Here’s a list of some of the most common miscellaneous letters, along with a clue about their true meaning. For example, when we tell someone whether or not we’re attending their event, we say “RSVP”, which stands for, ummm, what does RSVP
If you’ve ever looked at a sentence that uses one of these acronyms, you know they can be tricky. This is one of those abbreviations that we often use. There’s another abbreviation that you use as well, especially in your emails.
We add a final thought and/or restate the overall message at the end of the letter / email with the addition of an “end note” / signature. P.S. stands for Postscript, and “RSVP” means “Please respond by”. AM and PM come from Latin.
There’s one other distinction you should make about abbreviations — acronyms (which we’ve already talked about) and acronyms, which are used at the beginning short for “aide-de-camp.”
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What does “P.S.” stand for?
In Latin, postscriptum means written after. But you can use it here because, yes, this is English, but it actually came from the Latin word postscriptum, which means written after. It makes sense when you think about it: When we were kids, writing a letter meant we had to pen, ink and paper everything out, one item at a time.
This abbreviation may have been around for hundreds of years but the word itself did not become a popular noun until the 1700s. It was, however, used as an adjective centuries earlier.
How to use P.S.
As per Grammarly, “PS” should always come after your signature, not before, and both letters should be capitalized.
I agree with your position on the capitalization of “Postscript,” but the “P” and “S” don’t always need to be capitalized. Is it PS or PS, with periods? Well, the Cambridge Dictionary has said that the primary version of this term is without periods, but Americans usually prefer to include periods in this term.
If whatever you’re writing doesn’t need to follow the Chicago Manual of Style, there’s really no “right” or “wrong” here. After all, the recipients of your letter will surely know what you mean, period or no periods.
Examples of how to use P.S.
With email it’s not necessary to put the date or time at the end of your emails. Unless, of course, you still write letters, which we totally support! But postscripts are alive, well, and often very effective.
There’s nothing like a period at the end of a sentence or a message to make your point or finish off your letter or email. You could use punctuation for many reasons, not just for spelling, capitalization and other punctuation errors. The P.S. has truly evolved with the times! It now stands out in your correspondence, and separates it from the rest of the email.
It’s tempting to have a P.S., but your readers might actually skim it instead. In this post, I’ll share the real secrets of P.S. writing to help you hook your readers and make them see your point of view. At the end, because it’s unlikely that anyone will read the entire email, but may be interested in it. But our favorite uses of P.S. are the ones where the sender uses it for a funny afterthought.
In a 1938 letter to a young fan, Charles Dickens used a postscript.
to apologize for this messy signature. P.P.S. I don’t write my name very plain, but you know what it is you know so never mind.
John Candy recently used one as part of a joke that made fans wonder why he would want money.
PS. Could you send me a little something? Acting is not going as I planned.
FAQs
P.S. stands for “post script.” It’s the last thing that’s written in an email, and it’s often used for the sender’s signature.
A post script is used to thank someone for reading your email, or to say “thanks for reading” or “I appreciate you reading this.”
The best way to write a post script is to make sure that you’re thanking the person for reading your email. If you’re thanking someone for reading your email, then you should put your name and the date of the email.
The worst way to write a post script is to not thank the person for reading your email.
It’s important to write a post script because it says thank you to the person who reads your email. It’s also a good idea to write a post script because it’s a nice thing to do.