It is physically impossible for me to not put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence even when I try. Yes, I am old.

It's really hard for me, too. When I consciously try to single space I end up with a mixture of single and double spaces, which is worse than consistently double spacing.

I struggle with this as well, to the point I had to go back through my entire dissertation looking for double spacing and fixing it. Ingrained habit.

Interesting explanation and feedback, makes sense, thanks everyone. I for one have never added two spaces after a . and probably never will.

Ctrl+F
Find: ". "
Replace with: ". "

??

Edit: wow, you're right, I can't even double space if I tried, you get the point though.

For the curious... (Bold added.)

It took me a second to see it.

No egregious or accidental errors here; I like the irony of the two business signs together though.

A couple of questions from a non-english speaker:

Could someone explain to me why there are no rules for commas in English? In my native language we have strict comma rules, which makes the text you're reading more clear in my opinion, but also more chopped up and harder to read. I actually prefer reading books in English, since the text is usually "cleaner" and faster to read. An example from earlier in the thread: "Well here at Tyson we believe that you are what you eat eats" vs "Well, here at Tyson, we believe that you are what you eat, eats". I believe both sentences are grammatically correct, the first one being quicker, and the second being clearer, to read.

What is more correct, using "quote" or 'quote'? I learned the former, but I see a lot of the latter, especially in books and online.

Is it totally unacceptable to use arrows instead of commas, semicolons, or periods? I often use the arrows on exams, as they are quicker. For example: loss of albumin leads to decreased oncotic pressure --> edema vs loss of albumin leads to decreased oncotic pressure, which can cause edema.

there are some rules for commas.

regarding quotes - both single quotes and double quotes can be correct, it depends on the circumstance.

using an arrow for "which can cause" is potentially misleading. in place of "causes" would be fine in some informal or technical circumstances. But the qualifier, ie that it doesn't always lead to, is completely lost in the arrow. Arrow usually means 'therefore' or 'implies'. it would be really confusing to use it to mean 'sometimes implies' or 'might cause'.

Yes, it is totally unacceptable.

Which one does the Israeli flag belong to?

Lynne Truss's Eats Shoots and Leaves has a wonderful chapter on comma rules and the options in English. I love this passage about The New Yorker editor Herbert Ross's love of "clarifying" commas:
"quote" = standard American; now also standard Canadian.
'quote' = standard British.
Now as for the difference between how the two punctuate around that closing quotation mark ... I believe there's been much preceding discussion in this thread.

double-negative tho?

A hyphen is not necessary at the end of a sentence if I'm not mistaken.

Decided to google it (like I should have done before ldo) and no hyphen looks to be okay.

this thread would make for a rock solid english textbook.

I was taught to only use single quotation marks when you have a quotation within a quotation. The single marks go inside the double marks.

What if you have a quote inside a quote?

Bobby said Sally said she's pregnant

Punctuate that.

You just keep alternating:

You wrote, "Bobby said, 'Sally said, "She's pregnant."'"

Or, if you're in the UK:
You wrote, 'Bobby said, "Sally said, 'She's pregnant.'"'

Are italics okay to use as a substitute for quotation marks, or are they only used for example when you quote a big paragraph?

I'm not familiar with the use of italics for the example you give, but I know I've read things where the author used italics for his characters' dialog. As long as it doesn't present a visual speed bump to the reader, I don't see the problem with it, although some grammar/usage purists might get their panties twisted over it.

I think the main problem with using italics in place of dialogue is that they're more commonly used to denote thought, not speech. I wouldn't have a problem with using them to express either so long as it's done consistently.

This was undoubtedly written by a trucker.