago, farhad manjoo, now a technology columnist for the new york times, argued in slate that two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong. Grammar girl, is determined to wipe out bad punctuationbut shes also determined to make the process as painless as possible. Sentence spacing is the space between sentences in typeset text. The majority of style guides that use a latinderived alphabet as a language base now prescribe or recommend the use of a single space after the concluding punctuation of a sentence.
Sentence spacing in language and style guides wikipedia. They are useful in getting right to the point without delay or distraction. We needed that extra space between sentences to make it easier to see the beginning of new sentences. You might think this query would have a simple and noncontroversial answer since the apa 2010 noted that authors should, space twice after punctuation marks at the end of a. There are 2 different opinions about how many spaces go after a period. The only time its acceptable to use a space after a slash is when breaking up lines of a poem, song, or play. Grammar girl how many spaces do you use after a period. Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period. Peter economy is a bestselling author, coauthor, and ghostwriter of more than 55 books, including several for dummies titles. Difficulty generally arises only when the period is used with other punctuation marks. Sentence spacing guidance is provided in many language and style guides. Although its technically a style choice, most us style guides recommend putting periods after. The two spaces after period rule was established during the days of typesetters, when additional space was needed to show the difference between the spacing between words which was smaller and the spacing between sentences which was larger.
The twospace convention emerged on monospaced typewriters as a distinct method of distinguishing between end of abbreviations like mr. A comprehensive guide for every writer, editor, student, and businessperson kindle edition by casagrande, june. Asked in grammar how many spaces do you use after a period and before a new. Use one space after a period fourth, use just one space after sentenceending punctuation, not two. People often argue about the spaces after a period, but do you know how. If you decide to submit what youve written to a publisher, you can always get rid of the extra spaces with the search and replace feature. I dont find myself in nostalgic typewriting situations and suddenly get hit by an unexpected urge to type two. The last thing i do after editing a translation ive proofread is to remove all double spaces.
In korean, spaces are used to separate chunks of nouns, nouns and particles, adjectives, and verbs. Jun 25, 2019 more directly to the issue, miller said that the two spaces after a period have a mathematical beauty that makes it easier to read. This is the problem with the internet, anyone can make themselves out to be an expert, even when they are not conveying the proper information. Languages with a latinderived alphabet have used various methods of sentence spacing since the advent of movable type in the 15th century.
Consequently, i feel that one space after a period makes the text harder to read, so i still use 2. With a computer, use only one space following periods, commas, semicolons, colons, exclamation points, question marks, and quotation marks. As a practical matter, however, there is nothing wrong with using two spaces after concluding punctuation marks unless an instructor requests that you do otherwise. Were you taught to put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence. Adding 2 spaces after a period added too much space between sentences. A period piece my overlords here at atl thought it would be fun to run a poll about whether there should be one space or two after a period. Sep 06, 2012 quick tip for those who use two spaces. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice.
This is not necessary after a state name which is fully spelled out. The chicago manual of style, the us government printing office style manual, and the ap stylebook are just a few of the style guides that recommend one space after a period. Chicago manual of style double space after period typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and the chicago manual of style. Klems is the online editor of writers digest and author of the popular gift book oh boy, youre having a girl. It is used for several purposes, the most frequent of which is to mark the end of a declaratory sentence as opposed to a question or exclamation. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong. If an author is following the style rules of the american psychological assocation apa, how many spaces should he or she include after the closing period in a sentence. Also learn whether you can use that to refer to humans and who to refer to pets. Since the introduction of movabletype printing in europe, various sentence spacing conventions have been used in languages with a latin alphabet. More directly to the issue, miller said that the two spaces after a period have a mathematical beauty that makes it easier to read.
I personally think there should only be one space, but my mom thinks otherwise. This is a style choice, but many dyslexic readers prefer the singlespace method because it makes the text easier to read. A comprehensive guide for every writer, editor, student, and. Units of measure grammar girl quick and dirty tips.
When in doubt, ditch the spaces and youll be right most of the time. May 09, 2018 the nation was rocked this week by a paradigmshattering study. In the era when type was set by hand, it was common to use extra space sometimes quite a bit of it after periods, a practice that continued into the first half of the twentieth century. Now, lets talk about how to render a slash in certain contexts to improve readability, which is, after all, the heart of copyediting.
