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Forums - General - Sentences: Double or Single Space?

 

Sentences: Double or Single Space?

Single spacing is the future! 22 62.86%
 
Double spacing makes sense! 6 17.14%
 
I not only double space s... 2 5.71%
 
I not only don't care bu... 2 5.71%
 
Web browsers make this opinion irrelevant. 3 8.57%
 
Total:35
Final-Fan on 28 March 2011
Galaki said:
Final-Fan said:
Galaki said:
Single space
>
Double space
>
>
Isn't that what you're talking about?

No. There is one space after my first sentence ("No").  There are two sentences after my second.  SENTENCE, not PARAGRAPH, like it says in the thread title and throughout the OP. 

Just bugging you :)

But is your vote genuine?  I must know! 



Tag (courtesy of fkusumot): "Please feel free -- nay, I encourage you -- to offer rebuttal."
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My advice to fanboys: Brag about stuff that's true, not about stuff that's false. Predict stuff that's likely, not stuff that's unlikely. You will be happier, and we will be happier.

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Sen. Pat Moynihan
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The old smileys: ; - ) : - ) : - ( : - P : - D : - # ( c ) ( k ) ( y ) If anyone knows the shortcut for , let me know!
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I have the most epic death scene ever in VGChartz Mafia.  Thanks WordsofWisdom! 

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Galaki on 28 March 2011
Final-Fan said:

But is your vote genuine?  I must know! 


That's for me to know and for you to find out.



Pre-order limited edition Blue Slime Condoms

SnesTea on 28 March 2011

I don't double space between sentences.  Gosh.



Final-Fan on 28 March 2011
Galaki said:
Final-Fan said:

But is your vote genuine?  I must know! 


That's for me to know and for you to find out.

That was the point.



Tag (courtesy of fkusumot): "Please feel free -- nay, I encourage you -- to offer rebuttal."
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My advice to fanboys: Brag about stuff that's true, not about stuff that's false. Predict stuff that's likely, not stuff that's unlikely. You will be happier, and we will be happier.

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Sen. Pat Moynihan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The old smileys: ; - ) : - ) : - ( : - P : - D : - # ( c ) ( k ) ( y ) If anyone knows the shortcut for , let me know!
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I have the most epic death scene ever in VGChartz Mafia.  Thanks WordsofWisdom! 

izaaz101 on 28 March 2011

Single space...double space after a period looks odd to me.



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Final-Fan on 28 March 2011
RolStoppable said:
Final-Fan said:
RolStoppable said:

Why in the world should people press a key twice, if pressing it once does the same job just as good. Double spaces are a waste of everybody's time.

you assume your conclusion.  I would argue that it doesn't "do the same job just as good".  and speaking of wastes of time, why should people capitalize the beginnings of sentences?  it's a pointless waste of time. 

personally I think you are just being contrarian, but I wanted to answer your point, such as it is. 

Why wouldn't it do the same job just as good? You know, until a few weeks ago I didn't even know about that double spacing thing. Only then when rocketpig made a thread about it did I notice that there are actually people on VGC who do make double spaces after sentences.

Capitalizing the beginning of a sentence is not a waste of time. It's a clear indication that it is the start of a new sentence, making text easier to read. If you want to argue that double spaces are needed, it's impossible for you to take the stance that capitalizing the beginnings of sentences is pointless at the same time, unless you insist on coming across as an idiot.

I think you know perfectly well that I routinely capitalize the beginnings of sentences.  I was trying to draw a parallel between your claim that the second space served no useful purpose in signaling the end of a sentence and my facetious claim that capitalizing served no useful purpose in signaling the beginning of one. 

I'll have to look up rocketpig's thread -- thanks. 



Tag (courtesy of fkusumot): "Please feel free -- nay, I encourage you -- to offer rebuttal."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My advice to fanboys: Brag about stuff that's true, not about stuff that's false. Predict stuff that's likely, not stuff that's unlikely. You will be happier, and we will be happier.

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Sen. Pat Moynihan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The old smileys: ; - ) : - ) : - ( : - P : - D : - # ( c ) ( k ) ( y ) If anyone knows the shortcut for , let me know!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I have the most epic death scene ever in VGChartz Mafia.  Thanks WordsofWisdom! 

Final-Fan on 28 March 2011
RolStoppable said:
Final-Fan said:

I think you know perfectly well that I routinely capitalize the beginnings of sentences.  I was trying to draw a parallel between your claim that the second space served no useful purpose in signaling the end of a sentence and my facetious claim that capitalizing served no useful purpose in signaling the beginning of one. 

I'll have to look up rocketpig's thread -- thanks. 

But the parallel doesn't work, because the double space is useless. If it had any use whatsoever then I would have stumbled upon it or been annoyed by the lack of it on my own. I have never seen anyone here on VGC or anywhere else complaining about the lack of double spacing at the end of a sentence. But lack of capitalizing the first letter, proper punctuation, lack of paragraphs etc. were and are common.

Just think about this for a minute. If double spaces had any useful purpose, then people would actually demand that other people use them in their text to make everything easier to read. But since text is perfectly fine to read without double spaces after periods, nobody ever feels the need to complain.

Since you've been kind enough to assert an absolute, I can easily supply an example of how double spacing sentences can aid reading comprehension. 

"As both a professional editor and a long-time student of psycholinguistics (the mental perception of spoken and written language) I can state that putting two spaces between sentences is much more reader-friendly when it come to fluent reading and making sense of sentence structure. With just a single space between sentences, one is obliged to concentrate more of one’s attention on determining where the sentence breaks are, thereby distracting from a free flow of the message of the text into one’s consciousness.

