Semicolon how many spaces

This practice is discouraged by the University of Chicago Press, especially for formally published works and the manuscripts from which they are published. Please help. I have confusion regarding the correct spacing after periods and other closing punctuation. My company uses the font Arial and consistently uses a flush-left margin. We are an engineering company. My job consists in preparing documents and letters for customers. Everything I read in manuals and from technical writers directs me to use one space after periods.

I find that it works very well, except occasionally, when an extra space helps readability. Knowledgeable engineers have embraced the one space use as being consistent with the font design and automation of reports. Others are unpleased with the one space, they think they have difficulty reading. I, too, had an adjustment period which I forced myself to endure until it became automatic to read easily. We are preparing technical information.

What do you think? Thanks for your wonderful support and especially the quick answers. I greatly appreciate your service. Published work these days rarely features two spaces after a period. In the era when type was set by hand, it was common to use extra space sometimes quite a bit of it after periods, a practice that continued into the first half of the twentieth century. And many people were taught to use that extra space in typing class. But introducing two spaces after a sentence-ending period—and only after those periods—causes problems.

Absolute consistency is easy to monitor when double spaces are never allowed, but less easy when some spaces after periods are double and others single such as those at the ends of abbreviations and initialisms in running text. Connect Follow on Twitter. Like on Facebook. Twitter Tweets by ChicagoManual. Semicolons are found between words in a sentence; the semicolon is not a terminal punctuation mark found at the end of a sentence. It immediately follows the letter before it, with no space in between.

Do you put two spaces after a semicolon? Place one space after a comma, a semicolon, and other forms of punctuation falling within a sentence. Do you add space after colon? But first please note the following: the colon is never preceded by a white space; it is always followed by a single white space in normal use, and it is never, never, never followed by a hyphen or a dash — in spite of what you might have been taught in school.

When did 2 spaces after a period change? In the April update, Microsoft Word started highlighting two spaces after a period as an error, and offers a correction of one space. We use commas inside sentences. Commas have no meaning, but they help us to see the structure and therefore the meaning of the sentence.

Put a space after a comma. Do not put a space before a comma. This is called a mono-spaced font. With a typewriter, it makes sense to add an extra space to make it clear that the sentence has ended. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association APA was the only style guide that overtly recommended two spaces after a period, and even that long-time holdout for two spaces changed its guideline to one space in its update.

Semicolons should introduce evidence or a reason for the preceding statement; for example, this sentence appropriately uses a semicolon.

A colon, on the other hand, should be used for a stronger, more direct relationship. It should provide emphasis, an example, or an explanation. When using a colon to join two clauses, capitalize the first word of the clause after the colon if it is a complete sentence American Psychological Association [APA], , p.

According to the AP Stylebook, single-spacing is correct. The same goes for the Chicago Manual of Style. However, the Modern Language Association Style Center offers different advice, and suggests that writers use a single space after a period unless they have been explicitly told otherwise.

Just as with the period, it used to be common to put two spaces after a colon , but now most style guides that address the matter e. Preview Flashcards Front Back after a comma , used as punctuation once after a semicolon ; used as punctuation once after a colon : used as punctuation twice after a period.

Use a semicolon before such words and terms as namely, however, therefore , that is, i. It is also preferable to use a comma after these words and terms. Example : Bring any two items; however, sleeping bags and tents are in short supply. The story of spaces after periods is often told as though monospaced typewriter fonts needed two spaces after a sentence for good readability, and that the wide availability of proportional fonts on computers led to the switch to one space.

One space after a colon. There is a traditional American typing practice, favored by some, of leaving two spaces after colons and periods. Unless you are typing on an actual typewriter, you no longer have to put two spaces after a period. Or a question mark. Or an exclamation point. The rule applies to all end punctuation. The semicolon or semi-colon ; is a punctuation mark that separates major sentence elements.

A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction. Commas have no meaning, but they help us to see the structure and therefore the meaning of the sentence. Put a space after a comma. Do not put a space before a comma. If you learned to type on a typewriter before word processors became the norm, two spaces after a period were required and taught as correct. The extra space was needed to delineate the beginning of a new sentence because the spacing between words was uneven on a typewriter.

Click the Proofing option at the left side of the dialog box. Click the Settings button. Scroll through the options until you find the Spaces Required Between Sentences drop-down list or the Space Between Sentences drop-down list. The two main clauses that the semicolon joins should be closely related in meaning. Don't capitalize the word that follows the semicolon unless that word is a proper noun, one that is always capitalized.