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Is 2 spaces after a period the standard for legal writing?

...
Silver field
  08/21/05
I thought it was the standard for everythign?
salmon greedy mood locale
  08/21/05
Apparently, it isn't. In fact, I see one space most places.
Silver field
  08/21/05
I always use two because that's what we were taught in typin...
salmon greedy mood locale
  08/21/05
This is what I thought.
Glittery cobalt roast beef selfie
  08/22/05
Depends on the professor/partner. I always use 2, unless to...
narrow-minded opaque mediation
  08/21/05
Everywhere? Or just for legal writing?
Silver field
  08/21/05
Yes. Formal papers
titillating associate
  08/21/05
I'm sorry. Are you using a TYPEWRITER? Didn't think so.
Unholy demanding shrine
  08/21/05
It seems like the correct way should either be two spaces or...
Saffron pistol resort
  08/21/05
wtf are you talking about?
soul-stirring bearded jew sweet tailpipe
  08/21/05
my head just exploded.
Bull headed university
  08/21/05
Is there a BLUEBOOK or ALWD rule on this? Anyone know?
Heady Chestnut Theater
  08/21/05
No bluebook or ALWD as far as I know. also never seen court...
multi-colored twinkling lodge community account
  08/21/05
Most legal writing classes encourage using a style manual al...
judgmental black business firm
  08/21/05
This is wrong. The most commonly used style manual in legal...
nudist cruise ship
  08/22/05
1 is, per the BB and the CMS.
Contagious Becky
  08/21/05
Where in the BB? I assume BB = Bluebook.
Silver field
  08/21/05
Yea.
Contagious Becky
  08/21/05
On EVERY PAGE of the BB. Seriously. Open it. Look for a...
nudist cruise ship
  08/22/05
Why would you use two spaces? Every word processing program ...
sooty weed whacker
  08/21/05
2 spaces is not unheard of.
Carmine dilemma
  08/21/05
I've seen people use it and it always looks terrible. It's a...
sooty weed whacker
  08/21/05
Okay, in my job, at a big NYC bank, when we wrote up contrac...
salmon greedy mood locale
  08/21/05
I'm sure there are times where a period doesn't indicate the...
Saffron pistol resort
  08/21/05
kill youself for asking this.
aromatic medicated pozpig
  08/21/05
I decline to. But if I were you, I would definitely off mys...
Silver field
  08/21/05
Word gives you a little green squiggle if you don't use two ...
burgundy factory reset button stage
  08/21/05
No, it only does that if you have it set to require two spac...
vengeful purple crotch ticket booth
  08/21/05
I didn't set my Word that way, and it requires two spaces.
salmon greedy mood locale
  08/21/05
It may not come standard, but you can set it to require one ...
vengeful purple crotch ticket booth
  08/21/05
Its the default.
burgundy factory reset button stage
  08/21/05
Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's mandatory. If you fiddle wi...
vengeful purple crotch ticket booth
  08/21/05
Your comment made me laugh. That would be funny if MSWord m...
Violet son of senegal juggernaut
  08/21/05
Yeah, but I took the original post on this subject to be an ...
vengeful purple crotch ticket booth
  08/21/05
No, no, I didn't mean you did anything wrong. I agreed with...
Violet son of senegal juggernaut
  08/21/05
Okay, I misinterpreted your post.
vengeful purple crotch ticket booth
  08/21/05
Why are you shivering?
Violet son of senegal juggernaut
  08/21/05
It's set that way be default. Indeed, it only *doesn't* do ...
judgmental black business firm
  08/21/05
That is a holdover from when people first switched to word p...
Violet son of senegal juggernaut
  08/21/05
Two spaces after the period has always been standard and is ...
Appetizing sanctuary corn cake
  08/21/05
agreed.
Violet son of senegal juggernaut
  08/21/05
I'm used to it, so I still do it. If I had to, it'd be a lo...
fishy arousing box office rigpig
  08/21/05
I'm surprised so many people seem to adhere to this outdated...
sooty weed whacker
  08/21/05
Um, HTML displays multiple spaces as just one space. In fac...
fishy arousing box office rigpig
  08/21/05
it's not possible to use 2 spaces on here, so you wouldn't n...
Bipolar Water Buffalo Lay
  08/21/05
Classic thread on this topic: http://www.xoxohth.com/thre...
talented parlor masturbator
  08/21/05
What the fuck so there is no standard?
Heady Chestnut Theater
  08/21/05
nope. Old school texts even have like 5 spaces sometimes. ...
Bull headed university
  08/21/05
My menu at Ruth's Chris had at least four spaces between sen...
Violet son of senegal juggernaut
  08/21/05
Do the 2 spaces in between my two front teeth count?
Heady Chestnut Theater
  08/21/05
I have this old version of Don Quixote from like the 40's. ...
Bull headed university
  08/21/05
Does any one use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Pa...
titillating associate
  08/21/05
Not I.
Heady Chestnut Theater
  08/21/05
Apparently, neither do you use a grammar book.
ruddy 180 pisswyrm
  08/21/05
Apparently, you do not use grammar books either. tootles.
Elite Deranged Brunch
  08/21/05
That's true; I don't. But my sentence looks all right to ...
ruddy 180 pisswyrm
  08/21/05
Your sentence was worse than his.
Elite Deranged Brunch
  08/21/05
My sentence looks all right to me.
ruddy 180 pisswyrm
  08/21/05
Keep telling yourself that until you believe it.
Elite Deranged Brunch
  08/22/05
I believe it.
ruddy 180 pisswyrm
  08/22/05
I read in some prominent place (perhaps the Chicago Manual o...
flesh yarmulke
  08/22/05
It's pretty clear that most print and electronic media use a...
ruddy 180 pisswyrm
  08/22/05
The Michigan Law Review only uses one space.
rusted abode
  08/22/05
Almost all good law reviews use only one space. This is bec...
nudist cruise ship
  08/22/05
I thought you clerked in CA. It's 5AM there.
Drunken mexican
  08/22/05
wow, it's been hammered into my head for at least 10 years
Primrose Stag Film Affirmative Action
  08/22/05


