Periods
- 1 Spaces after periods
- 2 Periods at the end of a numbered list
- 3 Abbreviated personal and courtesy titles
Spaces after punctuation
One space after all punctuation marks is preferred in typography (electronic word processing).
Different departments, clinics, services and practitioners may choose to use two spaces after periods and other major punctuation marks.
Period at the end of a polite statement or command
Requests, suggestions, and commands are often phrased as questions out of politeness. Use a period to end this kind of sentence if the reader is expected to respond by acting rather than by giving a yes-or-no answer.
Will you please call us at once if we can be of further help.
Would you please send all bills to my bank for payment while I'm out of the country.
If it isn't clear whether to use a question mark or a period, reword the sentence so that it is clearly a question or a statement; then punctuate accordingly.
D: Would you be willing to get the laboratory reports for me while I'm away?
T: I would appreciate if you would get the laboratory reports for me while I'm away.
Period: End of statement or command
Use a period to mark the end of a sentence that makes a statement or expresses a command.
The patient was seen in the emergency room.
Use a period to mark the end of an elliptical expression that represents the complete statement or command. Elliptical expressions often occur as answers to questions or transitional phrases.
Yes.
No.
Of course.
Do not confuse elliptical expressions with sentence fragments. An elliptical expression is a complete sentence.
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