DOUBLE SPACING AT THE END OF A SENTENCE.

DOUBLE SPACING AT THE END OF A SENTENCE. I have always used only one space after the end of a sentence, but many people do not. This article in Slate by Farhad Manjoo argues strongly that using a double space is “totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong.” The argument is from logic, aesthetics and technological change. Double spacing came about only because typewriters used the same horizontal space for each character (monospacing), which leads to lots of spaces between some words, making it harder for a reader to pick up the ends of sentences. “Every modern typographer” agrees that if you’re not using an old-fashioned typewriter, a single space at the end of sentences looks better. Proportional fonts are in general use on computers and before that on electric typewriters (the exception being the Courier font, which was patterned after manual typewriters). With the reason for using two spaces having disappeared, the argument goes that the old-fashioned rule should be abandoned. The problem is that the article is written to protest the widespread use of the double space. I have been persuaded by John McWhorter (see here) that usage should govern in matters of grammar, and therefore consistency means that usage should govern in matters of typography.