I have to disagree with Carla about her rule requiring two spaces between
sentences. When a rule changes, I don't think it's a good idea for English
teachers to insist on keeping the old rule, come hell or high water. I
might follow the old rule myself (I intend to go to my grave without having
used "impact" as a verb), but I will not insist that students follow my
quirks.

I also think we have to follow a hierarchy of importance when we teach
writing. When I teach basic writing, "regular" freshman composition,
business writing, or advanced comp, I do not bring up such questions as how
many spaces should follow a period. If someone asks, I will give my
opinion. Only when I teach tech writing might I consider the issue of
enough importance to bring it up.

Also, when I teach students to edit peers' papers, I try to teach them not
to apply their own pet peeves to the editing. I tell them that we have
enough real problems to deal with, so let's not spend our time correcting
things that don't need to be corrected.

I suppose if I were teaching courses such as page layout with PageMaker or
editing and copyreading of publications, I would find it necessary to
discuss the spacing rule or even to impose a rule on my students. But in
other situations, students can use the old rule or the new one.

Bill



>I teach in this area, and have vocational certification at secondary and
>post-secondary levels.
>
>This is my rule:  TWO SPACES BETWEEN SENTENCES.
>
>You do not change your standard.
>
>In fact, my extended rule is that IF the punctuation has a period at the
>bottom:  :, !, ?, or . --then it is two spaces afterwards (unless it is
>followed by an end quote or it is at the end of the paragraph.)
>
>If it has a comma at the bottom (, or ;) then it is one space afterwards.
>
>MY BACKGROUND:
>I used to do professional, computerized phototypesetting for things such
>as the Minnesota Supreme Court Journal, and other publications.
>
>HERE IS SOME OF MY JUSTIFICATION:
>1.  If you have good software, then the software can decide when to use a
>thick- or thin-space when doubling spaces between sentences.  Professional
>software which can do this includes the kind of technology where the
>operator can make end-of-line decisions for greater aesthetics and
>precision.
>2.  As I said above, you "keep the standard."
>3.  In some circumstances, when you don't have professional software--for
>aesthetic purposes, you may want to keep certain text together on a line,
>and with normal software (such as Microsoft Word, etc., where you cannot
>adjust the spacing BETWEEN LETTERS IN A WORD), then to keep text together,
>on a case-by-case basis, that is when I will violate my own rule.  BUT
>NEVER TEACH YOUR STUDENTS to consistently break the rule to save space in
>a text (i.e. for the school's yearbook or newspaper).
>4.  The double space between sentences helps your reader.  Whatever helps
>your reader is a plus.  The period is a very small "speck" on a page.  It
>is an excellent indicator of an auto-glottal stop.  The double space makes
>this more apparent, and this is why I say it helps your reader.
>5.  I have some students who come to me, and they are used to typing their
>papers in a WAD of text.  White space enhances aesthetics and
>readibility.  Let's not throw space away.  It serves an important
>function.
>6.  Michael, you mention another reason:  Automaticity.  Those of us who
>learned to type correctly have the double space automaticitized.  That is
>a good thing, so leave it alone.  Have your students develop the same good
>habit.
>
>Carla Cruzan
>
>> A colleague asked me today if we're still leaving two spaces after
>> periods, b oth in running text and within MLA citations.  I seem to
>> remember that word-processing has brought about a change in the rule, but
>> I can't find anything in the handbooks in my office.  I myself can't stop
>> myself from putting two spaces after periods, but that's no guide to the
>> current rule.  Can anybody help?
>>
>>


William J. McCleary
3247 Bronson Hill Road
Livonia, NY 14487
716-346-6859