Please Advise: When to Use “Please Advise”

That email is sitting in your inbox. You know the answer to the question it’s asking, but those two words are still haunting you: “please advise.” It can show up in the subject line, somewhere in the middle of a message, or, most frequently, right before the signature at the end of the email. But what do you do with it?

The good news: if you know the answer to the main question in the email, just write your reply and boom! You’ve “advised.” At the most basic level, “please advise” is a request for advice or answers. But to some people, it can come across as redundant, stuffy, or passive aggressive.

Please advise: What does “Please advise” mean?

Depending on the context, the person who’s using the phrase, and what that person wants, the phrase can have a few different meanings. Here are a few possible synonyms for “please advise”:

• Let me know
• Get back to me
• Can you give me your thoughts, answers, or input?
• Give me the information I already asked for in the body of this email
• I’m waiting for you to respond

As you can see, “please advise” can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Its primary meaning is a request for information, but it can also come across as having one of those last two meanings—and that’s not so pleasant. It all depends on context.

“Please advise” as an email ending

The way readers interpret “please advise” depends not only on what the message is about but also on the tone of the rest of the message. In most cases, this confusion can take place when “please advise” appears as the end of an email.

These example emails give a sense of the different ways “please advise” might come across to a reader.

Dear Karen,

I was hoping you could help me go over the training decks. You were the last person to give these trainings, so I’d appreciate some background on the order and how the exercises are supposed to work.

Please advise. Eric

Dear Jared,

I know you’re swamped, but can you let me know whether it’s okay to move forward with publishing the article? Hoping to get it up mid-week.

Please advise.

Jennifer

In Eric’s email, which already seems passive aggressive, the “please advise” at the end is the bitter cherry on top. Jennifer’s email, on the other hand, tries to be polite, even though Jared has clearly caused some delays.

“Please advise” alternatives

“Please advise” is on the formal side. In fact, it sounds a bit stuffy and old-fashioned. If you want alternatives for “please advise” that work in a more modern, casual workplace, try these synonyms:

• Let me know
• I look forward to your answer
• Thanks for your help
• …Nothing at all

That’s right: the best way to get around “please advise” is just to leave it out. In most cases, the phrase comes after a question, so it ends up functioning as filler words or worse, as in Eric’s email.

In the second example email above, the “please advise” doesn’t necessarily come across as rude, but it’s also not strictly necessary. Here’s a crazy idea: if you’re writing an email asking for information, advice, or ideas from a colleague, they’ll see your request in the body of the email. They already know they’re supposed to get back to you with answers, with or without the “please advise” tacked on at the end.

So, if your message feels complete without “please advise,” just ask your question and leave it at that.

Is “Please advise” wrong?

As far as grammar goes, some experts say that “advise” is a transitive verb, so it needs to have an object. In other words, someone has to be advised. However, it’s pretty obvious who is to be advised: whoever wrote the email. To get around verb confusion, you can think of “please advise” as a shortcut for “please advise [me].”

Another potential problem is the difference between advise and advice. Advice is a noun, meaning “suggestions for what to do,” and advise is a verb meaning “to give advice.” Mix up your s and your c and you’ll need advice on your spelling, as well as on the question you’re actually asking.

In the end, there’s nothing grammatically wrong with “please advise.” It’s just a question of usage and style. Some people don’t like it because it can be interpreted as rude or demanding. Other people think it’s redundant: just ask your question and call it a day.

If you like the formality of “please advise,” go ahead and use it. But first, just make sure the rest of your email doesn’t seem impolite. That will keep your emails clear and courteous no matter what. Whether or not you wanted us to advise, that’s advice you can live by.

What is a Gerund Phrase?

A gerund phrase is a phrase consisting of a gerund and any modifiers or objects associated with it. A gerund is a noun made from a verb root plus ing (a present participle). A whole gerund phrase functions in a sentence just like a noun, and can act as a subject, an object, or a predicate nominative.

