When typing/keyboarding, one or two spaces after a period?

[JudyJudyJudy]

What do you prefer?

[Meredith]

When I took a semester of keyboarding in high school, we were taught to put two spaces after every period. That was my freshman year (I believe). I took a semester of word processing my senior year, and they had changed the protocol from two spaces to one space after periods, so I re-learned it, and now I use only one space. It was a difficult habit to break.

[Ma_Whit]

Two.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I've been typing for umpteen years, and I learned to put two spaces after a period. It's second nature for me, and it's hard to change. However, I've been reading on some copyediting/proofreading sites, and it seems that the preferred way now is one space.

If you're taking an online typing test, does anyone know whether or not it matters which way you do it? It's going to really slow me down to have to think about only typing one space after each period.

[Meredith]

That's a good question, Judy. I *think* that when I took WP, the teaching software that we used took points off your final score if you put more than one space after end punctuation, so that could be the case for some online typing tests as well. I seem to remember noticing that it took points off, so I asked the teacher (who was the same teacher that taught keyboarding), and that's when she said that the official recommendation had been changed.

[Sputterduck]

Two! And I'm never converting!!!!

[hidesome]

Two. One is for communists.

[Crabbie]

I was taught one but prefer two.

[Justicedog]

I learned when it was 2 spaces. I think now the preferred method is 1 space. I don't like it.

[BeanBabies]

I was taught 2 spaces and I don't see myself changing that any time soon. It's far too ingrained.

[EvilAmy]

I just asked DD (and forgive me I'm not awake yet and have been up all night) She said that on her typing tests they have a button they select for one or two spaces while testing. But when they use two spaces they get more points. So I imagine two spaces are considered more preferable. She however thinks that two spaces are silly. I've always only ever used one and was never marked down when I wrote papers back in HS. And we're far from being communist.

[ColleenF30]

I have always done 2. Was never even sure where it came from. LOL I never took a typing class.

[kasumisniper]

One looks the same as two to me. One. Two.

[Still_Tbog]

I learned two, and ds learned one when he took keyboarding a couple years ago. I will stick with two, but he insists on one.

[Babyblue]

I think I have always done one. I think. Yep one.

[irisheyes81]

I was taught two in grade school and one in college.

[Amy_G_]

Some software like MS Word will automatically adjust for one or two spaces. Since software for typing long papers can be set to justify each line, the point it moot anyway, since the spaces are adjusted so well by the computer that your eye doesn't notice. I use two spaces, but when I'm done typing, I believe bf.com will edit out the extraneous spaces. let me see .one .two .three .four

[Amy_G_]

I play with a typing test here
http://www.typingtest.com/
and never noticed being marked down for 2 spaces rather than 1.

[HammBugga]

I was taught two but have been trying to change it to one. I am inconsistent.

[JustMoi]

2. Always. I also refuse to end sentences with prepositions, use commas at the beginning of a list (although that is now considered "optional") and when proofreading, I will mark a single space after a period as WRONG.

[tata]

One

[irisheyes81]

From the Chicago Manual of Style:

6.11 Space between sentences

In typeset matter, one space, not two (in other words, a regular word space), follows any mark of punctuation that ends a sentence, whether a period, a colon, a question mark, an exclamation point, or closing quotation marks.

[dalurker]

One. I've never even heard of the two space thing before, but then my education is pretty limited and what you see is what you get, punctuation and spelling errors and all.

[Solare]

I use two and I doubt I'll ever change that.

[Candi]

I used to always use two, because I thought thats what I was taught. But then I went to college and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about, so I wasn't even sure if I was right anymore. Now unless doing a formal paper I do one, and when typing formally my fingers automatically do two.

[MiMi_of_4]

Typing class in high school ~ two spaces

Of course, that was on a manual typewriter :) When I worked as a student secretary in college, I got to use one of those new-fangled electric IBM typewriters with the little ball you changed for different fonts :)

You all realize I've been typing on some kind of machine for almost forty years? I still put two spaces after the end punctuation mark.

Even though I don't know about keyboarding protocol, this was a trip down memory lane for me ~ lol ~

[cc1003]

Two, I had no idea that we were changing back to one...crap.

[StillSingingMom]

You whippersnappers. Two, of course. And I'll never change, either.

