Silly question...

[Haven]

TGal--Northwestern STILL uses those "official" essay writing booklets, you know the ones--wide ruled, stapled on the left side, 8 pages, with the little box on the cover for all of your information. I teach there on Saturdays and I always laugh when I see those booklets lying around. (Of course, some of the classrooms still look as they did when the university first opened, so what should I expect?)

 

[TravelingGal]

TGal--Northwestern STILL uses those "official" essay writing booklets, you know the ones--wide ruled, stapled on the left side, 8 pages, with the little box on the cover for all of your information. I teach there on Saturdays and I always laugh when I see those booklets lying around. (Of course, some of the classrooms still look as they did when the university first opened, so what should I expect?)

Haven, is it crazy that that makes me smile? I had so many of those...in fact, I only threw out all my college essays/exams when I moved to this new house last year. I figured if I no longer understood what I wrote, it was time to let it go.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

Double. I'm really old.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I learned to type on a typewriter so I continue to double space after a period. I also put the requisite 3 spaces between state and zip code but I may be the only one who does that--not sure if those rules have changed!

Jeez--I thought I was the only dinosaur who did that!!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

APA standard is 1 space so that is what I do.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Double space for me! It's how I was taught and that's what I used all throughout college and law school. Unless you're in a profession where spacing/style issues are VERY important (I think Steal mentioned law requiring 2 spaces), I think it's more important just to be consistent throughout. Pick a style, stick with it.

Btw, I am going to be very sad if and when cursive is no longer taught. Yeah, maybe it's not USEFUL, but it's always good to learn - I handwrite notes and cards in cursive and it looks so much nicer.

 

[athenaworth]

Funny you mention this. I was just working on a document from another law firm and the entire document only had one space after the period and my boss made me go through and change them all to double space after the period. I never knew the rule had changed! Am I that old??!

And funny anecdote: my first boyfriend was about as dumb as a box of rocks. When we were in JC together, the teacher assigned him a paper and asked that it be double-spaced. He thought that meant two spaces between each word. That was before the days of computers, so I had to re-type the entire stupid thing for him so he would't be laughed it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Funny you mention this. I was just working on a document from another law firm and the entire document only had one space after the period and my boss made me go through and change them all to double space after the period. I never knew the rule had changed! Am I that old??!

And funny anecdote: my first boyfriend was about as dumb as a box of rocks. When we were in JC together, the teacher assigned him a paper and asked that it be double-spaced. He thought that meant two spaces between each word. That was before the days of computers, so I had to re-type the entire stupid thing for him so he would't be laughed it.

 

[somethingshiny]

I double space. Apparently it's a habit that, although useless, cannot be broken. I learned on a computer and that was standard format for all of our papers. Our teachers didn't even accept a hand written paper which particularly sucked for me as I had no computer.

My handwriting is atrocious! No one can read it, sometimes not even me! I prefer typing because I can type more at the speed of my thinking. When I try to write at the speed of my thoughts, it's just a jumbled chicken scratch. My printing is terrible too. I hae to really concentrate when I'm writing things for JT. If I slow down and pay attention it's fine, but I'm usually in a hurry.DH has decent printing but jacked up cursive. It's perfectly legible but none of the letters are actually formed correctly.

I have a cousin who has the most beautiful handwriting. She actually uses a ruler if she's using unlined paper. And, DH has an aunt who is an artist and writes exquisitely. When I display her cards, I leave them open just so I can see her writing.

athena~ aw, poor dumb kid!

 

[zoebartlett]

It warms my heart that this topic is moving so fast.
It makes me feel hope for the future of written communication.

Do you think it will bring back handwritten notes and cursive?

You know, a lot of people tell me it's too much effort to write cursive, but I find printing takes more. With cursive, the writing flows. But when I print, I have to lift my hand after every letter. So what gives?

I love hand-written notes. *swoon* Dear hubby knows this and writes me sweet notes on every special occasion. On our one year wedding anniversary he began a journal that documents all his favourite moments and memories with me

Do they even TEACH cursive anymore?

I'm a sucker for a hand-written note as well. When DH was courting me, he sent me a card with a hand-written note in it EVERY DAY for months. I've saved all of them. I'm also a huge fan of hand-written thank you notes and I still do them and write them for my children now but I plan on getting them into the habit when they can actually write!

Curly -- YES, they still teach cursive! When I was in NC last year, it was taught in 2nd grade, but in my district in NH, it's taught in 3rd. From what I hear, 3rd grade is pretty standard.

 

[ChinaCat]

If I think about it, I double space. Learned to type on a typewriter.

Though I think that if I don't think about it, I just single space. But I've wondered about this myself lately, so good to know that single space is the "new" way to go.

I love handwriting and handwritten notes. I still do written thank you notes, and my calendar I have to do it by hand. My to-do lists are all by hand.

Weirdly though, when I write creatively, I much prefer the computer.

As for law school, yep I was there from 2002-2005 and you could still handwrite your exams. You could also handwrite the Bar exam if you chose.

