What is the correct way to write PS?

"Dear Mr. Smith, I am writing to say that my daughter will be attending your school this fall."  This is how most people would begin their letter if they were unsure what "PS" meant when someone asked them in an email or during conversation. But what exactly did the abbreviation stand for anyway? And why is it so common today?

The short answer is Personal Statement. This abbreviated term refers specifically to the final paragraph -- known as the Post Scriptum (or sometimes just called the P.S.) -- of any written work like letters, emails, essays, etc. It's also commonly used as its own separate entity, such as "I'll call back later about my doctor's appointment," which could easily have been ended without the need for a postscript.

There are dozens of reasons why we might end our writing with a personal statement. Here are some examples from real life.

When sending off something important, like a resume, the first thing employers look at after reading cover letters and application materials is whether they can trust the writer to follow instructions. If there was anything even slightly unclear or incomplete, they'd expect to receive a response, not necessarily one sent via snail mail. So ending a letter with a post script makes sure they know where to find your contact information should they wish to get in touch with you again.

If you're applying for a job, you may want to include a line saying thank you for considering yourself for the position. Ending your letter by thanking the hiring manager personally is another reason why many writers choose to conclude their correspondence with a personal statement.

In business negotiations, including your signature at the bottom of every document you send out gives both parties room to negotiate further before signing onto the deal. A good example of this is a contract between two companies. The client company may well agree to hire the service provider, but only if certain conditions are met. One of those conditions is that the client must approve all future hires made by the service provider. Since the client has already agreed to take part in ongoing communication through phone calls, text messages, emails, etc., using a post-it note or other form of reminder ensures neither party forgets who signed up for whom.

Sometimes adding a post script lets us communicate something clearly that wouldn't otherwise come across properly. For instance, if you've emailed someone asking them to pick up something specific from the store tomorrow morning, then telling them to please give it to the clerk when they arrive is much clearer than simply having them bring it straight home themselves.

Another reason why a person might put a post script at the end of a message is because he/she doesn't feel comfortable speaking directly into the mike while being recorded. By putting his name down instead, he feels less vulnerable while still conveying the same idea. Or maybe she wants her boss to hear everything she says since he's sitting right next to her desk. Whatever the case may be, it helps ensure privacy, and adds clarity.

Most importantly, though, understanding how to correctly format a post script will help you make better choices. Read on to learn how to create a proper post script.

How do you write PS at the end of a letter?

A lot depends on the type of letter you're composing. An official government report, for instance, needs to comply with strict rules regarding grammar and spelling. However, personal correspondence isn't held to such rigid standards. Therefore, don't let the fact that you aren't required to stick strictly to the rules stop you from making mistakes!

For most types of documents, however, the standard advice applies - keep the language simple and avoid slang words. Also, try to stay away from big words unless absolutely necessary. There's nothing wrong with taking pride in your vocabulary, but overusing it can lead to confusion.

Writing a clear post script requires careful planning. First, decide what kind of tone you want. Are you going to joke around? Be serious? Try keeping things lighthearted. Then determine what point(s) you plan to address. Is it your intent to tell a story? Share new facts? Make a request? Next, think about how long you want the reader to read the entire section. Will your main points be contained within the space allowed? Remember, too, that readers often skim their mail, so you want to keep sentences short, especially at the beginning of each paragraph. Lastly, consider the audience. Did you misspell a word intentionally to convey a different meaning?

Now that you understand these principles, here are some helpful tips for creating effective post scripts:

Keep paragraphs shorter. Not everyone reads slowly. They scan quickly over anything that looks interesting or easy. Keep your lines shorter, tighter, and punchier. You won't lose anyone if your sentences are choppy and hard to read. In fact, studies show that short sentences tend to hold attention longer than lengthy ones.

Use active voice rather than passive. When possible, replace passives ("the book was closed") with active phrases like "We finished closing the books" or "They got done returning the books." Active wording sounds stronger and more authoritative.

Avoid jargon. Jargonized expressions lend credibility to scientific papers and legal contracts, but they shouldn't appear elsewhere. Even if you're working in an industry where technical terms are expected, avoid overly complex phrasing. Simple, straightforward statements sound more powerful than highly specialized or technical explanations.

Write concisely. As mentioned earlier, readers typically skim their mail. Avoid extra fluff like unnecessary punctuation, adverbs, adjectives, excessive repetition, and run-on sentences. These elements can slow a reader down. Use short declarative sentences instead of compound questions. Break up long chunks of text into smaller sections.

Don't forget about capitalization. Capitalizing key words emphasizes them, but make sure not to go overboard. Too much emphasis is distracting. Avoid double spaces between sentences and spaces between periods. Don't capitalize titles of articles or chapters in novels.

