Two spaces after a full stop

[MyDuvetDay]

Do you do this?

Or do you correct this in other people’s work by deleting all their extra spaces?

Back in the Dark Ages I was taught to always type 2 spaces after a full stop. Who the heck has time to go through other people's work deleting (correct) spaces?

I don't double space but I wouldn't correct someone else's document if they did, unless they had done a mixture of styles. Whatever you choose, the most important thing is to stick to it throughout the document.

It eases reading, helps when odd typefaces are used, as characters sit differently depending on their style. I use double spaces and have no intention of stopping.

I do it because it was the way I was taught. It's totally automatic and after 40+ years I doubt I could stop. Besides, I think it looks better when you separate sentences. It makes the sentence stand out and much easier to read, especially when you are faced with one of those mumsnet posts with a single block paragraph that goes on forever.

It’s style, not absolutely correct/incorrect. In publishing, some still expect this and some don’t want it. It’s like how some magazines/publications put a full stop at the end of captions and others don’t.

I still use double spaces. Even in text messages, so there!

I think it makes it easier to scan through text because there's a slightly bigger gap between sentences.

I always thought one-space typists were self-taught and that's why they didn't know the proper way.

Why is a problem to have a double space?

In fact I correct other people's typing by changing a single space to a double space.

I was taught two spaces after a full stop on a manual typewriter many years ago. I have stopped now because they weren't showing up when I posted whatever I had typed.

random capitalisation is the influence of American style content. American style guides and copy editors use them and it's slowly infiltrated its way here. eg the same headline from the New York Times vs The Times would have capitals for the NYT.

It also irritates me! And I also spend a lot of time removing them when working with my clients' content. Then have to go back and put it all back in when I'm working with a client that has an American parent company. Sigh.

Like others, it is how I was taught to type.

There's also the matter of addressing handwritten envelopes. We were taught at school that you should indent each line of the address, and it used to be common practice with typed envelopes too, but that has long since fallen out of use now.

It’s not a problem as such. It’s just that all the main contemporary style guides - and even the UK government’s own publication guidance - specifies one space, not two.

https://guidance.publishing.service.gov.uk/writing-to-gov-uk-standards/style-guides/a-to-z-style-guide/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Who are these people who are correcting how other people type?

is it your job? Are they expecting to be corrected?

It's sort of my job. I work on content for people.

But also, I think it depends. If it's just an email, who cares. But if, for example, I'm working on a large research report for a client, then consistency in style, tone, punctuation and yes, spacing, is important to ensure the final document looks and sounds professional and credible.

Classic thing that's the job of the typesetting or display program, though - the idea that if you don't like someone's choice you have to manually change every sentence is a bit mind-blowing to me! (For whoever it was upthread who said "as you can see" she used two spaces, no, we can't see, at least not reading mn in a browser, because the display widget does the right thing regardless.)

I do two spaces. Always have, it's just ingrained now and I don't have any issue with anyone else thinking that it's old-fashioned or not contemporary. I don't work in a field where anyone would care, and no one would change anything I wrote.

Yes and yes. Others check and correct my work too.

Double space is very 2005.

Although to be fair I haven't corrected it for a while now because the only person at my work that used to do it retired a couple of years ago. It's no different to correcting spelling, incorrectly placed apostrophes etc.

I was taught it but that was in pre-computer days.

I don't do it now and correct it if reviewing anything. Your phone or computer automatically adds the bigger space (don't think it's quite a double) to make a new sentence clear following a full stop.

I'm a journalist and always remove double spaces from any quotes or parts of press releases I use. It's very very rare now, even less so than when I started in 2003.

This is patronising I know, but I find it sweetly old-school when people still do it.

On the Random capitalisation, isn't that an older English thing from times gone by?

If it is incorrect, why does my lap top automatically add a full stop after two space bar clicks? I was taught to type like that 100 yrs ago, so I shall continue double space bar full stopping… I’m the most pedantic old fart usually, but this is the hill I die on. 😀

I use the double space and the Oxford comma!

I had typewriter lessons at school (yes I am that old!), and was always taught to double space. I don't do it now, I've trained myself out of the habit. The reason for doube spacing was because a manual typewriter used the same amount of space for each character, so an i and a w took the same space on the paper. A double space between sentences made it flow better visually, if that makes sense.

But is that the right thing to do in a professional capacity? Most organisations of any meaningful size will have 'house style' rules for grammar, punctuation, capitalisation (and if a US parent/subsidiary, whether capitaliZation is used instead, and for which written materials from which jurisdictions).

It's tedious, along with font wars (particularly with lawyers 😆) when working on iterative drafts.

Unless you are the custodian of the house style in your organisation, why bother changing it either way?

Understand entirely why those trained in the day of manual typewriters can't drop the habit, it harks back to preventing the full stop key jamming with the caps lock key when starting the next sentence I think?