To think that some (not all) of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s rules for communications are okay?

[CruCru]

I am not a fan of Jacob Rees-Mogg. I would hate to be made to refer to Imperial units because I don’t think in Imperial (presumably he does) and the Esq. thing is alien to me.

However, things like “Check your work”, having two spaces after a full stop and no comma after “and” are fair enough. I’m not sure about all the banned words or phrases but perhaps they are overused (to the point of being sloppy).

How old is J R-M esq anyway,

How do double spaces work? Like this?

I think the line about Imperial Measurements is to counter an EU directive about metric measurements only to be used.

The biggest problem here though is the fact he thinks this list is the first and most important thing he had to do

Really how do you know that? It reads like something that he has had around before and just sent out for his new department.

His speeches may be written down in Hansard but that doesn't make them written for him. A speech designed to be written is a script.

Double spaces don't work on here. I experimented earlier with Tinkly's post.

JRM is 158.

Phew, he’s no where near my age.

It's one space people, get with the times!

His use of "M.P.s" irritates me. Why not MPs, like everyone else? Does he insist on full stops between the letters of every single set of initials?

Given most application forms want to know your qualifications, previous roles and years of experience, anyone checking for double spaces as a way to discriminate wouldn't half be making their lives more difficult!

Two spaces is very out of date and Ms. needs a full stop because it's an acceptable abbreviation just like Mr. Esquire is just a waste of paper and ink.

Paragraph indents are a waste of paper. Ok in handwritten letters but not ok electronically.

Some of it is just good English eg. Not using ‘yourself’. He means in the wrong context.

In the olden days I learned to type on a manual typewriter and through electric, electronic, word processor and now a laptop I always put two spaces after a full stop.

Going back to imperial measurements is maybe a step too far - though I don't use kilometres.

As for Esquire - that went out with the Ark.
JRM is a bit of a joke - I hope he never becomes PM.

Checking your work should be second nature.

2 spaces after a full stop and decent spacing and font size make for easier reading.

Jargon switches off readers and listeners and obfuscates meaning.

I concur with JRM.

M.P.s is just ludicrous. I honestly think anyone who cares how many spaces follow a full stop has too much time on their hands.

He's talking sense.

RSA - always leave 2 spaces after a full stop.

I was taught the rules of Grammar at school and commas were definitely not allowed after and. nor were full stops

I'm 32 and I use two spaces after a full stop. It was drummed into me when I learned to touch type in the 00s

Out of curiosity (not British) - do children learn imperial measurements in school in Britain ?

Using two spaces after a full stop is archaic and plain wrong. It's not used in publishing or any mainstream media channels. I speak as an ex journalist.

It may be archaic in publishing but technically it's not wrong. I speak as an ex legal secretary (who still thinks legal documents are mostly unintelligible because they have no punctuation!).

And sorry not sorry who are these people who make up stuff like you shouldn't start emails with "Dear" and why should we believe them? As a PP said, how else should you open a formal email?

I don't give a fig, I've always used two spaces after a full stop and shall continue to do so. I still use Imperial weights and measures, for baking etc and still ask for a pound of whatever I'm buying. I also still convert centigrade to fahrenheit.

Agree with PP that there are bigger things to worry about.

Also, language changes. Never more so than with the changes in communication over the last 20 years. So it doesn't really matter what you were taught years ago: popular conventions change.

When doing my copy editing training, my main takeaway was consistency: don't be inconsistent. So actually, I don't really give a shit what you do, just don't keep changing it.

Well it's good to know that the government is focussing on the RSA rules for typing (I learned them too), rather than the rules of the ministerial code.

You know, the one Priti Patel was fired for breaking.

It's still used by the same people who start emails with 'Dear'.

That would be everyone in my university and in all other universities I have dealings with. Also publishers, museums, libraries, research councils . . . I could go on. It’s most people, I suspect.

I learned the metric system when I was on school and that wasn't even that recently. It's The international standard.

J.R.M. is a living anachronism.

Disfordark, "Mr" and "Ms" don't need full stops. You use a full stop when the last letter isn't the last letter of the original word.

So "Mr, Mrs, Dr" don't need full stops, but "Rev., Boris J., Shaftesbury Av." would do.

Historically from the earliest punctuated text written in Latin languages, one x-width space was the accepted practice. Two spaces after a full stop is entirely a product of the limitations of the typewriter with its fixed width typefaces. It's not necessary now with really sophisticated software on computers and well designed fonts available at a low cost.

Reading text, especially extended and printed text is a subliminal process that can be easily interrupted by awkward spacing, both horizontal and vertical, poor relationships between text size and line length. etc. Fully justified text can be an absolute bastard to read especially if the text is very information-dense and has an unsuitable font size. I've often seen this in my work and it drives me to distraction because I have mild visual difficulties and this kind of mistake does give me actual difficulties in reading text, and make it difficult for me to absorb the information in the text.

Another two-spacer here!