Check your spellings carefully. Proofread thoroughly. Correcting errors takes time, but it's worth doing once.

How do you end a letter with PS?

As discussed above, there are several reasons why someone might end a letter with a post script. Whether it's included for clarification purposes or to add humor, it doesn't really matter. What matters is knowing the correct way to structure the last few sentences of a typical letter.

First, start with addressing the recipient explicitly. Unless you've previously established rapport with him/her, always use full names. Otherwise, assume that whoever receives the letter knows little about you.

Next, introduce yourself briefly. Mention your title, role, or occupation. Add relevant qualifications if needed. Finally, state your purpose. Tell them why they received the letter. Explain what you hope they will gain from reading it. Ask a question if appropriate. Close by expressing thanks for receiving their attention. End the letter respectfully.

However you decide to finish off your letter, remember that a post script ends a piece of writing. Just as a body begins a sentence, it brings closure to the whole. That means no ambiguity. Readers deserve to be able to anticipate what comes next. After all, they didn't ask for your opinion. They wanted answers. So make sure your conclusion is crystal clear.

How do you write PS In a formal letter?

Formal letters differ greatly depending on who's receiving them. Some require elaborate formatting, others rely heavily on white space, and yet others demand impeccable diction. Regardless of what style suits your situation, the basics never change.

To open a formal letter, start with Dear [recipient]'s name. Address the letter formally. Sign your initials at the top. Write in block capitals. Spellchecker software will automatically convert lowercase letters to uppercase.

After introducing yourself, explain your purpose immediately. State your credentials and offer your expertise. Finish off with a polite close, thanking the receiver for his/her consideration. Sign and date below your salutation.

Lastly, check your paper for typographical errors. Grammarians will appreciate clean handwriting, whereas typos can detract from the professionalism of your letter.

So now you know how to craft a professional PS. All that remains is to practice until you become accustomed to including one at the end of every single letter you compose.

How do you add a PS to a letter?

Adding a post script to a letter is merely optional. Sometimes, it serves as a reminder. Other times, it provides additional commentary. Either way, it's designed to clarify whatever it accompanies.

Just remember that unlike a preamble, which precedes the rest of the letter, a post script usually follows the letter itself. While you may want to place it at the very front of your copy, it should still remain grammatically connected to the rest of the document.

Of course, there are instances in which a post script stands alone. Perhaps you wrote a letter to your grandmother and forgot to sign it. Rather than retype the entire thing, you could attach a handwritten note explaining that you mailed it, along with a self addressed envelope. Your grandma could then drop it in a mailbox herself.

The humble postscript has become one of the most important parts of any written correspondence, but many people are still unsure what this little symbol means or how exactly they should use it.  Luckily we're here to help with our guide on writing proper P.S.s!

In case you've never used a postscript before (or don't know much about them), these symbols stand for Post Scriptum, which in Latin literally translates as "followed by something." In English usage however, the abbreviation P.S., short for Post scriptum, refers to an addendum that comes at the end of a letter or document. This can be anything from a thank-you note to a personal message. It's also often referred to as a footer, though some sources may refer to it as a signature.

So why all the confusion over whether to include a full stop when using a PS? Does your boss really care if you leave out a period every time you send him a message? And just where did the term ‘postscript’ originate anyway? Read on to find out everything you ever wanted to know about those pesky periods…

Should PS have full stops?

If there was only one question regarding the inclusion of full stops in a P.S. then I would say no, you shouldn't bother including them. A lot of people believe that leaving out the full stop makes the entire thing look sloppier than if it were spelled out fully, so technically speaking, yes – it depends on who you ask. However, there are two main reasons why leaving off the full stop isn't such a big deal:

Firstly, most modern word processors will automatically add the necessary punctuation marks whenever you type out a sentence without them, leaving you free to enter whatever text you want. Secondly, even if someone hasn't got a device that supports automatic formatting like this, they'll probably understand if you simply replace missing commas or semi-colons with dots instead. As long as you make sure that each section of text looks complete, readers won't notice too much difference between writing things out manually and letting your computer handle the job.

However, there's another reason not to always include full stops in postscripts – particularly when sending messages via email. To explain why, let me first take you back to medieval times – during this era, the post office wasn't quite yet firmly established and letters relied solely upon riders to get across town quickly. One problem arose because many roads didn't allow horses to travel beyond certain points, making communication tricky unless messengers could ride their own animals through towns along the route.

This led to the creation of postscripts. Instead of having to wait days for a reply to a letter, couriers could scribble down brief notes detailing where the rider had been sent and attach them to the original message once they arrived home. These notes were known as postscripts, and while today many people think of them as being unnecessary, they actually served an extremely useful purpose at the time. They allowed both parties to keep track of where the letter had ended up, ensuring that nobody lost touch with friends or family members.

