Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Sentence spacing concerns how spaces are inserted between sentences in typeset text and is a matter of typographical convention. [1] Since the introduction of movable-type printing in Europe, various sentence spacing conventions have been used in languages with a Latin alphabet . [ 2 ]
The author adds the caveat that in certain instances a writer may want to use two spaces between sentences. The examples given are: when one space "may not provide a clear visual break between sentences", if an abbreviation is used at the end of a sentence, or when some very small proportional fonts (such as 10-point Times New Roman) are used.
The spacing differences between traditional typesetting and modern conventional printing standards are easily observed by comparing two different versions of the same book, from the Mabinogion: 1894: the Badger-in-the-bag game—traditional typesetting spacing rules: a single enlarged em-space between sentences
However, instructions to use more spacing between sentences than words date back centuries, and two spaces on a typewriter was the closest approximation to typesetters' previous rules aimed at improving readability. [6]
justified—text is aligned along the left margin, with letter-spacing and word-spacing adjusted so that the text falls flush with both margins, also known as fully justified or full justification; centered—text is aligned to neither the left nor right margin; there is an even gap on each side of each line.
Word spacing has the ability to express the meaning and idea behind a word, which typographers consider when working on design works and text. [9] With a written piece of text, the designer has to remember to make sure they do not add too much or too little space between words; otherwise it could ruin the texture and tone. [6]
Kerning contrasted with tracking (letter-spacing): with spacing the "kerning perception" is lost. While tracking adjusts the space between characters evenly, regardless of the characters, kerning adjusts the space based on character pairs. There is strong kerning between the "V" and the "A", and no kerning between the "S" and the "T".
It is sometimes claimed that the two-space convention stems from the use of the monospaced font on typewriters, but in fact that convention replicates much earlier typography—the intent was to provide a clear break between sentences. [50] This spacing method was gradually replaced by the single space convention in published print, where space ...