"The double space is a much more easily perceptible indicator of a sentence break than a full stop (=period), which is not an infallible indicator of a sentence break, as it is also used to signify an abbreviation. Similarly, capitalisation does not just signify the beginning of a new sentence, it is also used to designate proper nouns. Just take the following example of a single-space break:

"My friend Paul lives on St. Joseph St. Paul is active in his community.

"It takes some stopping and thinking to determine where the sentence break is meant to be. Compare the same two sentences with a double-space break:

"My friend Paul lives on St. Joseph St. [double space] Paul is active in his community.
(I have inserted the term in brackets here as computers tend to change doubles to singles.)

"Granted, this may be a rare example, but it typifies the advantage of the double space between sentences."

People don't get castigated for single spacing sentences because it's considered a legitimate way to use the language, but that doesn't mean that double spacing is useless, or indeed that my example is inaccurate.  I would argue that not capitalizing the beginnings of sentences would not be much more likely to cause confusion for a reader other than by their unfamiliarity with that practice.  I'm not, by the way, arguing that we should do that, or that it's not wrong to do it. 



Tag (courtesy of fkusumot): "Please feel free -- nay, I encourage you -- to offer rebuttal."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My advice to fanboys: Brag about stuff that's true, not about stuff that's false. Predict stuff that's likely, not stuff that's unlikely. You will be happier, and we will be happier.

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Sen. Pat Moynihan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The old smileys: ; - ) : - ) : - ( : - P : - D : - # ( c ) ( k ) ( y ) If anyone knows the shortcut for , let me know!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I have the most epic death scene ever in VGChartz Mafia.  Thanks WordsofWisdom! 

Final-Fan on 28 March 2011
RolStoppable said:
Final-Fan said:

Since you've been kind enough to assert an absolute, I can easily supply an example of how double spacing sentences can aid reading comprehension. 

"As both a professional editor and a long-time student of psycholinguistics (the mental perception of spoken and written language) I can state that putting two spaces between sentences is much more reader-friendly when it come to fluent reading and making sense of sentence structure. With just a single space between sentences, one is obliged to concentrate more of one’s attention on determining where the sentence breaks are, thereby distracting from a free flow of the message of the text into one’s consciousness.

"The double space is a much more easily perceptible indicator of a sentence break than a full stop (=period), which is not an infallible indicator of a sentence break, as it is also used to signify an abbreviation. Similarly, capitalisation does not just signify the beginning of a new sentence, it is also used to designate proper nouns. Just take the following example of a single-space break:

"My friend Paul lives on St. Joseph St. Paul is active in his community.

"It takes some stopping and thinking to determine where the sentence break is meant to be. Compare the same two sentences with a double-space break:

"My friend Paul lives on St. Joseph St. [double space] Paul is active in his community.
(I have inserted the term in brackets here as computers tend to change doubles to singles.)

"Granted, this may be a rare example, but it typifies the advantage of the double space between sentences."

People don't get castigated for single spacing sentences because it's considered a legitimate way to use the language, but that doesn't mean that double spacing is useless, or indeed that my example is inaccurate.  I would argue that not capitalizing the beginnings of sentences would not be much more likely to cause confusion for a reader other than by their unfamiliarity with that practice.  I'm not, by the way, arguing that we should do that, or that it's not wrong to do it. 

Okay, so the double space aids terrible writers. What does the second "St." even mean? Also Saint? Or rather Street? Yeah, I guess that has to be it.

"...lives on Street."

I always thought "in" is used in such a sentence. Man, your example is confusing on so many levels. If I had to write the same sentence, then I wouldn't abbreviate Street, because it's just confusing, double space or not. It's for this reason that I try to never end a sentence with "Super Mario Bros.", so I rather use "SMB" instead. I care for my readers, this example person obviously does not. I think this means that good writing goes beyond flawless grammar.

This is just an extreme example of the general point that periods do not reliably indicate the ends of sentences -- and that therefore the double space has value as punctuation. 

I would agree with the author in arguing that the example is not confusing when there is a double space.  It's not "lives on Street".  I don't know what could possibly make you think the first "St." was a "Street".  AFAIK, "Saint" is the natural thing to presume in that case, which is correct here.  And the double space ensures that the second "St." is not thought to be "Saint" as well, since there is a double space proving that "Paul" belongs to a new sentence.  Therefore the reader will not be confused and immediately correctly conclude the second "St." is "Street". 

P.S.  And it is in fact "on", not "in", when it's a street and not, say, a building. 



Tag (courtesy of fkusumot): "Please feel free -- nay, I encourage you -- to offer rebuttal."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My advice to fanboys: Brag about stuff that's true, not about stuff that's false. Predict stuff that's likely, not stuff that's unlikely. You will be happier, and we will be happier.

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Sen. Pat Moynihan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The old smileys: ; - ) : - ) : - ( : - P : - D : - # ( c ) ( k ) ( y ) If anyone knows the shortcut for , let me know!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I have the most epic death scene ever in VGChartz Mafia.  Thanks WordsofWisdom! 

Kirameo on 29 March 2011

This is ridiculous.   How about triple space?   It would make this text easier to read!

How about quadruple space?    It's even easier and reader-friendler.

No, really. I think this is ridiculous.     You've got to be kidding me.

But   don't   get   mad   at   me!



 

RCTjunkie on 29 March 2011
Snesboy said:

I don't double space between sentences.  Gosh.


What about a sentence and an interjection?

OT: I am an editor for my school newspaper, and nothing ticks me off more then someone double spacing. It's a personal preferece, but it just irks me.



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