What Does PS Mean? | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 โ€œPSโ€ is an abbreviation for โ€œpostscript,โ€ which is text written after the main body of a piece of writing. Iโ€™m Eva from QuillBot. Letโ€™s look at what โ€œPSโ€ means, how to write it, and when to use it.

0:12 โ€œPostscriptโ€ comes from the Latin โ€œpost scriptum,โ€ which means โ€œwritten after.โ€ So, a โ€œpostscriptโ€ is a type of addendum or add-on to a larger text. โ€œPostscriptโ€ is where we get the abbreviation โ€œPS.โ€

0:26 You can write โ€œPSโ€ 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 โ€œPSโ€ 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 thereโ€™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 thereโ€™s information youโ€™d like to include thatโ€™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 โ€œAs well asโ€ is a common phrase that means โ€œin addition to.โ€ It functions as either a preposition or a conjunction and is used to join two parts of a sentence together. Iโ€™m Eva from QuillBot. Letโ€™s look at the phrase โ€œas well asโ€ and how to use it correctly.

0:17 Although โ€œas well asโ€ can sometimes be used instead of โ€œand,โ€ the two aren’t completely interchangeable. There are some occasions where it’s not possible to replace โ€œandโ€ with โ€œas well as.โ€

0:30 In a list, you can’t use โ€œas well asโ€ before the last item. You must use โ€œand.โ€ For example, you could say, โ€œNikon, Canon, Sony, and Leica are well-known camera brands,โ€ but you couldnโ€™t say, โ€œNikon, Canon, Sony, as well as Leica.โ€

0:48 When using โ€œbothโ€ and โ€œandโ€ to talk about two things, you can’t substitute โ€œas well as.โ€ You can say, for example, โ€œI like both chocolate and vanilla,โ€ but not โ€œI like both chocolate as well as vanilla.โ€

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

1:18 โ€œAs well asโ€ needs to be set off by commas, em dashes, or parentheses. In the sentence โ€œCoffee, as well as tea, has caffeine,โ€ for example, you would put a comma after โ€œcoffeeโ€ and after โ€œtea.โ€

1:29 Next, when using โ€œas well as,โ€ what comes after it is not part of the subject. That means you should use a singular form of the verb. Take the sentence โ€œSausage, as well as bacon, is included in the meal.โ€ Youโ€™d use โ€œis,โ€ referring to just โ€œsausage,โ€ because โ€œbaconโ€ is not part of the subject.

1:47 You can also use โ€œas well asโ€ to connect verbs. If thereโ€™s a comma before โ€œas well as,โ€ put the second verb in the โ€œ-ingโ€ form. You could say, for example, โ€œAnna studies, as well as waiting tables,โ€ but you couldnโ€™t say โ€œAnna studies, as well as waits tables.โ€

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As of Yet | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 Youโ€™ve no doubt seen the phrase โ€œas of yet,โ€ but do you know what it means and how to use it? Iโ€™m Eva from QuillBot. Letโ€™s break down this phrase and everything you need to know to use it correctly.

0:12 โ€œAs of yetโ€ is an adverbial phrase meaning โ€œyet.โ€ 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 โ€œas yet.โ€

0:26 If you’re looking for simpler or more formal alternatives to โ€œas of yetโ€, try these:

0:32 “Yetโ€: Many style guides recommend using โ€œyetโ€ instead of โ€œas of yetโ€ to avoid verbiage. However, the adverb โ€œyetโ€ does not work as a substitute for โ€œas of yetโ€ at the start of a sentence.

0:46 For example, the sentence โ€œWe cannot provide more information as of yetโ€ could be rewritten as โ€œWe cannot provide more information yet.โ€

0:54 On the other hand, in the sentence, โ€œAs of yet, no official statement has been released,โ€ you cannot substitute โ€œyet,โ€ as the phrase comes at the beginning.

1:04 โ€œSo farโ€: This phrase is used in negative sentences, like โ€œSo far, the winner has not come forward to claim the prize.โ€ โ€œSo farโ€ works at the beginning of a sentence.

1:16 “Has or have yet toโ€: This phrase is used in positive sentences in formal contexts, like in โ€œThe test has yet to yield results.โ€

1:25 โ€œAs-yetโ€ or โ€œcurrentlyโ€: These are combined with another adjective to modify a noun, like in the sentence โ€œThe as-yet-untitled album will be released next year.โ€

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Touch Base | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 โ€œTouch baseโ€ 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 โ€œtouch baseโ€ means to briefly communicate with someone, most often with the intention of checking in on something. Some synonyms of โ€œtouch baseโ€ are โ€œmake contact with,โ€ โ€œget in touch with,โ€ and โ€œcheck in with.โ€

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

0:37 Or, if at work, youโ€™re collaborating with other teams on a project, you might say something like, โ€œWe should touch base with marketing today or tomorrow to see how theyโ€™re getting along.โ€ This means youโ€™ll get in touch with marketing to see what progress theyโ€™ve made on the project so far.

0:55 Here are some tips for using โ€œtouch baseโ€ correctly.

0:58 While โ€œtouch baseโ€ is often used in work and business contexts, itโ€™s not generally used in formal or academic writing. For these contexts, a more formal synonym, like โ€œcommunicate with,โ€ may be more appropriate.

1:10 If you want to change the verb tense of โ€œtouch base,โ€ conjugate โ€œtouchโ€ as you usually would. For example, in the present continuous, youโ€™d say โ€œtouching base.โ€

1:20 Check your spelling. โ€œTouch base,โ€ 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 โ€œtouch baseโ€ as an adjective. In this form, the word should either have a space or be hyphenated between โ€œtouchโ€ and โ€œbase.โ€ This adjective is mostly used to describe a type of meeting, a โ€œtouch base meeting,โ€ which is a short check-in between team members.

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Supposed To | Video Overview

Transcript

0:00 The phrase โ€œbe supposed toโ€ is commonly used in everyday language to express obligation, expectation, or intention. Iโ€™m Eva from QuillBot. Letโ€™s examine this phrase, what it means, and how to use it correctly.

0:15 โ€œSupposed toโ€ can indicate expectation. If you think something โ€œis supposed to happen,โ€ you expect it to happen because it is a prediction or plan, like if you say, โ€œItโ€™s supposed to rain todayโ€ because you saw that on the weather report.

0:30 โ€œSupposed toโ€ can also express belief. If you say someone โ€œis supposed to doโ€ 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 โ€œYouโ€™re supposed to let passengers off the train before getting on.โ€

0:47 You might hear or see โ€œbe suppose to,โ€ without the โ€œd,โ€ instead of โ€œbe supposed to.โ€ This is incorrect. The correct spelling for this phrase is โ€œbe supposed to,โ€ with a โ€œdโ€ at the end of โ€œsupposed.โ€

0:59 Letโ€™s take the example sentence โ€œWeโ€™re supposed to be there at eight.โ€ If we write this sentence without the โ€œdโ€ at the end of โ€œsupposed,โ€ itโ€™s grammatically incorrect. To make sure you donโ€™t make this mistake in your writing, use QuillBotโ€™s free Grammar Checker.

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