Time for action – using differently spaced dots

We shall typeset a short text containing periods to see the default behavior. Afterwards, we will create an example where LaTeX's automation fails; we shall see how to correct it. We will learn how to simplify all this spacing using a different style.

1. Create a new document in TeXworks:

   \documentclass{article}
   \begin{document}
   \TeX\ was designed by Donald E. Knuth.
   It has become a de facto standard in mathematics.
   \end{document}

2. Typeset to see the output:

   

3. Now add a paragraph break followed by this line:

   Look at the spacing etc. in LaTeX. See it?

4. Check out the spacing after the two periods in the output:

   

5. Correct the spacing by inserting a backslash and \@:

   Look at the spacing etc.\ in LaTeX\@. See it?

   

6. Now remove the extra \ and \@ we've added, insert the declaration \frenchspacing into the preamble, and typeset to see the difference:

   

What just happened?

The first step shows typical text and its output. As you can see, LaTeX adds a little space after the...