Poast new message in this thread





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:39 PM
Author: Silver field



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647324)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:40 PM
Author: salmon greedy mood locale

I thought it was the standard for everythign?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647329)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:41 PM
Author: Silver field

Apparently, it isn't. In fact, I see one space most places.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647345)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:44 PM
Author: salmon greedy mood locale

I always use two because that's what we were taught in typing class. One space after comma, two after period. I assumed it was like this for all types of formal writing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647372)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 5:18 AM
Author: Glittery cobalt roast beef selfie

This is what I thought.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650913)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:40 PM
Author: narrow-minded opaque mediation

Depends on the professor/partner. I always use 2, unless told otherwise.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647333)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:41 PM
Author: Silver field

Everywhere? Or just for legal writing?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647346)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:14 PM
Author: titillating associate

Yes. Formal papers

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648729)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:42 PM
Author: Unholy demanding shrine

I'm sorry. Are you using a TYPEWRITER? Didn't think so.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647353)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:51 PM
Author: Saffron pistol resort

It seems like the correct way should either be two spaces or either one or two spaces, but not one space.

Too many people have two spaces ingrained.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647408)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:13 PM
Author: soul-stirring bearded jew sweet tailpipe

wtf are you talking about?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648277)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:17 PM
Author: Bull headed university

my head just exploded.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648301)





Date: August 21st, 2005 6:53 PM
Author: Heady Chestnut Theater

Is there a BLUEBOOK or ALWD rule on this? Anyone know?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647420)





Date: August 21st, 2005 7:10 PM
Author: multi-colored twinkling lodge community account

No bluebook or ALWD as far as I know. also never seen court rules that say one or two. two is fine for everything, including legal writing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647488)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:54 PM
Author: judgmental black business firm

Most legal writing classes encourage using a style manual along with the Bluebook. As far as I know, all the style manuals say two spaces after a period.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648570)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 7:53 AM
Author: nudist cruise ship

This is wrong. The most commonly used style manual in legal writing is the Chicago Manual. While it doesn't have a rule one way or the other, the CMOS uses one space after a period, which suggests that you should too. Oh, and the Bluebook does too.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650973)





Date: August 21st, 2005 7:53 PM
Author: Contagious Becky

1 is, per the BB and the CMS.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647746)





Date: August 21st, 2005 7:54 PM
Author: Silver field

Where in the BB? I assume BB = Bluebook.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647756)





Date: August 21st, 2005 7:57 PM
Author: Contagious Becky

Yea.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647771)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 7:54 AM
Author: nudist cruise ship

On EVERY PAGE of the BB.

