TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Spaces after periods 'n such From:Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:31:09 -0700
On 10/28/2010 12:17 AM, David Neeley wrote:
> It always astounds me that there are still questions among
> professional writers regarding spaces following periods and other
> stops.
It is always amazing when this discussion comes around every couple of
years and the same arguments are raised and the same disagreements arise.
> Today, with typewriters mostly confined to museums, most type is
> proportional. The width designed into the fonts used makes a double
> space after a period far too open.
I still like that visual break between sentences.
> The only place where you should consider using a double space after a
> period is in the rare instance in which you might be actually writing
> text in a monospaced font--for the same reason it was used in
> typewritten text for all those years.
What about for people who receive text-only emails and do not care for
the variable width fonts when viewing text-only emails?
> If you look at proportional text with double spaces at an angle, you
> can easily notice "rivers" of white space running through it from the
> extra spacing. When you do this, it becomes a bit jarring to the eye,
> in fact.
Your eye, perhaps. I am reading your email in a mono-spaced, text-only
font because the variable width fonts cause my eyes too much strain.
> However, the single take-away here is a simple rule for the most
> effective appearance of your work: when using a proportional font,
> single space after periods.
I use double-space.
> (When editing someone else's work, one of my first activities is to do
> a search and replace for all double spaces after periods, replacing
> them with single spaces. It's surprising, too, how many people
> actually mix the two up in the same piece.)
Funny. I search and replace all of the single spaces with double,
unless there is a controlling style guide or format requirements that
state otherwise. Let's work together! ;-)
> As for "looking funny"--that is usually, if not universally, a problem
> with the eye of the beholder.
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
