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Subject:Re: Space between sentences From:DAVID NADZIEJKA <NADZIEJKA -at- WE -dot- UPJOHNINST -dot- ORG> Date:Wed, 28 Jul 1999 08:29:02 -0400
>Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 18:56:57 -0400
>From: Dick Margulis <ampersandvirgule -at- WORLDNET -dot- ATT -dot- NET>
>Subject: Space between sentences--Eureka! the source of
confusion
><snip>
>A CONCLUSION
>
>It is still true that for greater readability extra space after
a
>sentence is desirable. Nonetheless, there is no practical way to
>implement the practice unless you are willing to do a lot of
manual
>checking of line beginnings and endings. Therefore, life is
easier if
>you don't do it--at least until some software publisher adds it
as an
>option in their justification menu.
>
>I therefore declare the dictum in the 1959 GPO Style Manual to
be
>officially suspended, except where the available technology
permits its
>application.
I will dispute the "no practical way. . . manual checking of line
beginnings and endings" part. I produced a 30-page brochure a
few years ago using Ventura Publisher with no problem in having
two spaces between sentences. It was a deliberate test of the
popular view that you couldn't do that, and it went fine. I
currently produce all our Institute's books and periodicals on
Framemaker with that same two-space spacing. The result,
regularly and reproducibly, is that there are no rivers of white
on the pages, that there are no grotesque spacings in lines, and
that the final pages are much easier on the eyes of anyone who
reads the text. (The last becomes extremely important to almost
every individual as 40 years of age, plus or minus a few, rolls
around.)
The early page layout programs were indeed lousy at accepting two
spaces and gave you ugly and unacceptable pages. That's not
universally the case now. You can provide the reader with the
benefit of noticeably larger spacing between sentences without a
lot of manual hassle.
FWIW, readers do notice. When my last employer chose to go with
one space after sentences, I had authors refuse to have their
work published in that format because it was so much harder to
read. (They got thier way!) When I came here and changed our
books to two spaces, there was some confusion about what had
changed exactly, but the reaction was that whatever changed was
good.
A longer version of my view about this was published in "The
spaces between the terms." Technical Communication 42(1):
127-129, Feb. 1995.
Let me also put forward my opinion that the goal of those who
produce documents is to make their readers' life, in terms of use
of that document, easier. In this context, it's worth the extra
work to figure out how your program will accept two spaces after
periods.
I humbly petition, M'Lord, to have the suspension suspended!
David E. Nadziejka
Editorial Manager
W.E. Upjohn Institute
300 S. Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
616-343-5541
nadziejka -at- we -dot- upjohninst -dot- org
