When typewriters were all the rage, the standard style was to use two spaces between each sentence to make the text more readable. In the digital age, new fonts make this standard unnecessary; however, the technique hasn’t quite died out.

Luckily, Word’s Spelling And Grammar check can help you keep your sentence spacing consistent, no matter which standard your company uses.

To set the number of spaces between sentences:

1. Select Tools | Options and click on the Spelling & Grammar tab.
2. In the Grammar panel, click the Settings button.
3. In the Grammar And Style Options list box, select the appropriate number (1 or 2) from the Spaces Required Between Sentences dropdown list, as shown in Figure A.
4. Click OK twice to close the dialog boxes and return to your document.

The next time you run a spell check, Word will alert you when your sentence spacing doesn’t match your setting.

 

Adapt for Word 2007
To change this setting in Word 2007, click on the Office button and then click the Word Options button. In the Word Options dialog box, choose Proofing in the left panel. Click the Settings button in the When Correcting Spelling And Grammar In Word section to open the Grammar Settings dialog box. Select 1, 2, or Don’t Check from the Spaces Required Between Sentences dropdown list. Click OK twice to apply the setting.

Filed under: Microsoft Office Tutor