Where are people learning to put a space before punctuation in English?

Question

Why do so many people who learn English use a space after punctuation? I see it so constantly I wonder if they're specifically being taught to do it. I've only asked someone once (online) and he got touchy about it and said that's how he likes to do it and won't change (in broken english of course). This is the kind of thing I mean:

This is a sentence .
This is a list of stuff: apples , oranges
This is a question ?

Where do they learn to do this? I find it irritating to read.

I mean specifically those who don't speak English as their native language - tons of them seem to do this all the time by default. I'm not talking about typos...

Answer 1

I don't know, but I do put a space after a sentence that ends with a website or email address, like this: [e-mail] .
I've never been taught nor taught anyone to do that, it just makes sense to me. (I do teach English but I haven't noticed the situation you mention. It might be more common among people whose first language is non-alphabetical.)

Answer 2

Space Before Punctuation

Answer 3

In typing class ( now word processing), I learned to put a space after punctuation marks. If people use the spelling and grammar check on some word processors, it will consider it an error if there is no space ( exception would be apostrophe in contraction/ possessives).

What bothers me is when they put the space before the punctuation mark or, worse, put a space both before and after the punctuation mark.
This looks okay to me:
Where do they learn to do this? I find it irritating to read.
This looks a little off to me:
Where do they learn to do this ? I find it irritating to read .

Of course, my grandmother would say, " Don't sweat the small stuff." Maybe adding an extra space is small stuff.
As an English teacher, I would probably not count off for a misplaced space, but don't get me started on some of the poor spelling and grammar...

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Where are people learning to put a space before punctuation in English?
Why do so many people who learn English use a space after punctuation? I see it so constantly I wonder if they're specifically being taught to do it. I've only asked someone once (online) and he got touchy about it and said that's how he likes to do it and won't change (in broken...

Answer 5

I got confused with that. You were asking about a space AFTER punctuation, but your examples show a space BEFORE the punctuation mark.

Oh well, to answer your question, my English teacher used to tell me that most people make more errors when typing than when they're actually writing with pen and paper. I don't think it's an English lesson issue, but a typing issue.

As for those who speak English as a second language, it might have something to do with their native language. Maybe it's something they're used to doing with their native writing.

Answer 6

Oh wow, people got confused with this. Note to everyone: the main question is correct by saying "before punctuation," there was a mistake in saying "after punctuation" in the explanation. Also, the "best answer" doesn't address the question at all!

This is an annoying habit people develop, it's just that simple. They do it on purpose. Everyone else suggested a typo but that is just inexperience with this odd behavior. In frequent, short typing, like chat rooms, you see this constantly. It's incorrect and VERY irritating to read. I always have to stop and untangle my brain before moving on.

Example: do you have a sec to talk ?

I work at a large tech company and chat every day at work. I really wish we could agree never to do this in English.

Answer 7

We are specifically taught to do it. The space comes after the punctuation mark never before.
I'm an english native so I haven't been taught english as such, but I have had typing lessons.

Answer 8

One of my close family members is an english instructor. Ugh, I've been in advanced classes for the course my whole life. Yet, I've grown to love it. Your essay is delicious...I've sort of been eating up the words. Two things though: -It's got a fluent friendly vibe, that doesn't over excess on "big words", but the sentences in my opinion seem slightly choppy, as in the first couple sentences I felt I was starting the essay over again, but as I got into it it was nicely spread. - Although an excellent essay, I failed to pick up the overall question that was actually asked until perhaps the last couple sentences gave me a hint. What were your experiences? Tell me more about the environment of XYZ College. I got a feel for your background well though. Good luck, and I'm actually inspired by this essay to further pursue my dreams and goals. ♥

Answer 9

I was taught to put the punctuation mark next to the word that it follows, but to put a space after the punctuation mark. That is how I was taught in elementary school and I was never taught any different thru Jr high, high school, and college. Yes I was born, and educated in the USA

Answer 10

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My mom always says that I remind her of her mother, because my grandma and I are exactly alike in many ways. We both like cooking and playing strategy games and the way I discipline my son resembles the way she used to discipline me and my sister when we were little. Ever since I was small my grandma used to take care of me and my sister because my mom was always working. She taught me all I know about cooking. I remember I started to have an interest in cooking when I was five years old. Whenever my grandma was at work in the kitchen, I was always right there with her just so she could teach me new recipes. Nowadays I’m the only one that cooks in my house except for Saturdays and Sundays. Although those are my free days, I don’t mind at all because I just love cooking and I like when every time my family says that my food taste just like my grandma’s, because we all miss her and it just make us think that she’s still with us. I remember the first day my grandma thought me how to play chess. It was a hot day and we were sitting in the living room. I remember she asked me if I wanted to play chess with her, I told her that I didn’t know how to play and she said that she would teach me. She started to explaining to me the names of the pieces and how they move. She taught me that the knight moved like an “L”, that the King could only move one place at a time, that the queen could move wherever it wanted to, that the rook could only move in a straight and not diagonal line, that the pawn initially could move two or one spaces forward and after that just only one space and always forward ,never back; and that the bishop could only move diagonally. After she explained the basics to me, we started to play and at first I was constantly losing, but after a while I began to understand the game better and I started to win. Now every time my boyfriend and I play chess, it makes me remember the time I used to play with my grandma. She used to love playing chess, that was her favorite game, and now it’s my favorite game too. Other thing my grandma and I have in common is the way I discipline my child. My mom says that it resembles of the way my grandma used to discipline my sister and mewhen we were little. Every time my son is doing something he’s not supposed to, I always give him a mean look and he immediately stops doing it, but sometimes it doesn’t work and when that happen I just tell him to stop or he will see. If he doesn’t stop I just go to where he is, grab his little hands, look him in the eyes and ask him why he keeps doing something I told him not to do; then I give him a spank in his botty and put him in the place known as "time out". Then he cries for a while and when he stops crying I ask him: “Are you going to keep doing what you were doing?” and then I put him in the floor just to see if he has understood and it seems like it works. For example, before he used to mess with the cables behind the TV and now he doesn’t do it anymore. I guess my grandma used to do exactly the same thing with me and my sister when we were little because that’s what my mom told me, but I don’t remember. I don’t even know why I choose this way to discipline my child; it just seems the easiest way for my son to learn that he’s not supposed to do something I told him not to do. My grandma taught me a lot of things when I was little that have helped me greatly throughout my life and I pick up on some of her stuff she used to do and I guess it’s normal because I lived with her for fifteen years. I don’t think there’s anybody in the world who resembles my grandma as much as I do. I do not even look like my mom or my twin sister; just my grandma.