If you look up the definition of gerund (pronounced JER-und), you will find that it means “an English noun formed from a verb by adding -ing”; that is, a present participle used as a noun.

Traveling is a good way to expand your worldview.

My passion is reading.

My doctor suggests running to improve my health.

In all three of these examples, words ending with -ing are acting as nouns. Traveling is the subject of the first sentence. In the second sentence, reading is a predicate nominative, a word (or group of words) that completes a linking verb and renames the subject. The verb is, a form of the linking verb to be, is followed by reading, which renames the subject my passion. In the third sentence, the gerund running is acting as the object of the verb suggests.

How Do Gerund Phrases Work? They Act Like a Noun

Gerunds can appear alone or band together with other words to form a gerund phrase. Collectively, this phrase behaves like a single noun.

Running is a favorite activity of mine.

Running with scissors is a favorite activity of mine.

Both the gerund and the gerund phrase above function as subject nouns and take the third-person singular verb is. We could substitute a non-gerund noun such as chess to mentally confirm its function.

Chess is a favorite activity of mine.

Not Acting Like a Noun? It’s a Participle Phrase

Gerund phrases can easily be confused with participle phrases. It is possible, for example, to encounter the gerund phrase we used above in a context where it is not acting like a noun. When used as a modifier—that is, as an adjective or adverb—it is now a participle phrase.

Running with scissors, Tim charged after the cat.

Here, running with scissors modifies the verb charged. It gives us further information about how Tim charged.

Gerund Phrases as Objects

Just as nouns sometimes function as objects in a sentence, so can gerund phrases.

Tim enjoys running with scissors.

In this sentence, the gerund phrase running with scissors is the direct object of the verb enjoys. We could easily replace it with a simpler object noun to confirm that it really is an object.

Tim enjoys racquetball.

(That would be a much better idea, Tim.)

We could also use this gerund phrase as an indirect object.

Tim attributes his high blood pressure to running with scissors.

Like many indirect objects, the gerund phrase running with scissors is introduced with the preposition to.

Dangling Gerunds

You may have heard of dangling participles; dangling gerunds are quite similar. Dangling gerunds are somewhat less frequent, but they can crop up when gerunds or gerund phrases are acting as objects of a preposition such as before, after, by, or with.

By running with scissors, Tim’s cat suffered some battle scars.

The gerund phrase is said to be dangling here, because it is mismatched with the subject that follows, creating an illogical scenario. The writer of a such a sentence no doubt intended to convey that when Tim ran with scissors, his cat was injured. But as the sentence reads, it is the (atypically scary) cat who ran with scissors.

The best thing to do with a sentence that contains a dangler is to rewrite it to give the sentence its proper subject. There may be a number of ways to do that correctly.

By running with scissors, Tim gave his cat some battle scars.

Tim wounded his cat when he ran with scissors.

Tim’s penchant for running with scissors has left some battle scars on his cat.

You can read more about the hazards of danglers in our blog about dangling participles.

When to Use a Comma Before “Or”

Should you use a comma before or? The answer depends on how you are using or. Always place a comma before or when it begins an independent clause, but if it begins a dependent clause, don’t. In a series (or list) of three or more items, you can use a comma before or, but this is a preference, not a rule.

People often get muddled about whether to place a comma before conjunctions like and, so, because, and or. Or is a coordinating conjunction, which means that it coordinates two elements of equal syntactic importance (i.e., two things of identical grammatical weight).

Commas before “Or” in Lists

When just two short grammatical elements are coordinated with or, do not separate them with a comma.

Would you like that martini shaken, or stirred?

Would you like that martini shaken or stirred?

Do you prefer coffee, or tea?

Do you prefer coffee or tea?

You may want to use a comma in a series of three or more things. This is the much-debated Oxford comma (or serial comma). Although the Oxford University Press uses it (hence the name), American English writers use it more often than British English writers. Whether or not you should use it is a stylistic choice. For example, both of these examples can be considered correct:

We can invest our savings in stocks, bonds or real estate.

We can invest our savings in stocks, bonds, or real estate.

When each element separated by or is just one or two words, the reader will have little trouble mentally sorting things out with whichever style you choose.

That said, advocates of the Oxford comma do have a strong argument when it comes to the clarity. Consider the longer series of coordinating items in this sentence; within the series itself, there is a phrase with a necessary or.

Notify your doctor if you experience dizziness, fainting spells, nausea, vomiting, weak or rapid pulse or difficulty breathing.

Notify your doctor if you experience dizziness, fainting spells, nausea, vomiting, weak or rapid pulse, or difficulty breathing.

Including the final comma in this sentence makes it much more readable. It eliminates a mental “hoop” for the reader to jump through. What’s more, it has a much cleaner typographical appearance.

Here’s a tip: The most important thing to remember about using or not using the Oxford comma is this: make a choice and be consistent with it. Don’t switch back and forth between one approach and the other in the same piece of writing.

Commas before “Or” When Beginning an Independent Clause

It is considered good style to place a comma before or when it begins an independent clause. An independent clause is a clause which could stand alone as its own sentence, because it has its own subject and verb.

Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted, or she may go on a luxury vacation.

Each of the two clauses here can stand independently. This is why there should be a comma before or.

Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted.

She may go on a luxury vacation.

If the clause beginning with or were rewritten to eliminate the subject and verb, it would not be able to stand on its own, and there would be no comma.

Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted, or a luxury vacation.

Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted or a luxury vacation.

Want to learn more about commas? Check out our guide to comma use.

Simple Present

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.

I feel great! Pauline loves pie. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick.

The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.

Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the summer. Hamsters run all night.

Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.

How to Form the Simple Present

In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s).

First-person singular: I write

Second-person singular: You write

Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the ‑s)

First-person plural: We write

Second-person plural: You write

Third-person plural: They write

For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.

First-person singular: I go

Second-person singular: You go

Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the ‑es)

First-person plural: We go

Second-person plural: You go

Third-person plural: They go

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.”

The verb to be is irregular:

First-person singular: I am

Second-person singular: You are

Third-person singular: He/she/it is

First-person plural: We are

Second-person plural: You are

Third-person plural: They are

How to Make the Simple Present Negative

The formula for making a simple present verb negative is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not.

Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesn’t think there is enough to go around. Her friends do not agree. I don’t want pie anyway.

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.

I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You aren’t ready for such delicious pie.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Do you know how to bake a pie? How much does Pauline love pie?

Common Verbs in the Simple Present

Infinitive	I, You, We, They	He, She, It
to ask	ask / do not ask	asks / does not ask
to work	work / do not work	works / does not work
to call	call / do not call	calls / does not call
to use	use / do not use	uses / does not use
to have	have / do not have	has / does not have

The Verb to Be in the Simple Present

Infinitive	I	You, We, They	He, She, It
to be	am / am not	are / are not	is / is not

For All Intents and Purposes—How to Use It

• “For all intents and purposes” means “in effect.”
• Don’t confuse this expression with the eggcorn “for all intensive purposes.”

If you conduct business, you have probably run across the phrase “for all intents and purposes.” What does this expression mean? Understanding the sense of the words will help you avoid a common but costly mistake.

The Bits and Pieces of Intents and Purposes

The first step is to understand the key elements of the phrase. An intent is a purpose, meaning, or design. A purpose is a reason that something exists or is done, the intended result of something, or the point at issue.

The Origin

The phrase “to all intents, constructions, and purposes” dates from sixteenth-century English law. Later, the shortened “for (or to) all intents and purposes” became more popular than the original phrase. It means “in every practical sense” or “virtually.” Even back then, lawyers liked to cover all their bases! An idiom is an expression whose meaning doesn’t correspond wholly or literally to the meaning of its individual words, or that doesn’t follow the usual grammatical conventions of a language. “For all intents and purposes” is idiomatic; the all doesn’t always include every intent or purpose. In short, it can mean “for all functional purposes, in effect.”