Seriously. Open it. Look for a period. See how many spaces are after the period. There's your answer.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650974)





Date: August 21st, 2005 8:21 PM
Author: sooty weed whacker

Why would you use two spaces? Every word processing program from the last 20 years has intelligent spacing built-in. Hit the spacebar one, unless you're using a typewriter or you've been asked specifically to make the document look like strange.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647925)





Date: August 21st, 2005 8:23 PM
Author: Carmine dilemma

2 spaces is not unheard of.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647934)





Date: August 21st, 2005 8:25 PM
Author: sooty weed whacker

I've seen people use it and it always looks terrible. It's a holdover from the typewriter days -- some people don't realize it's not necessary on computer word processors.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647944)





Date: August 21st, 2005 8:25 PM
Author: salmon greedy mood locale

Okay, in my job, at a big NYC bank, when we wrote up contracts for our clients, I KNOW we used 2 spaces.

I didn't know people didn't use 2 spaces. As I said above, this is what we were specifically taught in typing class (on a computer, not a typewriter).

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3647946)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:12 PM
Author: Saffron pistol resort

I'm sure there are times where a period doesn't indicate the end of a sentence and two spaces would get rid of that ambiguity.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648267)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:17 PM
Author: aromatic medicated pozpig

kill youself for asking this.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648294)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:23 PM
Author: Silver field

I decline to. But if I were you, I would definitely off myself.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648349)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:27 PM
Author: burgundy factory reset button stage

Word gives you a little green squiggle if you don't use two spaces.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648383)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:39 PM
Author: vengeful purple crotch ticket booth

No, it only does that if you have it set to require two spaces.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648450)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:40 PM
Author: salmon greedy mood locale

I didn't set my Word that way, and it requires two spaces.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648458)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:41 PM
Author: vengeful purple crotch ticket booth

It may not come standard, but you can set it to require one space and it will give you a green squiggle if there are two.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648471)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:41 PM
Author: burgundy factory reset button stage

Its the default.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648470)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:43 PM
Author: vengeful purple crotch ticket booth

Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's mandatory. If you fiddle with the settings, it asks specifically if you want one space or two. I have it set for one.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648486)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:47 PM
Author: Violet son of senegal juggernaut

Your comment made me laugh. That would be funny if MSWord mandated things like this. "If you want to use our program you must always use two spaces after a period and you must never begin a sentence with but or because."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648521)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:49 PM
Author: vengeful purple crotch ticket booth

Yeah, but I took the original post on this subject to be an argument for two spaces after periods. I'm just saying that you can easily set the program to do something else, so it proves nothing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648534)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:51 PM
Author: Violet son of senegal juggernaut

No, no, I didn't mean you did anything wrong. I agreed with your post. I just thought it raised a very funny point and I thought maybe you had done it on purpose.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648543)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:53 PM
Author: vengeful purple crotch ticket booth

Okay, I misinterpreted your post.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648562)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:53 PM
Author: Violet son of senegal juggernaut

Why are you shivering?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648564)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:55 PM
Author: judgmental black business firm

It's set that way be default. Indeed, it only *doesn't* do that if you change the settings.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648578)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:41 PM
Author: Violet son of senegal juggernaut

That is a holdover from when people first switched to word processing software. People were too confused by the apparently sudden need to only space once. You can fix it in your spelling & grammar options, the same place you can choose whether to have a comma before the and in a list (i.e. a bat, a ball, and a glove). I found out about this earlier in the summer and after researching it online, one space appears to be the rule for all normal documents unless, of course, you are actually typing them on a typewriter. As for the contracts at the NYC bank, contracts are sometimes different from normal documents. On the other hand, there is an element of preference. Some people always use full-justified and some people always use left-justified, which is correct?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648474)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:42 PM
Author: Appetizing sanctuary corn cake