Today, many people still rely heavily on postscripts to communicate effectively. When you receive a phone call from your friend, for example, you might jot down a quick note saying, "Call her tomorrow," rather than trying to remember everyone's names and contact information. Or perhaps you'd prefer to tell your editor, "Please answer my emails promptly" rather than waiting until later to check his inbox and risk forgetting or delaying your response.

While adding postscripts to letters certainly helps us organize ourselves better, it doesn't necessarily require doing away with periods altogether. Here's how to correctly format a postscript next time you sit down to write one…

Does PS need full stops?

We mentioned above that a postscript can go hand in hand with almost any kind of writing. But what happens if you forget to add a period at the end? Well, in terms of grammar, it depends entirely on the context. If you're talking directly to someone else, then it's likely that they'll assume that you meant to end your message with a period. However, if you're quoting somebody else in your own words, then it's perfectly acceptable to omit them. For instance, while it wouldn't hurt your credibility if you wrote, "I heard that Amy said she thought Joe deserved a promotion," it's unlikely anyone reading this statement would wonder why you omitted the final period. The same goes for quotes within quotes – feel free to skip the closing mark.

There are even instances where omitting the full stop works well. While this might sound counterintuitive, bear with us for a moment. Let's imagine you're chatting with someone online whilst working away from your desk. You might decide to sign off your chat with, "See ya!" Without a full stop marking the end of your message, this sounds pretty abrupt, but it gives other users the impression that you disconnected suddenly – whereas ending it with a comma would suggest otherwise.

It's worth noting that there is a different set of rules surrounding French language usage, especially since its alphabet contains accents, eights, and umlauts - characters that aren't found anywhere outside of France. According to Wikipedia, these additional markings must appear either inside a quote, bracketed by quotation marks, or following the last character of a quoted line. If you're struggling to grasp the concept of this method, try practicing writing sentences in French yourself!

As far as actual etiquette is concerned, there are very few hard-and-fast rules for postscripts. The New York Times suggests keeping the length below four lines, but that's hardly a rule. What matters greatly is communicating clearly and concisely, regardless of which style you choose to go for. If you're worried about sounding informal, consider asking a colleague for advice beforehand.

How do you properly write PS?

Now that we've taken a closer look at how postscripts work, it's easier to figure out how to construct them. There are a number of different ways to structure your P.S. depending on the situation, target audience, and tone. We recommend thinking carefully about what you intend to convey before deciding on a particular approach.

For example, if you're composing a formal business email aimed specifically at someone in charge of HR, it's wise to stick to a strict template. This will ensure that the recipient knows exactly how to interpret your postscript, and that there's less chance of misunderstanding. On top of that, it also allows you to focus on crafting succinct summaries of your ideas and thoughts into clear paragraphs.

When addressing a private individual, on the other hand, it's completely fine to relax your standards. Your aim is not to impress anybody with your professionalism, but merely to share your feelings with whoever receives your message. Be honest and open about how you feel, and avoid worrying about coming across as overly casual. Remember that the person receiving your postscript already understands that you're reaching out to them personally, so don't worry too much about breaking protocol.

Finally, there's the matter of choosing between single or double spaces preceding your postscript. Since most computers automatically insert double spaces nowadays, going with single spaces might seem pointless. After all, a space is usually used to separate a paragraph of text, so it seems strange to place a single space right before a P.S. However, if you happen to be typing your postscript straight onto a typewriter, or in Microsoft Word, then sticking to multiple spaces is vital.

To illustrate this point, let's say you wanted to print out a list of items for your roommate to buy. If you typed out the list normally, without a preceeding space, half of the item descriptions would run together, creating a confusing mishmash of unrelated phrases. By inserting a single space before each entry, you prevent this from happening.

That covers all bases, now it's time to learn how to properly address a P.S. itself. So the next time you receive an invitation to dinner, or a package arrives at your door, follow this simple step-by-step process…

Do you put a dash after PS?

Yes, it turns out that putting in a dash behind your postscript isn't mandatory. Although most writers tend to do this, it's nothing special. Technically, a dash is a horizontal bar positioned at the bottom of a page, designed to divide sections of printed material evenly. Like hyphens, dashes are read from left to right throughout a piece of text.

A dash is typically placed immediately after the opening brace { and immediately before the closing brace }. Some publishers will even specify a specific location for it, somewhere around halfway down the page. Once again, the placement of dashes falls under common sense, so feel free to experiment with alternative layouts until you come up with something unique.

When writing an email or letter, some people like to throw in a little personal note at the end by adding "PS" (meaning per sistere). But when should they add that final comma? And what other acceptable forms are there for this ending? Here's everything you need to know about how to properly end your notes with "PS."

