In English, correct spacing is an important part of punctuation. Try not to forget the following rules.
Rules
One Space Between Words & Numbers
- I haven't been paying attention.
- Are these plastic forks and knives reusable?
- There are 2 vegetarians in this class.
No Spaces Before Periods, Commas, Question Marks, Exclamation Points, Etc.
- When I was young, I planted a tree in my garden.
- Could you unplug my charger for me?
- Suzanne asked, "Where is the nearest train station?"
One Space After Periods, Commas, Question Marks, Etc.
- Scientists are studying global warming. Perhaps they'll find a way to fix the damage we have caused.
- In 2008, Charles went to Thailand.
- What are you doing for dinner tonight? Would you like to go to a restaurant with me?
When we use quotation marks, we usually put the period, question mark, or exclamation point inside the quotations without a space:
- He asked me, "Where are you going?"
- James shouted, "Stop!"
- The teacher said, "Humans have been very destructive towards the environment."
Indentation and Spacing of Paragraphs
There are two styles of paragraphs in English. Both ways are acceptable, but should not be mixed:
Indented Paragraphs
These paragraphs are indented by pressing the "tab" key on your keyboard. Indented paragraphs do not need spaces between paragraphs. Example:
The current GPS consists of three major segments. These are the space segment (SS), a control segment (CS), and a user segment (US). The U.S. Air Force develops, maintains, and operates the space and control segments. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space, and each GPS receiver uses these signals to calculate its three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) and the current time.
The space segment is composed of 24 to 32 satellites in medium Earth orbit and also includes the payload adapters to the boosters required to launch them into orbit. The control segment is composed of a master control station, an alternate master control station, and a host of dedicated and shared ground antennas and monitor stations. The user segment is composed of hundreds of thousands of U.S. and allied military users of the secure GPS Precise Positioning Service, and hundreds of millions of civil, commercial, and scientific users of the Standard Positioning Service (see GPS navigation devices).
Source: Wikipedia
Unindented Paragraphs
Unindented paragraphs do not start with an indent or space. There is one line space between each paragraph. Example:
The current GPS consists of three major segments. These are the space segment (SS), a control segment (CS), and a user segment (US). The U.S. Air Force develops, maintains, and operates the space and control segments. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space, and each GPS receiver uses these signals to calculate its three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) and the current time.
The space segment is composed of 24 to 32 satellites in medium Earth orbit and also includes the payload adapters to the boosters required to launch them into orbit. The control segment is composed of a master control station, an alternate master control station, and a host of dedicated and shared ground antennas and monitor stations. The user segment is composed of hundreds of thousands of U.S. and allied military users of the secure GPS Precise Positioning Service, and hundreds of millions of civil, commercial, and scientific users of the Standard Positioning Service (see GPS navigation devices).
Source: Wikipedia
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.