Re: Extra space after punctuation marks

[Blake McBride]

At 06:59 AM 1/17/96 -0700, "Robert M. McClure" <address@hidden> wrote:
>
>This subject was discussed at length in the typetalk mail list a
>short while back.  Consensus seems to have been that double spaces
>are strictly an artifact of old typing habits.  If, for visual
>reasons, a little more space after periods, colons, exclamation
>points, etc. is desired, most commentators consider it generally
>acceptable (and often used).  No commentators advocated two full
>spaces.  One suggestion was to use an en-space between words and
>an em-space between sentences.  I, personally, like this, but some
>do not.  (Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder.)

That's fine.  I don't personally feel that it's a matter of one vs. two
spaces but more like more vs. the same space.


>
>Someone noted that Dr. Knuth puts extra space between sentences.
>Not so. Quoting from the original TeX book:
>
>       Consider, for example, the following sentence from a classic
>       kindergarten pre-primer:
>
>          ``Oh, oh!'' cried Baby Sally. Dick and Jane laughed.
>
>       If TeX sets this at its natural width, all the spaces will
>       be the same.
>
>However, Knuth *does* increase the stretchability (not the shrinkability)
>of spaces after punctuation, so that if it necessary to lengthen
>the line such spaces will become larger than standard interword spaces.
>
>

Not true!

See The TeXbook volume A page 72 by Knuth.  It says:

"Plain TeX puts extra space at the end of sentences; furthermore, it 
automatically
increases the stretchability (and decreases the shrinkability) after punctuation
marks."


--blake

-- 
Blake McBride                           Algorithms Corporation
615-791-1636 voice                      3020 Liberty Hills Drive
615-791-7736 fax                        Franklin, TN  37067
address@hidden                          USA
See our WEB page at:  http://www.edge.net/algorithms