Give Me Some Space Redux!
On 12/12/19, I posted an essay about spaces after sentences called Give Me Some Space! The other day I saw that there was a significant development in the story. After reading about Microsoft’s decision to unilaterally “settle” the debate, I decided to update my original post.
If you use Microsoft Word, and nearly everyone does, you are about to be told how many spaces to put after a sentence. If you only hit your spacebar once, you will happily move on to the next sentence. If you have the gall (unmitigated or otherwise) to tap twice, Word will flag the extra space with that little red squiggle, letting you know that you have made a horrible mistake.
In recent years I have heard people talk about the power that Word has to tell its users what is and is not proper grammar. You know what I am talking about. Word constantly makes recommendations about grammar and spelling. While the spelling suggestions are helpful and appreciated, what is to be said about how Word views grammar? Every time Word tells a user that their grammar is lacking, the writer is given the “proper” way to fix it. That is a lot of power put in the hands of programmers who may or may not be relying on sources with the best of bona fides.
Microsoft’s unilateral decision to make one space after a sentence the only correct way to proceed is a bit strange. Why would they feel the need to chime in at all? If they insist upon imposing their will when it comes to the use of a spacebar, you can imagine what they might be doing with their grammar algorithms.
My point is that Word is so widely used that the recommendations the program makes are bound to be accepted. That is a lot of power for one subset of a single company to have. Language will change based on what the people who code the program think. Of course, I know they have advisors who are experts in language and grammar but should that group have this much power to mold the future of the written word?
As for me, I do not have an editor, so I use Grammarly. I am glad I have it. It points out things I might have missed, and it is always ready to tell me where commas or synonyms are needed. It is a terrific program. That said, I wish everyone would be mindful of what these programs are doing. There is more than one way to write a sentence, and multiple iterations can be as acceptable as any other.
Below is my original post. The issue of how many spaces to put after a sentence is an interesting one for old-timers who started typing long before computers were widely available. If you didn’t read it in December, take a look at it now. As for me, I have to dig into my Word settings, I know there must be a way to make the program leave me alone after I type my preferred two spaces.
*****
It is very difficult for old people to change their ways.
Buford Lister (personal communication)
A few years ago, I got an email from a friend of mine. As I was reading it, I began to become irritated, then I became agitated, and then…well, I didn’t throw my computer monitor out the window, but I thought about it. Why? Was the content of the message that annoying and frustrating? No, not at all. I can’t even remember what the email was about. What I do remember is that the author only put one space after each sentence, and I found that visual to be compact and quite disturbing. Welcome to my world, a universe unto itself where the spacing between sentences is far more critical than the content of the text itself.
I am 57 years old, which means I grew up with typewriters; back in the day, personal computers were nothing more than a figment of somebody else’s imagination. I learned to type on an old mechanical device. You had to push down hard on the keys to get them to strike with enough force to make an impression. Also, and this is the crucial point, everyone was taught to put two spaces between sentences. That was how it was done, no questions asked.
Typewriters use monospaced fonts, which means that every character is given the same amount of space on the page. An “I” and an “m” get the same area even though the “I” certainly doesn’t need or deserve it. The use of monospacing led to a consensus that hitting the spacebar twice after a sentence was required to make it easier for the reader to see the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next.
We all know what happened, right? Computers came along, and word processing programs started using proportional fonts, the type of fonts where an “I” gets less space on the screen, and the page, than an “m” or some other broader letter gets. Before any of us knew what was happening, people were only hitting the spacebar once, dogs and cats were living together, and the ghost of Shakespeare was seen floating through English departments throughout college campuses worldwide.
The people who argue for one space after sentences hate, and I mean hate, to see two spaces being used anywhere. They complain about rivers of white flowing through a passage of text. It somehow offends them that there are still people walking the earth who prefer the two space method. Sadly for them, I am a proud “Two-Spacer,” and I fully intend to die that way. Hey, all you “One-Spacers,” do your worst, I am fully prepared for the onslaught. Present the evidence in favor of your position, of which there is none. Then sit back and behold the science supporting my position.
There was a study recently done; yes, you heard that right. People take this stuff so seriously that someone is trying to further their academic career at a university somewhere by addressing this pressing issue. The author of the study found that using two spaces after a sentence does increase reading speed as well as comprehension. Take that! Of course, the opponents say that the research must be flawed, how else could the wrong conclusion be reached. So it goes…
I recently read a blog post somewhere about an older woman who was asking for advice about this issue. She explained that she was too old to change, but she didn’t want her readers to think that her text was written by some sort of modern-day keyboard wielding buffoon. So, what to do? The reply was genius, shocking coming from a One-Spacer. The One-Spacer said that the woman should type as she always does. Keep right on tapping that spacebar twice, continue to do it out of habit, no worries. When the document is complete, all she has to do is perform a search and replace. Search for the two spaces and replace them with one space. In one fell swoop, her document would then be acceptable for polite and sophisticated company the world over. Not bad, right?
It is surprising (or maybe it isn’t) how worked up people get over this issue. Lots of professional writers, as well as English professors and random commentators, take firm stances. Their opinions are strong and unwavering. While I much prefer two spaces, I am not going to take out a loan, purchase a tank, and go to war over it. As for some of the others, I think they have already met with their credit unions.
Now for the big reveal, I have secretly left a trail of intrigue in this short essay. I am conducting my own little, non-scientific study. I put two spaces after some of the sentences, and others got one space treatment. Did you even notice? Are you offended at this travesty? My guess is no one noticed, but I bet you do in the future. Once that genie escapes, they cannot be shoved back in the bottle. Oh boy, I just used the word “they” to refer to a singular genie. Not a bad segue to a future essay that I am finishing up now. More on that soon enough.
Notes: The article about spacing is entitled Are Two Spaces Better Than One? The Effect of Spacing Following Periods and Commas During Reading. Rebecca Johnson, an associate professor at Skidmore College, led the team that conducted this outrageous and groundbreaking research. Three cheers and a tiger for her and her colleagues, they are doing the world a service by putting those distrustful keyboard jockeys in their proper place.