We've all been confused over whether we should end our letters with just one period or two different kinds of ellipses. Let's start with the basics: What exactly does P.S. stand for?

The first thing to keep in mind before answering any question regarding the "P.S." acronym is that its full name has nothing to do with periods. The abbreviation actually comes from an old Roman practice called per sistere. This meant that if someone wanted their message read again, instead of using post scriptum ("after the text") as modern English-speakers would, they'd simply repeat whatever was written below the signature line — such as "Yours truly," or "Your most humble servant," etc.

So why did these Romans choose to abbreviate those words into something resembling today's initials? First off, because scribes were busy copying manuscripts back then. Also, since typing wasn't around yet, hand-written correspondence had no choice but to be printed out, so there needed to be shorthand symbols available to represent every possible word combination. In fact, "post scriptum" itself was probably not even used in classical Rome, according to New Oxford American Dictionary author Eric Partridge. Instead, he suggests that early Roman copyists may have coined the phrase "pone sequi," which means "put aside to follow" or "to sign off." So essentially, the term "P.S." came about due to practicality, rather than linguistic necessity.

But let's get down to business! When exactly is it OK to end your emails or letters with "PS"? Should you always include a comma after "ps?" Or maybe even change up the format sometimes? Keep reading to find out.

Do you put a colon after PS in a letter?

In general, you shouldn't ever place a colon between "P.S." and anything else. However, this doesn't necessarily apply to every situation. If you're sending an important missive via snail mail, the U.S. Postal Service recommends including a colon — otherwise, your recipient might think that you accidentally closed the letter without realizing it.

"If you leave only a few lines of space between the last line of the body of the letter and the beginning of the Postscript, a reader will naturally assume that your letter contains only the main part of the letter, and he/she won’t bother opening the enclosed Post Script," explains USPS spokesperson Julie A. Scharron in an email interview. "However, if there is a lot of blank space separating the body of the letter from the PostScript, such as several paragraphs, the person receiving the letter could lose interest and not open the letter. That’s why we recommend putting a colon between the Post Script and the rest of the letter – especially if you want to enclose another document within the Post Script area."

While the postal service advises against commas here, many etiquette experts suggest that you can insert them. For example, if you're responding to a lengthy email thread, you might send a separate reply specifically addressing each point raised therein. You also don't want to sound rude by leaving a long gap of silence while you wait for your recipient to finish her thought. Comma usage isn't set in stone, though, so feel free to experiment.

Should I put a colon after PS?

Now that you know the rules for when to put a colon after "P.S.," you might wonder whether you should always use it. While the answer depends heavily upon context, generally speaking, it's better to avoid colons altogether unless they serve a specific purpose.

For instance, if you're replying directly to a previous email discussion, you might consider inserting a colon right after "P.S." to indicate that you're referring to something said previously. Otherwise, it seems weird to say "I agree with [insert colon]!"

Another good reason to maintain a consistent approach to "P.S." formatting is to make sure your messages aren't misinterpreted. Don't worry too much about seeming overly formal — it's still perfectly fine to stick to standard practices where necessary. Just remember to stay mindful of potential confusion.

What punctuation do you put after PS?

There are quite literally dozens of options for finishing your letters with "P.S." Once again, keeping things simple is usually the key to success. Most often, people tend to go overboard with fancy punctuation marks, trying to show off their own intelligence and education, when simpler alternatives work just as well.

Letters typically conclude with a single period, although exclamation points are occasionally added depending on tone. Emails are slightly different, however. They require double periods or three dots (which originally represented three seconds), whereas exclamation points are optional.

You'll notice that both periods and dashes are present in almost every case. These come courtesy of typographical conventions established centuries ago. It turns out that typewriters couldn't handle multiple types of characters very easily, so the convention arose that certain combinations would automatically appear with a fixed width bar connecting them. In particular, periods and hyphens are reserved for longer elements, while em-dashes and underscores are shorter ones. Dashes are commonly seen after numbers indicating time, while spaces between sentences are indicated by periods.

Of course, you can choose whichever style suits you best. Some writers prefer to reserve periods for the title of the piece, while others favor more complex punctuations like exclamations or quotation marks. Experimentation is the best strategy.

With all of this information fresh in your head, you should now have enough tools to craft perfect "P.S." endings. Now that you understand the basic principles behind the popular acronym, you can try experimenting with various formats until you land on the right one for you.

According to Merriam Webster, the original definition of "hyphenated" went far beyond mere compound words. Before being split apart and given new meanings, it referred to nouns made from combining parts of existing words. For instance, "hygienic" means cleanliness, as illustrated by hygiene, which is defined as quality of hygiene.