Can You double space after a period in Microsoft Word?
In 2020, Microsoft also struck a major blow to all the double-spacers out there when it officially categorized a double space after a period as a writing mistake in their popular Microsoft Word program. That being said, academic style guides like APA and MLA allow for some leeway.
How many spaces should you use after a period?
Learn why two spaces were originally used after a period and why the general rule today is to use one space after a period. Oops, something went wrong... How Many Spaces Should You Use After a Period? The overwhelming majority of contemporary style guides and word processors advise using a single space between typed sentences.
What happened to single space after a period?
Studies have shown that, beginning with millennials, younger generations widely prefer the single space after a period. On the flip side, Gen X and older generations usually prefer the double space. So, what happened? To answer that question we need to go pretty far back in time—centuries back in time, in fact.
Is the double space still a thing in 2020?
Even the APA, the staunchest defender of the double space over the decades, changed their stance on the issue in 2019. In 2020, Microsoft also struck a major blow to all the double-spacers out there when it officially categorized a double space after a period as a writing mistake in their popular Microsoft Word program.
Is 2 spaces after a period correct?
Unless you are typing on an actual typewriter, you no longer have to put two spaces after a period. Or a question mark. Or an exclamation point. The rule applies to all end punctuation.
Why did we stop double spacing after periods?
Because we've all switched to modern fonts, adding two spaces after a period no longer enhances readability, typographers say. It diminishes it.
Does APA require two spaces after a period?
APA style recommends placing two spaces after a period that ends a sentence. This rule is often not enforced by professors. The reasoning behind it is to aid in proofreading.
How many spaces after a period is legal?
two spaces1. Always place two spaces -- no more, no less -- after a period or other punctuation ending a sentence. This rule should be applied in all instances, including those where a citation follows the period.
Does Chicago style use two spaces after period?
Every major style guide--including the Modern Language Association Style Manual and the Chicago Manual of Style--prescribes a single space after a period.
Does APA 7 have two spaces after period?
Use one space after a period (or other punctuation mark at the end of a sentence) when writing in APA Style.
Why do people put one space after a period?
(This is called a mono-spaced font.) With a typewriter, it makes sense to add an extra space to make it clear that the sentence has ended. Today's word-processing software makes fonts proportional, though, which is why we only need one space.
Should I use double spacing?
Double spacing is the norm for essay assignments, so if you are in doubt about expectations, you should format your paper with double spacing. Only use a single space if the teacher asks explicitly for it. Don't worry if you've already typed your paper and you now realize that your spacing is wrong.
Why do people put one space after a period?
(This is called a mono-spaced font.) With a typewriter, it makes sense to add an extra space to make it clear that the sentence has ended. Today's word-processing software makes fonts proportional, though, which is why we only need one space.
How do you double space after a period in word?
Choose Preferences. Select Spelling & Grammar from the box. Click the Settings button next to Grammar & Refinements. Next to Space Between Sentences, choose between don't check, single space, and double space.
Are two spaces better than one the effect of spacing following periods and commas during reading?
The most recent edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Manual states that two spaces should follow the punctuation at the end of a sentence. This is in contrast to the one-space requirement from previous editions. However, to date, there has been no empirical support for either convention.
Should you double space after a colon?
But first please note the following: the colon is never preceded by a white space; it is always followed by a single white space in normal use, and it is never, never, never followed by a hyphen or a dash — in spite of what you might have been taught in school.
When did two spaces after a period change?
When the typewriter was introduced in the late 1800s, typists utilized two spaces between sentences to emulate the manner of conventional typesette...
Do you need two spaces between sentences?
The Evolution of Two Spaces Before word processors, two spaces after a period were necessary and taught as right if you learnt to type on a typewri...
Why do lawyers put two spaces after a period?
He argues that the practice of two spaces between sentences dates back to the days when everyone wrote on manual typewriters. Because of how typewr...
Why should you never double space after a period?
Because the typewritten monospace typeface has so much more spacing, writers who used typewriters needed the extra space after punctuation to denot...
Should I double space after a sentence?
As a result, the two-space rule was adopted—on a typewriter, an extra space after a sentence makes writing simpler to read. Typographers believe th...
When did it change from two spaces to one space after a period?
Single sentence spacing was defined as a typographic norm in 1989 by Desktop Publishing by Design, which noted that "typesetting requires just one...
What are the two spaces after a period called?
(This is referred to as a mono-spaced typeface.) When using a typewriter, it makes sense to add an extra space to indicate that the sentence has fi...
Is there two spaces after a period in a Word document?
However, word processing software may readily solve this problem by maintaining the space between characters to a minimum. And it's not only an edi...
How many spaces after a period?
While there are many formal rules for punctuation marks and formatting, it’s easy to get tripped up on whether to use one or two spaces after a period. Learn why two spaces were originally used after a period and why the general rule today is to use one space after a period.
When did the two space rule start?
The two-space rule took hold in the early twentieth century and became the norm in many high school typing classes. Eventually, sophisticated typewriters and word processing software like Microsoft Word introduced proportional fonts, which made it easier to distinguish the period at end of a sentence as a full stop.
