What Does PS Mean? | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 “PS” is an abbreviation for “postscript,” which is text written after the main body of a piece of writing. I’m Eva from QuillBot. Let’s look at what “PS” means, how to write it, and when to use it.

0:12 “Postscript” comes from the Latin “post scriptum,” which means “written after.” So, a “postscript” is a type of addendum or add-on to a larger text. “Postscript” is where we get the abbreviation “PS.”

0:26 You can write “PS” two ways: with no punctuation, or with a period after each letter. What you cannot do is write it with a period after just one letter. You should follow “PS” with a colon or em dash or not follow it with any punctuation.

0:42 “PS” is used at the end of a letter or an email to add further information, comments, or thoughts. This text is usually just one or two sentences or a short paragraph. Using “PS” has a friendly or playful tone.

0:55 A few examples of when to use “PS” are:

0:57 To emphasize something important. If there’s a key takeaway you want the reader to come away with, you might add it in a “PS.’

1:06 To add one last reminder. A ‘PS” can create a sense of urgency. This can be especially helpful in marketing emails.

1:13 To add a friendly or personal touch. Especially in professional settings, a “PS” can be a nice way to keep your email warm and human.

1:21 To note something unrelated to the rest of the email. If there’s information you’d like to include that’s unrelated or tangential to the rest of your email, you can include it in a “PS.”

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As Well As | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 “As well as” is a common phrase that means “in addition to.” It functions as either a preposition or a conjunction and is used to join two parts of a sentence together. I’m Eva from QuillBot. Let’s look at the phrase “as well as” and how to use it correctly.

0:17 Although “as well as” can sometimes be used instead of “and,” the two aren’t completely interchangeable. There are some occasions where it’s not possible to replace “and” with “as well as.”

0:30 In a list, you can’t use “as well as” before the last item. You must use “and.” For example, you could say, “Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Leica are well-known camera brands,” but you couldn’t say, “Nikon, Canon, Sony, as well as Leica.”

0:48 When using “both” and “and” to talk about two things, you can’t substitute “as well as.” You can say, for example, “I like both chocolate and vanilla,” but not “I like both chocolate as well as vanilla.”

1:02 In many other situations, you are free to use either, as long as you remember that “as well as” adds emphasis to the part of the sentence that precedes it and removes emphasis from the part that follows. However, “and” connects two parts of equal value and weight.

1:18 “As well as” needs to be set off by commas, em dashes, or parentheses. In the sentence “Coffee, as well as tea, has caffeine,” for example, you would put a comma after “coffee” and after “tea.”

1:29 Next, when using “as well as,” what comes after it is not part of the subject. That means you should use a singular form of the verb. Take the sentence “Sausage, as well as bacon, is included in the meal.” You’d use “is,” referring to just “sausage,” because “bacon” is not part of the subject.

1:47 You can also use “as well as” to connect verbs. If there’s a comma before “as well as,” put the second verb in the “-ing” form. You could say, for example, “Anna studies, as well as waiting tables,” but you couldn’t say “Anna studies, as well as waits tables.”

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As of Yet | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 You’ve no doubt seen the phrase “as of yet,” but do you know what it means and how to use it? I’m Eva from QuillBot. Let’s break down this phrase and everything you need to know to use it correctly.

0:12 “As of yet” is an adverbial phrase meaning “yet.” You use it to say something has not happened up to now, but you expect it to happen at some point. Another similar phrase that means the same thing is “as yet.”

0:26 If you’re looking for simpler or more formal alternatives to “as of yet”, try these:

0:32 “Yet”: Many style guides recommend using “yet” instead of “as of yet” to avoid verbiage. However, the adverb “yet” does not work as a substitute for “as of yet” at the start of a sentence.

0:46 For example, the sentence “We cannot provide more information as of yet” could be rewritten as “We cannot provide more information yet.”

0:54 On the other hand, in the sentence, “As of yet, no official statement has been released,” you cannot substitute “yet,” as the phrase comes at the beginning.

1:04 “So far”: This phrase is used in negative sentences, like “So far, the winner has not come forward to claim the prize.” “So far” works at the beginning of a sentence.

1:16 “Has or have yet to”: This phrase is used in positive sentences in formal contexts, like in “The test has yet to yield results.”

1:25 “As-yet” or “currently”: These are combined with another adjective to modify a noun, like in the sentence “The as-yet-untitled album will be released next year.”

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Touch Base | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 “Touch base” is one of the many idioms commonly used in English. Eva from QuillBot here to explain the meaning of this idiom and how to use it correctly.

0:10 To “touch base” means to briefly communicate with someone, most often with the intention of checking in on something. Some synonyms of “touch base” are “make contact with,” “get in touch with,” and “check in with.”

0:23 For example, if you’re making plans for the weekend with friends but need to confirm a meeting place later on, you could say, “Let’s touch base on Friday to decide where to meet.” This shows you’ll briefly contact them on Friday to finalize your plans.

0:37 Or, if at work, you’re collaborating with other teams on a project, you might say something like, “We should touch base with marketing today or tomorrow to see how they’re getting along.” This means you’ll get in touch with marketing to see what progress they’ve made on the project so far.

0:55 Here are some tips for using “touch base” correctly.

0:58 While “touch base” is often used in work and business contexts, it’s not generally used in formal or academic writing. For these contexts, a more formal synonym, like “communicate with,” may be more appropriate.

1:10 If you want to change the verb tense of “touch base,” conjugate “touch” as you usually would. For example, in the present continuous, you’d say “touching base.”

1:20 Check your spelling. “Touch base,” when used as a verb, is spelled as two separate words with a space between. The verb form of this idiom is never spelled as one word.

1:31 You can also use “touch base” as an adjective. In this form, the word should either have a space or be hyphenated between “touch” and “base.” This adjective is mostly used to describe a type of meeting, a “touch base meeting,” which is a short check-in between team members.

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Supposed To | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 The phrase “be supposed to” is commonly used in everyday language to express obligation, expectation, or intention. I’m Eva from QuillBot. Let’s examine this phrase, what it means, and how to use it correctly.

0:15 “Supposed to” can indicate expectation. If you think something “is supposed to happen,” you expect it to happen because it is a prediction or plan, like if you say, “It’s supposed to rain today” because you saw that on the weather report.

0:30 “Supposed to” can also express belief. If you say someone “is supposed to do” something, you think that they should do it because it is the right thing to do, or because it is a rule or instruction, like if you say “You’re supposed to let passengers off the train before getting on.”

0:47 You might hear or see “be suppose to,” without the “d,” instead of “be supposed to.” This is incorrect. The correct spelling for this phrase is “be supposed to,” with a “d” at the end of “supposed.”

0:59 Let’s take the example sentence “We’re supposed to be there at eight.” If we write this sentence without the “d” at the end of “supposed,” it’s grammatically incorrect. To make sure you don’t make this mistake in your writing, use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.

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