The story of spaces after periods is often told as though monospaced typewriter fonts needed two spaces after a sentence for good readability, and that the wide availability of. You just timetraveled your manuscript into the 21st century. The number of spaces after a period at the end of a sentence, and whether you should use who or that to refer to people and pets. The space needed after these punctuation marks is proportioned automatically. According to grammar girl, the ap stylebook is the only style guide that suggests putting a space before and after the emdash. Im not talking about how many spaces to put after a periodi covered that. Most magazines and books are now justified aligned, so double. I was instructed to leave two spaces after a period when i learned to type on a typewriter in the seventies, but my study of typography has led me to believe that the use of two spaces is a remnant from the victorian era.
Avoid comma splices two independent clauses joined only by a comma. The story of spaces after periods is often told as though monospaced typewriter fonts needed two spaces after a sentence for good readability, and that the wide availability of proportional fonts on computers led to the switch to one space. Oct 31, 2016 chicago manual of style double space after period typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and the chicago manual of style. Instead, separate the clauses with a period, with a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction, or with a semicolon. How many spaces you use after a period is a style choice. In defense of space the extra one after a period above.
What is the proper way of using triple dots and spaces before. Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses when the second clause restates the first or when the two clauses are of equal emphasis. Chicago manual of style spaces after period rutrackerenergy. The period after the parentheses is necessary to bring the entire sentence to a close. For further help with diagramming, see understanding english grammar by martha kolln. Im bamboozled by periods and spacing one or two spaces after periods. Use a hyphen without spaces to join times in the same day part. It is used for periods of time when you might otherwise use the word to. Endorsing wynns viewpoint, megan mcardle at the atlantic concisely stated why most lawyers continue to be twospacers. Frequently asked questions in this faq youll find answers to common grammatical questions that may provide help with your writing ills.
Are the spaces between the dots in a ellipsis necessary, i. An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words. Mar 27, 20 adding 2 spaces after a period added too much space between sentences. Frequently asked questions in this faq youll find answers to common grammatical. The dash, slash, ellipses, and brackets are marks that serve specific purposes as indicated below. Find out why people are suddenly putting spaces before periods.
If a sentence otherwise ends with a question mark or exclamation point, the period is omitted. If you are someone who cant break your two spaces after a period habit, have no fear. She is a wonderful girl, but please help me before i she cried. Find books like grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing from the worlds largest community of readers. No spaces before or after ellipses when used inside of, at the beginning of, or at the end of a sentence. If you grew up using a typewriter, you were probably taught to put two spaces after a period a practice called english spacing. Lisa rojany buccieri has written and ghostwritten more than 100 childrens and grownups books, both fiction and nonfiction, including board books, picture books, and young adult series. Two spaces after a period grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Just make sure your dots dont end up on two different lines. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. These include a normal word space as between the words in a sentence, a single enlarged space, and two full spaces. The full stop commonwealth english, period north american english or full point is a punctuation mark. Use an ellipsis when omitting a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage.
I deal with mla format last because although the other formats require one space after closing punctuation, mla is a little, well, forgiving. But like the typewriter itself, that custom went out of fashion many years ago. Ending a sentence with an abbreviation grammar girl. Comma after san francisco, period after abbreviated state name ca. May 08, 2015 i was taught to use two spaces after a period in my high school typing class too, but you know what. May, 2014 itd be a stylistic choice, but typically no, you dont want a space after the emdash.
Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong, farhad manjoo wrote in slate in 2011. Science has definitively found that two spaces after a period in typed text provides the most efficient reading experience for readers. This is a common convention in most countries that use the iso basic latin alphabet for published and final written work, as well as digital world wide web media. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple times in the podcast awards, and mignon is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame. However, i still use 2 spaces after a period because good ole stupid word does not space out between characters or after a period. Use a slash to indicate that a choice can be made between paired or multiple terms. Abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms how many spaces after a period. Mcardle said, i double space because i learned to type on a manual typewriter, and its not. Nov 06, 2007 i deal with mla format last because although the other formats require one space after closing punctuation, mla is a little, well, forgiving. The period is perhaps the easiest punctuation mark to master. Mignon fogarty is the founder of the quick and dirty tips network and creator of grammar girl, which has been named one of writers digests 101 best websites for writers multiple times. In a voice dripping with superiority, i sent him a reply that said i was following the rule for proper spacing after a period, which is to put two spaces, thank you very much. Jul 31, 2009 get grammar girl s take on how many spaces go after a period. For that reason, people who learned to type on a typewriter were taught to put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.
1376 1476 373 829 495 48 1529 199 119 1562 291 1445 842 798 1515 352 1618 1085 785 1391 160 1543 1477 838 768 556 1442 1493 162 1092 453 76