Is it single space or double space after a period legal writing?
Asked by: Cassandre Graham | Last update: July 27, 2023Score: 4.5/5 (23 votes)
1. Always place two spaces -- no more, no less -- after a period or other punctuation ending a sentence. This rule should be applied in all instances, including those where a citation follows the period.
Do lawyers use two spaces after a period?
If your sentence is gasping for air, you need to rewrite it, not add more white space. After all, the Associated Press Stylebook recommends one space. So does the Chicago Manual of Style and Writer's Digest. Some grammarians even get snarky about it, saying “nothing says over 40 like two spaces after a period.”
When did it change from 2 spaces to 1 after a period?
(In years past, APA recommended using two spaces after end-of-sentence punctuation, but it updated this suggestion to using one space in 2019.)
Do you put 1 space or 2 spaces after a period?
Just one. According to every major style guide you'll find, the rule is a single space after a period or any other punctuation mark you use to end a sentence.
Do you double space in legal writing?
Garner, The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style (3rd ed.), section 4.12. “Chicago advises leaving a single character space, not two spaces, between sentences and after colons used within a sentence … .” The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.), rule 2.9. That's fine for publications, but judges still prefer two spaces.
Is it 1 or 2 spaces after a period - The Office Life
What is the spacing for legal writing?
As a rule, the top margin should be two inches and the bottom margin should be one inch. Most legal documents use 1.5 or double-spacing.
Why do lawyers use double space?
Matthew Butterick explains on his website Typography for Lawyers: Most courts adopted their line-spacing standards in the typewriter era. That's why court rules usually call for double-spaced lines. On a typewriter, each line is the height of the font, thus double spacing means twice the font size.
How many spaces after a period in a legal document?
1. Always place two spaces -- no more, no less -- after a period or other punctuation ending a sentence. This rule should be applied in all instances, including those where a citation follows the period.
How many spaces after a period after a person's initials?
"Initials are usually capitalized, and each abbreviation followed by a period. Single initials as well as the last of multiple initials in succession should be followed by a period and each period followed by a space, while multiple initials should be separated by a period."
Why do people put 2 spaces after a period?
Early typewriters used monospaced fonts, which did not provide the amount of space needed for traditional sentence spacing. Typists solved this conundrum by typing two spaces at the end of a sentence. The two-space rule took hold in the early twentieth century and became the norm in many high school typing classes.
Is double line spacing standard?
Any paper written in APA style should use double line spacing throughout. This includes the abstract, reference list, and block quotes, as well as the main body of text. However, this rule is flexible when it comes to information in tables, figures, and footnotes.
How many spaces do you put after a punctuation mark at the end of a sentence APA?
As detailed in APA Publication Manual 7th Edition sections 6.1–6.2, use just one space after a period that ends a sentence, unless directed by your instructor to use two. Note that line-spacing should still be double-spaced.
How many spaces after a period bluebook?
Apparently, requiring two spaces after a period is a time-honored mistake. One space appears to be more correct, is widely used, and required by all of the major style guides including the Government Printing Office style guide and the Chicago Style Manual (both of which the Blue Book point to when it's silent).
How many spaces do you leave between sentences?
Every major style guide--including the Modern Language Association Style Manual and the Chicago Manual of Style--prescribes a single space after a period.
Are there two spaces after a period in MLA?
However, major style books such as the Harvard Style Guide, the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, the Chicago Manual of Style and The Canadian Style, specify that there should only be a single space after a concluding punctuation mark. This rule applies to English and French.
Are two spaces better than one?
According to APA's website and blog devoted to changes in the manual, they justify this change by stating that two spaces should now be used “for ease of reading comprehension” and “to ease… reading by breaking up the text into manageable, more easily recognizable chunks” (Wiederkehr, 2009).
What is considered too short of a period?
People's cycles vary and small changes are common. But, a severe shortening of a period cycle may indicate an underlying health condition. A typical menstrual flow lasts 3–5 days, but cycles as short as 1 day and as long as 8 days are considered normal.
What is safe period and unsafe period?
So days 1 to 7 and 14 days before your periods are considered to be safe days. But there are chances you might get pregnant on these days also, so always use other birth control methods.
What is the standard for legal document?
Unlike the common paper size that most people use day-to-day, which is 8.5 x 11 inches, legal paper is larger at 8.5 x 14 inches. Junior legal size is smaller at 5 x 8 inches.
How do you double space between sentences?
You can double-space all or part of a Word document. To double-space the whole document, go to Design > Paragraph Spacing, and choose Double. Tip: To double-space only part of the document, select the paragraphs you want to change, go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, and choose 2.0.
Is double spacing professional?
Double spacing is commonly used in schoolwork and professional settings, and is a standard part of several grammar style books such as APA, Chicago, MLA and more.
Should I always double space?
Final drafts of letters will be single spaced, as a general rule. But any other document you are typing in a word processing program will likely benefit from double-spacing. This goes for academic assignments, articles, fiction or non-fiction manuscripts, legal documents, and many others.
Should papers be single spaced?
Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt.
How much spacing after punctuation marks?
As a general rule, put one space after a period, comma, colon, semicolon, question mark, or exclamation point. But if a closing quotation mark immediately follows any one of these marks, don't insert a space between the two marks.