Two spaces after the period has always been standard and is standard for legal writing. HOWEVER, all word processing programs make the space slightly larger after a period, which was intended to eliminate the need to add an extra space. HOWEVER, people were so used to adding two spaces that the practice is still common, which has made the "correct" way to do it impossible to determine.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648477)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:43 PM
Author: Violet son of senegal juggernaut

agreed.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648482)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:42 PM
Author: fishy arousing box office rigpig

I'm used to it, so I still do it. If I had to, it'd be a lot easier to turn all the double spaces into single ones than the other way around.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648479)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:10 PM
Author: sooty weed whacker

I'm surprised so many people seem to adhere to this outdated convention, yet nobody ever uses two spaces on here. If there really was a "right" way to it or a difference in legibility, why wouldn't people use two spaces in everything they wrote?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648685)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:44 PM
Author: fishy arousing box office rigpig

Um, HTML displays multiple spaces as just one space. In fact I just used two spaces after that last period. You can see this if you view the source HTML for this page. I'm also not the only person who did this.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649461)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:45 PM
Author: Bipolar Water Buffalo Lay

it's not possible to use 2 spaces on here, so you wouldn't notice even if people were typing them.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649466)





Date: August 21st, 2005 9:47 PM
Author: talented parlor masturbator

Classic thread on this topic:

http://www.xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=26343&mc=121&forum_id=2

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648525)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:12 PM
Author: Heady Chestnut Theater

What the fuck so there is no standard?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648708)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:13 PM
Author: Bull headed university

nope. Old school texts even have like 5 spaces sometimes. Its weird.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648719)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:14 PM
Author: Violet son of senegal juggernaut

My menu at Ruth's Chris had at least four spaces between sentences.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648722)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:15 PM
Author: Heady Chestnut Theater

Do the 2 spaces in between my two front teeth count?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648737)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:15 PM
Author: Bull headed university

I have this old version of Don Quixote from like the 40's. Sometimes there will be like 6 spaces inbetween sentences.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648745)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:17 PM
Author: titillating associate

Does any one use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (5th/6th edition)?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648762)





Date: August 21st, 2005 10:18 PM
Author: Heady Chestnut Theater

Not I.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3648770)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:41 PM
Author: ruddy 180 pisswyrm

Apparently, neither do you use a grammar book.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649424)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:42 PM
Author: Elite Deranged Brunch

Apparently, you do not use grammar books either.

tootles.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649438)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:43 PM
Author: ruddy 180 pisswyrm

That's true; I don't.

But my sentence looks all right to me.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649452)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:47 PM
Author: Elite Deranged Brunch

Your sentence was worse than his.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649487)





Date: August 21st, 2005 11:51 PM
Author: ruddy 180 pisswyrm

My sentence looks all right to me.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649521)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 12:00 AM
Author: Elite Deranged Brunch

Keep telling yourself that until you believe it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649578)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 12:03 AM
Author: ruddy 180 pisswyrm

I believe it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649597)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 12:16 AM
Author: flesh yarmulke

I read in some prominent place (perhaps the Chicago Manual of Style) that one space is appropriate. Two spaces harken back to the days of typewriters.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649676)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 12:17 AM
Author: ruddy 180 pisswyrm

It's pretty clear that most print and electronic media use at most one full space.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3649680)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 6:47 AM
Author: rusted abode

The Michigan Law Review only uses one space.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650955)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 7:55 AM
Author: nudist cruise ship

Almost all good law reviews use only one space. This is because almost all professional publications and presses use only one space.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650975)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 8:04 AM
Author: Drunken mexican

I thought you clerked in CA. It's 5AM there.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650979)





Date: August 22nd, 2005 8:23 AM
Author: Primrose Stag Film Affirmative Action
Subject: wow, it's been hammered into my head for at least 10 years

for two spaces. i've gone back into documents and added spaces to mine and even others while editing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=244569&forum_id=2#3650984)