The eye can scan sentences far more easily with two spaces after end punctuation. I despise dual justification; it is difficult for a speed reader and slows me down. Justify on one side only, please.

I refuse to change to one space. It really does make correct scanning far more difficult.

[Meredith]

Just for the record, it appears that the software we have here automatically takes out the second space, so it won't matter if you add a second space here.

[JudyJudyJudy]

One looks the same as two to me. One. Two.
Yes, the software on bfdc and many other message boards automatically adjusts to one.


I play with a typing test here
http://www.typingtest.com/
and never noticed being marked down for 2 spaces rather than 1.
I took a typing test online for a job that I think did. I wasn't sure, so I kept going back and deleting a space.


2. Always. I also refuse to end sentences with prepositions, use commas at the beginning of a list (although that is now considered "optional") and when proofreading, I will mark a single space after a period as WRONG.
Based on what I've read on publishing websites, you're the exception.


From the Chicago Manual of Style:

6.11 Space between sentences

In typeset matter, one space, not two (in other words, a regular word space), follows any mark of punctuation that ends a sentence, whether a period, a colon, a question mark, an exclamation point, or closing quotation marks.
That's what I found as well.


Just for the record, it appears that the software we have here automatically takes out the second space, so it won't matter if you add a second space here.
Yep.

[tata]

I just stumbled this. Maybe we should ask this guy.

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[JudyJudyJudy]

LOL. Since he was typing on a manual typewriter, I'm sure he'd say "two."

It's crazy that he lost jobs because he typed too fast.

[tata]

I'm just amazed he could type so fast with all those rings on! "lol9"

[JudyJudyJudy]

LOL. I wonder how fast he could type on a keyboard! I sucked on a manual typewriter!

[catkrazy99]

Mr. Turley taught us 2 spaces in typing class in the early 80's. He's probably rolling over in his grave.

[catkrazy99]

Wow, just watched the video, that looks like the typewriter I learned to type on.

[dalurker]

I'm old and remember (and had!) manual typewriters as well, but I'm confounded if I can remember anything about a two space rule!

I guess I was a slacker.

[Meredith]

We had a manual typewriter when I was a kid. I loved that thing. It was fun to play on.

I also had a toy typewriter that actually typed. It had ink and everything.

[alejorge]

Two spaces for me!

[Microgirl]

I always was taught 2 spaces until I went to college. There they wanted one space as per the APA format rules, which is the standard for professional documents/papers. (American Psychiatric Association)

[firewife]

2

[leosmommy]

Wow that guy was fast! Mad typin skillz

[Camille]

I always was taught 2 spaces until I went to college. There they wanted one space as per the APA format rules, which is the standard for professional documents/papers. (American Psychiatric Association)

MLA has also switched over to one space.

I believe that word processors are coded to automatically add the extra space after periods, and that is why they (MLA, APA, and Chicago Style manuals) made the switch. There is a huge space if you add in the second one.

This much I know: If I were to send in an electronic document to one of my profs (I'm in graduate school right now) with two spaces after the periods, I would be marked down a little, as it's not following APA. (All they would have to do is turn on the paragraph marks to see that I used two)

When I was an undergrad, most of my professors didn't really care. However, my English profs did. My EN 101 instructor was the first one to point it out to me. Gosh, was that a hard habit to break.

[cream_city]

Yes, these things are dictated by style manuals. In English (which is MLA), you need to have one space.

And as a former editor and current English teacher, I can spot two spaces from a mile away. You don't even need to turn on any sort of paragraph marking to see it.

MLA has also switched over to one space.

I believe that word processors are coded to automatically add the extra space after periods, and that is why they (MLA, APA, and Chicago Style manuals) made the switch. There is a huge space if you add in the second one.

This much I know: If I were to send in an electronic document to one of my profs (I'm in graduate school right now) with two spaces after the periods, I would be marked down a little, as it's not following APA. (All they would have to do is turn on the paragraph marks to see that I used two)

When I was an undergrad, most of my professors didn't really care. However, my English profs did. My EN 101 instructor was the first one to point it out to me. Gosh, was that a hard habit to break.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I still like the look of two spaces. It's easier on my eyes, but I've been trying to get used to one space.

Cream, can you please PM me the link to the program at your college that you sent me one time before?