Use a Single Space Between Two Sentences
I’ve always followed the typographer’s rule that you should only put one space after terminal punctuation, i.e., a single space after periods and the like. But in my legal writing attorney’s insist on two spaces because that’s the way it’s supposed to be done.
I finally got my copy of The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style by Bryan A. Garner. Garner is the editor of the Black’s Law Dictionary and is becoming the expert and ombudsman on legal style. Lo and behold, here’s what Garner has to say on the issue in Section 4.12:
Use even forward-spacing in your documents: one space between words and one space after punctuation marks (including colons and periods).
The custom during the reign of the typewriter was to insert two spaces between sentences and after colons. The reason was that letters on a typewriter are monospaced… Continue the custom only if you use a typewriter or the Courier font.
Now what’s unclear is that Garner claims that “most word processors can automatically replace two spaces with one.” Does this mean that when you type two spaces, the word processor automatically replaces them with a single space? That doesn’t appear to be true—two spaces after a period creates more space than one space. I think he must be referring to a search-and-replace functionality.
Another personal victory: It seems like most lawyers I’ve worked with eschew using serial commas. Here, Garner agrees with Strunk & White in Section 1.3: “Use commas to separate words or phrases in a series of three or more, and include a comma before the conjunction.”
Yes. Axe? Ground.
Law School | paul | 
September 24, 2007 9:29 pm
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By Holly, September 25, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Yes! I hate it when I read: “He bought bread, apples and oranges.”
In my opinion, it should be: “He bought bread, apples, and oranges.”
Phew!
By paul, September 25, 2007 @ 4:36 pm
Exactly! I’m surprised by how many attorneys don’t use serial commas, even though it’s explicitly mentioned in both Strunk & White and Elements of Legal Style. They harp on you for adding extra commas… But they’re wrong!
Paul