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Re: OT: Punctuation

From:Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Date:Saturday, January 17, 2004, 2:54
On Fri, Jan 16, 2004 at 09:02:22PM -0500, Tristan McLeay wrote:
> In variable-width fonts, an ellipsis is not spaced the same as three > fullstops placed after each other. Because of this, for some reason some > people put spaces between them (which is too large a space at least in > Times Roman, Palatino and Computer Modern Roman---it's about half-way > between).
Well, I was taught in English class that when typewriting papers (on actual typewriters; you may have to look that word up, or go to a museum to see one, but fixed-width was the only option on them :)), there should be a space between the periods of an ellipsis. I suppose the thinking was better too much space than not enough. In any case, the habit persists. Besides, though maybe for no other reason than that habit, I think it looks better that way, even though it is, as you say, much more space than you get with a true ellipsis in a typeset document. I also always put a space before an ellipsis, even if it's at the end of a sentence . . . -Mark

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Michael Potter <mhpotter@...>