Two Spaces Required
What grammar guru changed the rule?19 total reviews
Comment from rosehill (Wendy)
Rant on dear poet, rant on. I heard of this new "norm" and shuddered at the thought that readers might not get the drift of my thoughts without that extra space to warn them. Punctuation is the reader's version of body English and a full stop is often required so that the dreaded run on narrative, like this sentence, is avoided. I enjoyed your reasoning and controlled anger. A bit snide and sarcastic is always appreciated. Count me on your two-space team. - Wendy
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
  |
Rant on dear poet, rant on. I heard of this new "norm" and shuddered at the thought that readers might not get the drift of my thoughts without that extra space to warn them. Punctuation is the reader's version of body English and a full stop is often required so that the dreaded run on narrative, like this sentence, is avoided. I enjoyed your reasoning and controlled anger. A bit snide and sarcastic is always appreciated. Count me on your two-space team. - Wendy
Comment Written 21-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Hi, Wendy! Am so glad you're in the old-time court of "two spaces required!" It's been a funny annoyance with my grandchildren trying to explain to them why it is important to always put two spaces after ending punctuation! They keep telling me their teachers say its wrong! I always laugh and tell them I'll debate them any time! Ha! Ha! Thank you again for the wonderful review and have a beautiful day!
Comment from zanya
What a wonderful nod in the direction of ever- changing, or should I say , shimmering, punctuation rules - everything on our planet is in 'flux' , it seems, including Grammar and its rules & regulations - love the line'What grammatical guru created this wreck'. Smiling broadly reading this !!! Well done getting that off your chest !!!!!!
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
 |
What a wonderful nod in the direction of ever- changing, or should I say , shimmering, punctuation rules - everything on our planet is in 'flux' , it seems, including Grammar and its rules & regulations - love the line'What grammatical guru created this wreck'. Smiling broadly reading this !!! Well done getting that off your chest !!!!!!
Comment Written 21-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Hi, Zanya! So very happy that you enjoyed this one and that it gave you a smile! It was truly a fun piece to write (I had actually converted this to poetry form from a character-style story I wrote on this subject about a year ago)! Thank you so very much for the grand review! Have a beautiful day!
Comment from JudyE
Whenever I unearth some piece of writing from several years ago, I have to go through and delete all the 'second' spaces so I understand your frustration. I'm glad you feel somewhat better now. And good luck in the contest.
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
|
Whenever I unearth some piece of writing from several years ago, I have to go through and delete all the 'second' spaces so I understand your frustration. I'm glad you feel somewhat better now. And good luck in the contest.
Comment Written 21-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Ha! Ha! Thanks so much for the great review and for best wishes in the contest! So happy you enjoyed this one! Thanks again and have a wonderful day!
Comment from dejohnsrld (Debbie)
This doubling of space was a thoughtful provision
Preventing the hazard of writing collision (I love this)
Yes, that grammar rule has gone by the wayside, I'm afraid. Nice entry for the contest, my friend~Debbie
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
|
This doubling of space was a thoughtful provision
Preventing the hazard of writing collision (I love this)
Yes, that grammar rule has gone by the wayside, I'm afraid. Nice entry for the contest, my friend~Debbie
Comment Written 20-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Hi, Debbie! Thanks so much for the great review. It was fun to write and am so happy you enjoyed! Thank you again!
Comment from LisaMay
Haha... so funny, because I am familiar with this issue from 'the other side'. This habit drives today's typesetters crazy, having to override all the double spaces to conform to style that has been implemented for decades. I feel that a full stop should be indication enough when a sentence has ended. And spacing between paras is not always necessary. If people are paying attention to the content they should not be having to look ahead for signals anyway.
My first job was at the Australian Government Printing Office (AGPS) in 1972. The Style Manual followed that of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) in London. Double spaces were persona non grata then. As a graphic designer in more recent years at Otago University Press in New Zealand, since typesetting has been done digitally instead of with hot metal, I have had to do search-and-deletes of all those darn double spaces on text that is supplied. Old habits die hard.
I initiated this prompt, so I am delighted by your rant. Yours is a very good poem, definitely a different topic to the usual; well expressed, great rhythm and rhyme.
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
|
Haha... so funny, because I am familiar with this issue from 'the other side'. This habit drives today's typesetters crazy, having to override all the double spaces to conform to style that has been implemented for decades. I feel that a full stop should be indication enough when a sentence has ended. And spacing between paras is not always necessary. If people are paying attention to the content they should not be having to look ahead for signals anyway.
My first job was at the Australian Government Printing Office (AGPS) in 1972. The Style Manual followed that of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) in London. Double spaces were persona non grata then. As a graphic designer in more recent years at Otago University Press in New Zealand, since typesetting has been done digitally instead of with hot metal, I have had to do search-and-deletes of all those darn double spaces on text that is supplied. Old habits die hard.
I initiated this prompt, so I am delighted by your rant. Yours is a very good poem, definitely a different topic to the usual; well expressed, great rhythm and rhyme.
Comment Written 20-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Wow! Thank you so much for the great review and for your personal perspective from the other side! I've always contended that this issue would make for a great debate! I love it! My biggest argument is that with just the one space, it is hard to differentiate from the spacing between words, commas, etc. When you look at an overall paragraph, you can barely differentiate sentence-to-sentence and the look becomes run-on! I've also found myself (on occasion) reading a sentence where the period almost looks like a comma and attempting to read on...stumbling...only then having to go back and re-read correctly! I, too, have found myself on the opposite end of doing search-and-deletes by doing search-and-adds! Just too funny how us die-hards just don't die out that easily! LOL!
Speaking of New Zealand, my granddaughter has been given the amazing opportunity to complete 8 weeks of her student teaching in New Zealand. She arrived last week! We're so proud of her and so excited that she has this wonderful chance to visit and learn in another country! She says that she absolutely loves it!
Again, thank you for the wonderful review and the chance to continue my "vent!"
-
Good for you - stick to what makes for easier reading.
The trouble with your granddaighter being in NZ for 8 weeks is that she may well fall in love with our country (or a lovely kiwi boy) and she will want to stay here forever! I am sure she will really enjoy being here. Where will she be teaching? It is probably in Auckland. I hope she gets a chance to come down and visit the South Island too. I am in Dunedin.
Comment from Sandra Ludwick
Excellent. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter through your poem. I couldn't agree more, and like you I continue to use two spaces at the end of a sentence. Well done and good luck.
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
|
Excellent. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter through your poem. I couldn't agree more, and like you I continue to use two spaces at the end of a sentence. Well done and good luck.
Comment Written 20-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Thank you so much for a great review and I'm so happy that you agree with my frustration over "two spaces required!" It's been a running joke in my family that I'm obsessed with this point of view when I've been asked to help review some of my grandchildren's papers for grammar and content! LOL! Thank you again for the wonderful review!
Comment from phil nelson
You are not alone lol. This was quite fun and cleverly conceived. I enjoyed the meter and rhymes and that lovely hint of sarcasm. Good luck in the contest as this is certainly a winner in my books.
All the Best!
Phil
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
|
You are not alone lol. This was quite fun and cleverly conceived. I enjoyed the meter and rhymes and that lovely hint of sarcasm. Good luck in the contest as this is certainly a winner in my books.
All the Best!
Phil
Comment Written 20-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 21-Oct-2019
-
Hi, Phil! Thank you so very much for the wonderful review! I'm so happy I'm not alone in my quest to vent on this pesky new trend... I'm up for debate any time...even if it is truly deemed fruitless! LOL! Thank you again for the great review and have a wonderful day!
Comment from Jannypan (Jan)
Always, two spaces after punctuation for me! I enjoyed your contest entry, Mystery Author. Your lines read well with good rhymes and facts to support your theme. The picture is a good pairing, too. Thanks for sharing and best wishes. Respectfully, Jan
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 20-Oct-2019
|
Always, two spaces after punctuation for me! I enjoyed your contest entry, Mystery Author. Your lines read well with good rhymes and facts to support your theme. The picture is a good pairing, too. Thanks for sharing and best wishes. Respectfully, Jan
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 20-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 20-Oct-2019
-
Thanks so much for the great review! I am so happy that you appreciate my "frustration!" LOL! Thank you again and have a wonderful evening!
Comment from beizanten
An interesting title. a very good opening stanza and the picture suit the poetry well. a good and informative piece of poetry. thanks for the information. keep up the great work
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 20-Oct-2019
|
An interesting title. a very good opening stanza and the picture suit the poetry well. a good and informative piece of poetry. thanks for the information. keep up the great work
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 20-Oct-2019
reply by the author on 20-Oct-2019
-
Thanks so much for the wonderful review! I'm so happy that you enjoyed!
