Yes. I feel strongly about this. There should be one space – not two – following a period at the end of a sentence.

The reason many of us were taught to use two spaces (years ago) is that with typewriters, all characters were the same width.  But with computers, an “I” is narrower than an “M.” It’s called proportional spacing, and it eliminates the need for an extra space after a period.

I came across a great article recently that makes the case for one space. And when I posted the article to my Facebook page, I got some passionate responses:

• I wholeheartedly agree. Now, how do we convince the rest of the world they’re wrong?

• It’s an age thing, I guess. Kind of like wearing a beehive or a poodle skirt. And I’ll admit, it’s a habit that I just can’t break (the two spaces, not the beehive), no matter what the Chicago Manual of Style says. After a stint at Katy Gibbs after college, I’m stuck in the past. My fingers just can’t stop themselves from hitting it twice!

• Hate one space (one space is for semi-colons, commas — phrases, not sentences!). And I agree that it’s age or what we were taught. And one space to me is like writing “nite” or “u”. Fine for text messages but not prose. A sign of the times — anything fast… So, I’m old. What can I say?

• I like the open airiness that two spaces provide versus one. Besides, with proportional typefaces, spaces take up little space after the end of the sentence. I can’t give up a die-hard habit that has been instilled in me since high school!

• I think it depends on when you were taught, and the age of the person teaching you. I find it absolutely hysterical how worked up people get over this. But I could say that about a lot of things!

All I can say is that many years ago, I went cold turkey from one space to two. I was surprised how easy it was. And I never looked back.

I love to write, which is good because public relations, marketing and advertising requires outstanding writing. It’s what we do – and although we seldom get awards for our writing, it is incredibly rewarding. Yet some folks DO get awarded for outstanding writing – and Borshoff is proud to be a part of telling their stories.

This weekend, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, which we were honored to represent, hosted its 2010 Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award and recognized some talented and fascinating individuals.

While doing local media relations leading up to the awards ceremony, I had the opportunity to get to know the authors behind the titles. As we traversed the city from one media appointment to the next, I did a lot of listening to and learning from celebrated authors such as Scott Russell Sanders and Douglas Light. I also visited one-on-one with authors Ray Boomhower, Colleen Coble and Greg Schwipps. And in doing so, I not only got the chance to hear what has motivated and inspired them as writers – but to be inspired myself.

They all have a passion for writing and a love for reading. And in thinking about my own profession, whether you’re writing a 220-page novel, a 220-word news release or 2,200-word speech, excellence is rewarding. Another similarity exists, too: Behind every great writer is an excellent editor.

It is no different in the world of public relations – to value the honest and necessary input of our team here at Borshoff on everything we write. That’s where good becomes great. That’s how mediocre writing becomes magnificent story-telling.

So congratulations to our newest award-winning authors here in Indiana. Get back to your keyboard and manuscripts because to whom much is given, much more is expected.

March 4 is National Grammar Day. I feel like it’s a holiday worthy of ticker tape parades, or at the very least, cake. At Borshoff, we pride ourselves on good grammar and clear, concise yet powerful writing.

I’m one of the go-to people at Borshoff for grammar questions. Maybe it’s because I’ve been writing and editing since my high school yearbook and newspaper days. Maybe it’s because I have a freakish steel trap of a mind when it comes to word choices. Regardless, I answer a handful of grammar or word choice questions regularly, from my family, friends and colleagues.

Here are some of the most common questions, and some tips to help you remember them:

• Immigrate/emigrate: When someone leaves a country, they emigrate. When someone arrives in a country, they immigrate.
  • My great-grandparents emigrated from Antigua. My great-grandparents immigrated to the U.S.
  • I remember this by thinking exit=emigrate (the letter “e” starts both words) and into=immigrate (the letter “i” starts both words).
• Affect/effect: Affect is a verb, and it means something is having an impact on something else. Effect is usually a noun, the result of something.
  • The snow has affected my commute. The salt applied by crews has had an effect on the streets.
  • Note: Effect can also be used as a verb, to cause something. The mayor effected change in how the roads were cleared this year.
• I.e./e.g.: I.e. stands for “id est,” which means “that is.” E.g. stands for “exempli gratia,” which means “for example.” (This takes me back to high school Latin class.)
  • Use “i.e.” when you are introducing a complete list of items related to the object you are describing. For example, I love the colors of the American flag, i.e., red, white and blue. There are no other colors in the American flag, so this is a complete list.
  • Use “e.g.” when you are providing just a few examples of things that are part of the object, such as, You should eat five servings of fruit (e.g., bananas, strawberries and apples) every day. You’re not listing every type of fruit in the world, so it is just an example.
  • I remember which one to use by thinking “in essence” for “i.e.” and “example given” for e.g. Always, always, use a comma after these abbreviations.
• Pronoun choice: Every day you’ll hear someone say, incorrectly, Send the report to John and I. But you should say Send the report to John and me because “me” is an object in this sentence.
  • Pronouns can be subjective (the thing doing the action – I threw the ball) or objective (the thing upon which the action is performed – The ball hit me). It gets confusing when more than one person is involved in the action.
  • The way to determine if it’s correct is to “punch the other person out” (Thanks to Martha Barnette of A Way with Words for this example). Take the other person out of the sentence and see if it’s correct.
• Reflexive pronouns: Pronouns that end in “self” are called reflexive – himself, herself, ourselves, myself. It seems that people think they sound more intelligent if they say If you have questions, see Tom or myself. But the correct usage is If you have questions, see Tom or me because “me” is an object in this sentence.
  • A verb only takes a reflexive pronoun if it is something you do to yourself: you dress yourself, talk to yourself, etc.
  • I remember this by thinking about the reflex in your knee – you can make your leg jump by hitting that spot under the patella. You can do that to yourself. (Okay, I don’t know if that’s medically true, but it’s enough of a connection for me to remember the right word to use.)

And, as a little bonus, here are few extra helpful tips:

• Flesh out/flush out: What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “flush”? That’s right – getting rid of waste. So, why would I “flush out” an outline to provide more information? The correct usage is to “flesh out” an outline – that is, putting some meat on its bones. If you are getting rid of something or duck hunting, you can flush it out.
• Abbreviation/acronym: If you can pronounce the shortened version of a phrase, like scuba for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, then it’s an acronym. If you have to say the letters individually, like PBS for Public Broadcasting System, it’s an abbreviation. (An acronym is a type of abbreviation, so technically, you can call an acronym an abbreviation, but you cannot call an abbreviation an acronym.)
• Nauseous/nauseated: Something that makes people queasy is nauseous (That wall color is nauseous.). If you are in the state of feeling queasy, you are nauseated. See now why it’s not a good idea to go around telling people you are nauseous? It’ll be tough to find anyone to eat lunch with you!

Some of the great grammar and writing resources that I use regularly include

• The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves, The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Lynne Truss
• Grammar Girl – great weekly podcasts of short grammar tips, and a searchable database of grammar rights and wrongs. She also uses great examples and mnemonics.
• The AP Style Book – I’ve owned copies of various editions since my days at the IU School of Journalism, and you can also get an online subscription for faster searching.
• National Grammar Day – They have a great list of Top 10 Grammar Tips.
• Copyblogger – A list of 27 commonly misused words and many other writing tips.

What are your grammar pet peeves, problem word choices or favorite grammar resources?