I'm working on a manuscript for a person who has absolutely no reason to keep current on changes in style that have occurred since the advent of the computer. One of those changes is that there are no longer two spaces required after closing punctuation. In the days of the typewriter, the two spaces were actually necessary to improve readability. But with computer fonts, the space alloted for a, um space, is equivalent in width to that of an "m" (the widest letter), thereby making an extra space unnecessary.
Now, I recognize that the habit of putting two spaces after a period or question mark is a difficult one to break. Fortunately, one of the wonderful things about Microsoft Word (and probably other software), is that you can program it for one space after closing punctuation. Here's how (using Word 2008):
- Open a document, go to Tools and drop down to Spelling and Grammar. If there are no errors in the document, create one by, say, inserting "mmmm" anywhere. Now check Spelling and Grammar again.
- Click Options in the box that pops up, and another will pop up.
- Review the Spelling and Grammar options and make sure you agree with what has been chosen/checked.
- Click Settings . . .
- A new box appears called Grammar Settings. Double check what is already chosen under Grammar and style options.
- Then go to the Holy Grail below where you just were, under Require. The third item will say: Spaces required between sentences. Choose 1, click OK, and then click OK on the previous window, which will still be active.
- Fix the typo ("mmmm") and you're on your way!
Today's free advice is: Spend some time exploring the settings and the options available with Word. You might find shortcuts you didn't know existed as well as other helpful functions you've been doing by hand or avoiding because you didn't know they were possible.