When to use single space?
Single spaces should also follow commas, as well as periods after abbreviations.
How many spaces are there between the end of a sentence and the beginning of another?
These days, depending on what you’re reading, you can find either one or two spaces between the end of one sentence and the beginning of another.
Why do we need double space?
Once considered an advanced form of technology themselves, older typewriters were known to produce uneven or unpredictable line spacing. A double space between the end of one sentence and the beginning of another helped to create some uniformity on the page, and made typed pages easier to read.
Why do we need double space in sentences?
Although there has been plenty of back-and-forth on the topic, a recent study may have concluded why many people still prefer seeing a double space between sentences: that extra space can help you read faster. While it may only cut down on reading time by a few seconds, some people can find that time invaluable.
Is single space correct?
According to the AP Stylebook, single-spacing is correct. The same goes for the Chicago Manual of Style. However, the Modern Language Association Style Center offers different advice, and suggests that writers use a single space after a period unless they have been explicitly told otherwise.
Is it better to give space bar a single tap?
Since either way can be considered correct, depending on the audience you’re writing for, the right answer seems to be to err on the side of caution and give that space bar a single tap. Not only is it the more widely acceptable method, it saves space (no pun intended) which can be especially important when working with limited character use—we’re looking at you, Twitter!
How many spaces after a period?
One space after a period? You’ve got to be kidding. For 2.58 million years (since cave men and women) began chiseling words onto stone walls, humans have always known that one uses TWO spaces after a sentence. May God and Shakespeare forgive me, but today, everyone seems to believe it’s one space.
When did typists use two spaces?
With the introduction of the typewriter in the late 19th century, typists used two spaces between sentences to mimic the style used by traditional typesetters. While wide sentence spacing was phased out in the printing industry in the mid-20th century, the practice continued on typewriters and later on computers.
How many spaces after stop in font?
Current practice is to use a single space after a stop for proportional (variable width) fonts but two spaces after a stop when using a monospaced (fixed-width) font. Most fonts one would encounter these days are of the former type (ha!), but there are circumstances where one might encounter monospaced fonts.
When did single space become standard?
From around 1950, single sentence spacing became standard in books, magazines, and newspapers, and the majority of style guides that use a Latin-derived alphabet as a language base now prescribe or recommend the use of a single space after the concluding punctuation of a sentence. It is dying a slow death.
Is double space still used in APA?
APA was the only style guide to still recommend the double space, and it finally caught up in 2019. A year later, Microsoft caught on, way behind the rest of the pack. As an editor, the only time I see the double space used these days is in academic essays where the university still prefers that style. Or.
Where do full stops go with brackets?
Put the full stop INSIDE the brackets when the words in brackets make a full sentence. Put the full stop OUTSIDE the brackets when the words in brackets are part of a sentence.
What are the rules of a full stop?
Full StopsA full stop (or period) is primarily used to mark the end of a sentence. If using a footnote referencing style, including OSCOLA, the citation should come after the full stop:An Oxford comma precedes the ‘and’ before the last entry of a list.
Should reference number come before or after full stop?
Numbers should follow punctuation, and preferably be placed at the end of a sentence. Numbers should, however, be placed before a dash. When citing quoted sources, the number should be placed at the end of the quotation and not after the author’s name if that appears first in the text.
Does a full stop come after speech marks?
When a question mark or exclamation mark is used at the end of a quote, there is no need for a full stop after the quotation marks.
Should there be 1 or 2 spaces after a period?
The same goes for the Chicago Manual of Style. However, the Modern Language Association Style Center offers different advice, and suggests that writers use a single space after a period unless they have been explicitly told otherwise.
Why do we use two space in sentences?
To help readers more easily spot the ends of sentences, the two-space rule was put into effect—and for many, the habit stuck, even as typewriters gave way to computers that offered more proportionally spaced fonts, writes Ellen Gutoskey for Mental Floss. ( Courier fonts are a notorious exception.)
How fast do two spacers read?
As James Hamblin reported for the Atlantic at the time, researchers from Skidmore College found that two-spacers—those who already write with two spaces after periods—read 3 percent faster when a second space appears after a period. That difference is a very small one.
Is double spacer a demographic?
Still, the truth of the matter is that double-spacers are a rapidly disappearing demographic. As Avi Selk reported for the Washington Post in 2018, many proponents of the rule are traditionalists from the era of manual typewriters, which relied on monospaced type, with each character occupying an equal amount of horizontal space.
Who said "I plan to teach my kids never to reply to messages from people who put two spaces after?
Writing for the Atlantic, Hamblin has already clearly picked a side, stating, “I plan to teach my kids never to reply to messages from people who put two spaces after a period.”
Does Microsoft Word have double spaces?
Now, a veritable powerhouse has entered the fray—and definitively taken a side. As Tom Warren reports for the Verge, Microsoft Word has started marking double spaces between sentences as errors. Though the feature isn’t yet universal, the company has begun trialing the change in desktop versions of the program and will likely be rolling it out to all users soon.
