Tad Queasy wrote:
It has to do with monospaced vs. proportionally spaced fonts. When we used typewriters, every character was given the same amount of space on a page which meant the letter "i" was given the same amount of space as the letter "m." An extra space between sentences was needed to improve readability.
Computers use proportionally spaced fonts which adjust spacing to the size of the letter. A proportional font can fit 12 letters into the same space used by a monospace font with only nine. Even though many of us were taught to use two spaces after a period, it's no longer really necessary.
The Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook recommend one space after a period.
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My decrepit 3rd grade keyboarding teacher was still teaching two spaces after a period in 1994-95. My dad was working in graphic design at the time and taught me it was one space after a period thanks to modern word processing, as you explained. He ended up having quite a spirited discussion of the issue with her at parent-teacher conferences. Little did I know it would be the last time either of my parents would ever stand up to my teachers for me.
I slash my 7s and Zs. I also write out state abbreviations on snail mail (Ill., Wisc., Mich., Calif.), but that's just me being difficult.
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Molly Lambert wrote:
The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.
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