Double spacing harks back to the typewriter era, so it's about time the rule was changed. Getty
Double spacing harks back to the typewriter era, so it's about time the rule was changed. Getty
Double spacing harks back to the typewriter era, so it's about time the rule was changed. Getty
Double spacing harks back to the typewriter era, so it's about time the rule was changed. Getty

See double? Two spaces between sentences now officially an error according to Microsoft Word


Katy Gillett
  • English
  • Arabic

Single-spacers can rejoice, as Microsoft Word has finally decreed that two spaces between sentences is wrong.

So anyone hitting the space bar twice after any full stop will be met with a squiggly line from now on.

Although, you may not notice the change on your programme until your software updates.

Right click on the line, and Word will suggest you change it to one space. Of course, you can always choose to ignore the suggestion, but this will now be classified as an official typographical error.

The change was first noticed by University of Denver law professor Alan Chen.

It's something that's bound to ruffle some feathers. One Twitter user replied to Chen's message with this: "Never submit. There should always be two spaces unless you need to cut down to fit in the 280 limit. Readability improves with two spaces."

While another chimed in with this: "For years I was a proponent of two spaces after a period. When I wrote for David Petraeus he was militant about it. Today I'm proud I was convinced (about two years ago) by the excellent arguments of the one-spacers."

Why does anyone use double spaces?

It's an issue that enrages many a copy editor. Yet, surprisingly, quite a few still do it.

The habit harks back to yesteryear, when typists using typewriters, which relied on monospaced type, needed to define the space between sentences more clearly.

With the advent of computers and online news sites, the need for this has clearly been eradicated. Yet some insist on continuing to hit that space bar twice, arguing that it improves readability (something studies have not been able to categorically prove right or wrong).

We know this is a stylistic choice that may not be the preference for all writers

The debate has raged between writers for decades, even though very few editorial style guides actually advise using two spaces.

Thankfully, Microsoft Word has now issued their final word on the argument. Or the team has at least provided us with a strong suggestion.

Kirk Gregersen, Microsoft's partner director of programme management, explained in a statement to technology website The Verge: "As the crux of the great spacing debate, we know this is a stylistic choice that may not be the preference for all writers, which is why we continue to test with users and enable these suggestions to be easily accepted, ignored or flat out dismissed in Editor."

So, basically, anyone unable to move on from their double-spacing ways can choose to ignore it once or remove it from the programme's list of errors.

How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)

Nancy Ajram

(In2Musica)

SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY

Wimbledon order of play on Saturday, July 8
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Centre Court (4pm)
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Timea Bacsinszky (19)
Ernests Gulbis v Novak Djokovic (2)
Mischa Zverev (27) v Roger Federer (3)

Court 1 (4pm)
Milos Raonic (6) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (25)
Anett Kontaveit v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Jared Donaldson

Court 2 (2.30pm)
Sorana Cirstea v Garbine Muguruza (14)
To finish: Sam Querrey (24) leads Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-5
Angelique Kerber (1) v Shelby Rogers
Sebastian Ofner v Alexander Zverev (10)

Court 3 (2.30pm)
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Dudi Sela
Alison Riske v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
David Ferrer v Tomas Berdych (11)

Court 12 (2.30pm)
Polona Hercog v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Gael Monfils (15) v Adrian Mannarino

Court 18 (2.30pm)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Lesia Tsurenko
Petra Martic v Zarina Diyas

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

England's lowest Test innings

- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887

- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994

- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009

- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948

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- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018

RACECARD

4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
German plea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the German parliament that. Russia had erected a new wall across Europe. 

"It's not a Berlin Wall -- it is a Wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told MPs.

Mr Zelenskyy was applauded by MPs in the Bundestag as he addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz directly.

"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this Wall," he said, evoking US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

MATCH INFO

Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:

Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2

Second leg:

Monday, Azizi Stadium, Tehran. Kick off 7pm

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Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments