Double Spacing After Periods

Do you double space after periods?


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I stopped using one in the early 80s, but was an early adopter of the PC for everything.
 
I think it's finally time we had a meaningful conversation on spaces after periods. Some people, namely those born in the 17th century, think you need to put two spaces after your periods.
I was born in 1963, learned to type in 1976, and was taught in all typing classes then and after to put two spaces after a period (assuming the period was the end of the sentence). I was also taught to put two spaces after colons.

Code:
[FONT="Courier New"]Yes, always.  I couldn't care less what slate or anyone else says, it is correct to put two spaces after a period, once space after a comma, and so forth.  See?  Doesn't that look nice?[/FONT]
That's the first time I've ever seen what I was taught was NORMAL typing on this forum! :goodjob:

To be honest, I can't believe there are people still alive who learned how to type on a typewriter. :mischief:


(Togeth seriously, I am wondering when did the typewriter actually go out of fashion, I'm assuming sometime in the 80s or early 90s which would've been I wasn't born yet/not old enough to know about these things)
Not only did I learn on a typewriter, it was a manual. A really old manual, of the sort that made me decide to permanently keep my fingernails short. There were times when my fingers would slip between the keys, and that was rather painful. Mind you, getting your fingers in the way of the typebars on an electric typewriter is even more painful.

One thing I've been curious about since switching to a computer (~1990, when my faithful Smith-Corona electric typewriter died past any willingness of professionals to fix it) is what my actual typing speed is. I graduated Grade 12 with an A in typing, and certified ~60 wpm, within 3 errors. That was on an electric typewriter, and based on 5-minute timed writing tests, which we had to do every day. But now, with easy corrections and it not taking so much energy to press a key (mind you, I actually make mistakes more frequently on a computer keyboard), I haven't a clue.


Can anyone tell me if it's customary anywhere to put two PERIODS at the end of a sentence? There's someone on another site I visit frequently who does that, and it drives me nuts. I figure either she learned how to type from a really weird teacher, or she just plain has no clue how to write basic sentences.

I'm not talking about three periods..I'm talking about two..See what I'm doing in this paragraph - it looks stupid and just irritates most people..If I started posting like this here, I daresay most of you would wonder if I'd lost the ability to type properly..
 
I'm not talking about three periods..I'm talking about two..See what I'm doing in this paragraph - it looks stupid and just irritates most people..If I started posting like this here, I daresay most of you would wonder if I'd lost the ability to type properly..
Sounds like it's her own, exotic version of ellipsis. In my experience, people with unpopular, inflammatory or stupid options often have their own, unique version of punctuation and overuse ellipses. Don't know why they do this. Probably they think that their punctuation should be as unorthodox as their views, or maybe they think that strange punctuation makes them seem less inflammatory and more cryptic.
 
I still have one. Rarely use it, but sometimes you have to fill out multi-sheet carbon forms, and the good ol' Okidata ML-320 doesn't line up just right.
That's the first time I've ever seen what I was taught was NORMAL typing on this forum! :goodjob:
Ha, yeah :) And look at what I had to go through to make it happen. You're right, by the way, about the colon getting two spaces as well.
 
To be honest, I can't believe there are people still alive who learned how to type on a typewriter. :mischief:


(Togeth seriously, I am wondering when did the typewriter actually go out of fashion, I'm assuming sometime in the 80s or early 90s which would've been I wasn't born yet/not old enough to know about these things)

When I learned to use an electronic typewriter in the early 90s it was probably already obsolete. I think most businesses were already moving to PCs by then. But schools don't always have the money to go out and buy a classroom full of PCs.
 
To be honest, I can't believe there are people still alive who learned how to type on a typewriter. :mischief:

Well, when did PCs first appear, on a wide-spread basis? In the 80s? So everyone over 40, at least, will likely have learned on a typewriter.

I, for one, do not mourn the passing of typewriters. They were insanely outclassed by PCs.
 
They're still rarely handy. I use one at work once in a blue moon when I have one, maybe up to 3 envelopes to address. Like El Mac said, typing is easier than writing neatly, and shooting the envelopes through the typewriter is easier than digging out a labels sheet to run through the printer or opening a Word/open office template to print an envelope. Doesn't take many before the word processor still becomes the better option though.
 
Oh well.

Is writing neatly really that hard?

I honestly quite enjoy it.
 
Everybody except my mom and grandma say they think my handwriting is messy but in an awesomely epic and sexy way. My mom and grandma just thhk it's messy.



I suppose at least where I lived, anyhow, typewriters were definitely out of fashion by the early to mid 90s, never even saw a real one in my life. I do remember in elementary school we did have a computer lab put in when I was like in fourth grade and that was a huge big deal.
 
Oh well.

Is writing neatly really that hard?

I honestly quite enjoy it.

It's also a semi-useful thing to be using if you happen to have a desk job where university students walk in your open door and start talking to you, the typewriter usually gives them enough of a pause to complete whatever you were working on. Much better than say being visibly on the phone at your desk does, or depending on the particular person walking in, better than actively speaking with somebody else already at your desk. I never thought I would ever get to the point in my life where I would be (arrogant?) enough to glare at somebody mid-sentence, hold up my finger as a demand they shut up, then point their butt at a chair. But I've been having to do it every now and then the past couple years. The other options are just ruder to the person I'm already speaking with that already waited.
 
Nah. I only ever used an electric typewriter once. (The experience underwhelmed me.)

Here's the little baby:



You're jealous, I can tell. I wish I still had it, just for sentimental reasons.
 
Even when I use monospace fonts, which I do pretty often when programming, one space after a period seems perfectly natural to me. See? No problem.
That's true. Apparently the type of font doesn't matter, two spaces after a period always look as forced and unnatural as Trump's hair.
 
To be honest, I can't believe there are people still alive who learned how to type on a typewriter. :mischief:


(Togeth seriously, I am wondering when did the typewriter actually go out of fashion, I'm assuming sometime in the 80s or early 90s which would've been I wasn't born yet/not old enough to know about these things)

I learned it on a mechanical one, although they were already heavily outdated.
Just due to the simple reason we still had one, and laptops just were not available at that time.
My god...I had soooooo many muscles in my fingers back in that time :D.

Oh well.

Is writing neatly really that hard?

I honestly quite enjoy it.

I think I once wrote a letter by hand...2 pages...took me 1 hour or so to write it so that it looks readable.
-> the answer is "yes".

(okay, my written alphabet also only has 16 characters or so, because the rest looks like other characters, so I'm probably a very bad example ^^).
 
That's true. Apparently the type of font doesn't matter, two spaces after a period always look as forced and unnatural as Trump's hair.

Well sure. It depends on who is reading it I suppose. Just like the finesse that separates fine wines is entirely wasted on my pig's palette for wines, the fine distinctions between typefaces and spacing is wasted on some people as well. :mischief:
 
I always use two spaces, but that's mostly because that's how I was taught and it's just force of habit now.
 
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