More about Spacing after a Period

My friend Janis Koike sent me a marvelous response to a cranky remark I recently posted about people who still type two spaces after a period. Here’s what Janis wrote:

Please, please be a bit more tolerant of those over the age of 70 who learned to type in high school. Type is a somewhat obsolete word referring to the act of forcefully punching buttons on a piece of heavy equipment known as a typewriter. This machine produced a document which could be easily read without having to decipher the penmanship (or lack thereof)  of the writer. It was popular before computer or even word processor became part of the vernacular.  Actually word processor may also be approaching obsolescence.

In any event, single spacing after a period was a capital error, punishable by a severe frown 🙁 on the face of the typing instructor or reader. Our fingers learned to comply, creating happy faces 🙂 instead. Truth be known, our readers most likely paid no attention.

The distance between mind and fingers is short. Fingers are slow learners. Please be a bit more tolerant of the aged.

Janis is…a writer. You hear her voice when you read today’s post She mentions punching typewriter keys – but I would say she was punching words today as well. Did you notice that almost every word in those last two sentences is English? The sole exception is the Latin word distance:

The distance between mind and fingers is short. Fingers are slow learners. Please be a bit more tolerant of the aged.

Please take note: you don’t need gobbledygook to be an excellent writer.

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