Postscript

A postscript (from post scriptum, a Latin expression meaning "after writing" and abbreviated P.S.) is a sentence, paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter or (sometimes) the main body of an essay or book. In a book or essay, a more carefully-composed addition (e.g., for a second edition) is called an afterword. An afterword, not usually called a postscript, is written in response to critical remarks on the first edition. The word has, poetically, been used to refer to any sort of addendum to some main work, even if not attached to a main work, as in Søren Kierkegaard's book titled Concluding Unscientific Postscript.

E-mail era

In the age of e-mail, postscripts have become unnecessary: any modifications or additions to the body of a letter may simply be inserted within the e-mail before sending, though the convenience of a post-scripted addition is always available. Postscripts in e-mails and on message boards are most often used when the author wants to add something totally unrelated to the main body of text, and may otherwise break the flow of the message.

Common postscript examples

Perhaps the most common postscript found in love letters is "P.S. I love you!" This title was given to at least two popular songs, one by Rosemary Clooney and one by The Beatles.

P.S. is sometimes used as a purely stylistic touch, when it isn't really necessary.

P.P.S. is a "Post-postscript" and allows the letter writer to add even more thoughts after the first postscript. To continue, a third postscript would be a P.P.P.S. and so on, although these additions are rarely used in practice.

See also

Look up Postscript in
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• Publishing
• Afterword
• Appendix
• Addendum

The Oxford English Dictionary lists PS without the full stops.