Text Formatting Conventions

Or, how we make text easier to read.

Word Spacing and Vowels

Ancient Hebrew

manuscript

Word Spacing and Vowels

Ancient Hebrew

manuscript

Word Spacing and Vowels

In English, that would look like this:

“sntr dgls hlds w knw tht mn my rghtflly b wsr tdy thn h ws ystrdy tht h my rghtflly chng whn h fnds hmslf wrng bt cn w fr tht rsn rn hd nd nfr tht h wll mk ny

prtclr chng f whch h hmslf hs gvn n ntmtn cn w sfly bs r ctn pn ny sch vg nfrnc nw s vr wsh nt t msrprsnt jdg

dglss postn qustn hs mtvs r d ght tht cn b prsnlly ffnsv t hm”

Word Spacing and Vowels

Or, with the vowels, like this:

“senatordouglasholdsweknowthatamanmayrightfullybewisertodaythanhewasyesterdaythathemayrightfullychangewhenhefindshimselfwrongbutcanweforthatreasonrunaheadandinferthathewillmakeanyparticularchangeofwhichhehimselfhasgivennointimationcanwesafelybaseouractionuponanysuchvagueinferencenowaseveriwishnottomisrepresentjudgedouglasspositionquestionhismotivesordoaughtthatcanbepersonallyoff

ensivetohim”

Punctuation

So, here's the point:

Punctuation, just like word separation, is something we include to make our text

easier and more interesting to read.

Punctuation

And, just like spelling, how you punctuate a sentence can change not only how it

sounds, but what it means.

Punctuation

Senator Douglas holds we know that a man may rightfully be wiser today than he was yesterday that he may rightfully change when he finds himself wrong but can we for that reason run ahead and infer that he will make any particular change of which he himself has

given no intimation can we safely base our action upon any such vague inference now as ever I wish not to misrepresent Judge Douglas's position question his

motives or do aught that can be personally offensive to him

Punctuation

Senator Douglas holds: “We know that a man may rightfully be wiser today than he was yesterday, that he

may rightfully change when he finds himself wrong; but can we for that reason run ahead and infer that he will make any particular change of which he himself

has given no intimation? Can we safely base our action upon any such vague inference now, as ever?” I wish

not to misrepresent Judge Douglas's position, question his motives, or do aught that can be personally

offensive to him.

Punctuation

Senator Douglas holds, we know, that a man may rightfully be wiser today than he was yesterday - that

he may rightfully change when he finds himself wrong. But can we, for that reason, run ahead, and infer that he will make any particular change, of which he, himself, has given no intimation? Can we safely base our action upon any such vague inference? Now, as ever, I wish not to misrepresent Judge Douglas's position, question

his motives, or do aught that can be personally offensive to him.