 

[zoebartlett]

TGal--Northwestern STILL uses those "official" essay writing booklets, you know the ones--wide ruled, stapled on the left side, 8 pages, with the little box on the cover for all of your information. I teach there on Saturdays and I always laugh when I see those booklets lying around. (Of course, some of the classrooms still look as they did when the university first opened, so what should I expect?)

I hate those books. They're useless. We had them in college (early-mid 90s) and I hated using them.

I've always put a double space in between sentences but I learned a few years ago that it's now single space. I'm still tempted to do double space though.

 

[lucyandroger]

I double space and learned on a computer.

I work at a law firm and that is the way we all do it. I had no idea there was a movement towards one space!

 

[yssie]

Depends. Class essay I don't much care for?

Double space and maybe a lil' extra padding on the margins..


But I usually write too much, so a single space, single-spaced paragraphs are my usual settings.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I double space - I learned typing in 1984-5 on a selectric and that's the way it was done. Personally I think it still looks better - it gives a bit more of a break and for those who can't see as well there is less confusion between that and a comma. Sometimes when writing articles people will put a double break between paragraphs, I see it as something similar. It compartmentalizes things better.

But I'm also a fan of the added comma in a list. You know... I would like some raspberries, strawberries, and cherries.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I double space and learned on a computer.

I work at a law firm and that is the way we all do it. I had no idea there was a movement towards one space!

I truly think the single space movement is just a code writer thing and I for one really would hate to let people like my husband rule over style lol

ETA: I also type an address thusly... Atlanta, GA 11111 with two spaces between state and zip... though I bet auto formatting with destroy that when I hit send lol

I'M TELLING YA it's a code writer thing.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

This is the first I ever herd of this. I Learned how to type when I was 12 and was taught to double space after a period. I never got the memo that it changed.

So I guess the bigger question is since I have been double spacing for 19 years and it is pretty much muscle memory, will I be able to re-teach myself to do 1 space?

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I actually love beautiful pennmanship. My father had beautiful writing.. it slanted left and was just elegant. I have rhuematoid arthritis and can barely scribble my name.

I do think pennmanship is a dying art. I remember when I was working in the Catholic Schools and every 9th period would be devoted to penmanship--we had designated papers--not only did the students have to practice their penmanship they were also graded on their decoration of the paper--choice of colors and did they stay in the lines! With computers and texting today most teens I know DON"T KNOW CURSIVE. I think it's sad.

 

[lulu66]

this thread has officially blown my mind. i thought double spacing was standard & required. so, you mean, it doesn't matter if i hit the space bar twice or not?! it looks the same whether i hit space once or twice?
i'm confused it's all the same?!!!!

[btw, i learned to type on a typewriter (but already knew how to type on a computer by that point). i think my high school for some reason thought the typewriter might stick around & it was important that we learned--not really sure there rational.]

 

[Cehrabehra]

It only ends up looking the same when gone through an input box. Documents still have the formatting you assign them. See? CODE WRITER!! lol

 

[hlmr]

Another double spacer here.....

.....and, I learned on a typewriter.

And yet, I am only 25!

 

[Sha]

I learnt on a typewriter and was taught to double space - still do.

 

[diamondringlover]

I did double space, but I have been told by our quality control morons at work that it should be single space, so now I single space.

 

[lulu66]

It only ends up looking the same when gone through an input box. Documents still have the formatting you assign them. See? CODE WRITER!! lol

so, when i type something here (on PS) it looks the same double or single spaced but if i type something in a word processing program (MS Word, for example) there is a visible difference between double spacing and single spacing?

see, i told you i was confused!!!

 

[April20]

Double space. I was taught that way and until this moment hadn't even considered that the standard for this might have changed. It is way too ingrained at this point to be able to change. I will actually go back and add the second space if I look up and see I've missed one at the end of a sentence.

 

[Haven]

I did double space, but I have been told by our quality control morons at work that it should be single space, so now I single space.

This made me laugh!

 

[Laila619]

I was always taught a double space is correct. And I am fairly young, so it's not like I learned typing a long, long time ago.

 

[mary poppins]

I learned to type on a typewriter so I continue to double space after a period. I also put the requisite 3 spaces between state and zip code but I may be the only one who does that--not sure if those rules have changed!

Jeez--I thought I was the only dinosaur who did that!!!!

I still double space after a period and triple space between state and zip code.

 

[lucyandroger]

I double space - I learned typing in 1984-5 on a selectric and that's the way it was done. Personally I think it still looks better - it gives a bit more of a break and for those who can't see as well there is less confusion between that and a comma. Sometimes when writing articles people will put a double break between paragraphs, I see it as something similar. It compartmentalizes things better.

But I'm also a fan of the added comma in a list. You know... I would like some raspberries, strawberries, and cherries.[/quote]

Oh, I LOVE the extra comma! LOL I work for a bunch of different bosses so it's always a toss up when I submit drafts whether the comma will stay. I get so annoyed when it's deleted.

 

[dragonfly411]

I will cry if they ever stop teaching cursive. I wish I had a true pen pal so I could practice more, I love to write.