![]() ![]() This list isn’t exhaustive but should cover the most common cases. To save you from having to search each case individually, here are some wildcard searches that can help you do global searches for situations that require a nonbreaking space. These kinds of global changes are also much easier to do at copy editing-an instance of where a few seconds of effort on the copy editor’s part can save the proofreader a lot of time.įurther, for text destined for a digital format-say a website or an ebook-adding nonbreaking spaces at the copy edit will ensure that the text appears as it should, regardless of reflow. But changing them at the copy-editing stage would head these problems off at the pass and allow the proofreader to focus on other typos and design infelicities that a global search wouldn’t catch. ![]() In a traditional print workflow, the proofreader flags these instances of bad line breaks for the designer. Isn’t it a proofreader’s job to catch bad breaks? The control code for nonbreaking spaces in Word’s Find and Find & Replace functions is ^s. You can insert a nonbreaking space in Word by using the shortcut key Option + Space on a Mac or Ctrl + Shift + Space on a PC. It would keep the entity of “$6 million” together, without disrupting the line length. ![]() Instead, a nonbreaking space between “$6” and “million” would tell Word not to break a line at that point. It’s also poor practice for text that may be repurposed for a reprint or in a different medium: whenever the text reflows, the soft return will yield a shortened line that buggers up the flow of the text. In general, using soft returns is poor practice, because if you delete anything from the line above, you end up with a short line or unsightly gaps (if the text has been fully justified). I once worked with a company that output its final reports from Word, and whenever something like “$6 million” broke over a line, the in-house staff would use a soft return before the “$6” to push it to the next line. In these cases, we want to keep the words together, and the best method is to use a nonbreaking space. Hinder readability because readers have to scan to the next line before they receive the information that completes the concept they’re reading about. ![]()
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February 2023
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