Punctuation

[sluggo]

Hi Pandora, I'm just opening this box because I don't see a punctuation topic anywhere else and just wanted to note how ironic it is that the program we all use here to muse about language closes up the requisite two spaces between the period and the next sentence into one space and there doesn't seem to be any way to "cheat" the second space back in (short of typing in an extra character and then making it the same colour as the background so that it disappears, which smacks of desperation and doesn't always work anyway) and I wonder why this and other internet applications commonly do this.

[Flaminius]

Because they are made to treat any number of space input as a single instance. Between this and the last sentence, I typed about 50 spaces but, as you see, they are represented as if there was only one space input.

Maybe you can make use of Japanese double-byte space "　". It should work fine on this forum. But be warned that it gets garbled when one tries to cut and paste the text on the English versions of operating systems.

[gailr]

Sluggo: maybe I can be of some help here. The "two spaces after a period" rule was developed for manual typewriters, to help define the space between sentences, since the alpha-numeric characters are all mono-spaced (the "i" takes up the same space as the "m" or a comma, or period, or space.)

In professionally-published material (even in ye olde manual typewriter days) there is only one space after a full stop, as the alpha-numeric characters are allotted varying widths for ease in reading. Putting two spaces after a period creates "rivers" of white space crawling down the printed page, which can be quite distracting from the content. There's a whole vanishing art and science in feathering justified metal-type body copy for newspapers or books...

Some word processing programs are increasingly designed to "correct" two spaces entered after periods, as they no longer serve a necessary mechanical function. Body text set in serif fonts on word processors definitely does not need the two spaces, no matter what your old typing teacher required for a very different technology. You can even see the subtle changes in the kerning (spaces between letters) and spacing (between words) as you watch the text wrap while entering it.

So, the single space isn't incorrect in computer-generated text. You're right about the difficulty in coercing extra spaces for emphasis, though. I like Flam's suggestion and will try it next time I want to add a space to set off a smiley.

-gailr

[sluggo]

Putting two spaces after a period creates "rivers" of white space crawling down the printed page, which can be quite distracting from the content.-gailr

Odd to say my eyes get the opposite effect- I see sentences crashing into each other without a 2nd space. Must have been a lot of typewriters around when I came up.

[Bailey]

gailr wrote:
Putting two spaces after a period creates "rivers" of white space crawling down the printed page, which can be quite distracting from the content.-gailr

I like those little rivers it gave my eyes and brain a place to rest. I agree with the sinle space the sentances, all like trains waiting, impatiently, to rush into my head.

mark, but I'm weird

[Bailey]

mark, but I'm weird

but then any idiot can be 'normal' or ordinary.

mark

[tcward]

Love the tagline, Mark!!

-Tim

[Bailey]

really? hahahaha

mark

[J_22_M]

The difference between a democracy and a
dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and
take orders later; in a dictatorship you don't have
to waste your time voting.
-- Charles Bukowski

Google quote of the day?
Or just random?

haha, coincidence.

-j

[Bailey]

No, I get quotes in the email from a quotes site, not from Google, who I am boycotting, do you think they'll notice? I hope it hurts their business something fierce!

mark

[sluggo]

The difference between a democracy and a
dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and
take orders later; in a dictatorship you don't have
to waste your time voting.
-- Charles Bukowski

And who was it that said:
"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's the other way around."?

[Perry]

The difference between a democracy and a
dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and
take orders later; in a dictatorship you don't have
to waste your time voting.
-- Charles Bukowski

And who was it that said:
"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's the other way around."?

I don't know but he or she is a genius.

[tcward]

It was John Kenneth Galbraith.

-Tim

[skinem]

Bailey, which quote site do you use?
I'm always looking for a good one.

[Bailey]

I'm so loath to give away my sources; yet I'm also very nice so :http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html
you can sign up for quotes of the day, from which I pull my own quotes, or just comb the sight, (Ow! this hurts so bad)

mark