How to Use It

Let’s turn to journalism to discern how to use this phrase. Here are some quotes from around the web. Notice how the writer uses the idiom to mean “virtually” or “in effect.”

The weekend is, for all intents and purposes, an East Coast championship for drone pilots hoping to qualify for the U.S. National Drone Racing Championships, set for Aug. 5-7 in New York City. ―The Roanoke Times

“Our concern is we’ve got the trail essentially completed,” Sales said. “For all intents and purposes, it looks like the trail is open.” ―Napa Valley Register

With the roof up, the Targa feels to all intents and purposes like a 911 coupe. ―The Telegraph

The Wrong Way to Write It

If you intend to convey the sense of “in effect,” you don’t want to make the error of writing “for all intensive purposes.” This phrase is an eggcorn, a misheard or misunderstood phrase that an interlocutor transforms into a new word or phrase. (The name eggcorn comes from the tendency for some people to mishear the word acorn as eggcorn). So, “for intensive purposes” probably developed when someone misheard the similar-sounding “for all intents and purposes.” Intensive means thorough, vigorous, or concentrated. It’s evident from the context that most instances of “intensive purposes” should have been “intents and purposes.” Consider an example:

Since taking the new coaching position over a month ago, UNLV’s Marvin Menzies has been working fast and furious to broaden the depth of the trimmed down roster that he inherited during a chaotic post season in Vegas. For all intensive purposes, and considering the dire situation, the Rebel roster has certainly filled out with needed difference makers added every few weeks. ― MWConnection.com

If you make that mistake, it can distract your readers from your real message. If you remember what “for all intents and purposes” means, you should be able to use it correctly. If in doubt, you can always use a synonym like “in effect” or “virtually.”

15 Words Invented by Shakespeare

Guest post from Mignon Fogarty

The 452nd anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth is coming. He is not only known as a timeless playwright, but also as a prolific inventor of words. Although modern researchers have found that some words originally attributed to him, such as puke, have earlier sources, there are still many that hold up today as Shakespeare’s creations according to the Oxford English Dictionary:

Bandit

Henry VI, Part 2. 1594

Critic

Love’s Labour Lost. 1598.

Dauntless

Henry VI, Part 3. 1616.

Dwindle

Henry IV, Part 1. 1598.

Elbow (as a verb)

King Lear. 1608.

Green-Eyed (to describe jealousy)

The Merchant of Venice. 1600.

Lackluster

As You Like It. 1616.

Lonely

Coriolanus. 1616.

Skim-milk

Henry IV, Part 1. 1598.

Swagger

Midsummer Night’s Dream. 1600.

Shakespeare must have loved the prefix un- because he created or gave new meaning to more than 300 words that begin with it. Here are just a few:

Unaware

Venus & Adonis. 1593.

Uncomfortable

Romeo & Juliet. 1599

Undress

Taming of the Shrew. 1616.

Unearthly

A Winter’s Tale. 1616

Unreal

Macbeth. 1623

Visit the Grammar Girl site to learn about famous Shakespearean phrases and insults.

About the Author

Mignon Fogarty is the founder the Quick and Dirty Tipspodcast network and creator of Grammar Girl, which was named one of Writer’s Digest‘s 101 Best Websites for Writers in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Mignon is the author of the New York Times best-seller Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing and six other books on writing.Sheappeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has been featured in the New York Times, Business Week, the Washington Post, USA Today, CNN.com, and more. She hates the phrase “grammar nazi” and loves the word “kerfuffle.”

Comma Before While

• Don’t use a comma before while when you mean “during the same time.”
• Do use a comma before while when you mean “whereas” or “although.”

When while is used as a conjunction, it has two meanings. One meaning is related to time. In the temporal sense, while describes something that is happening at the same time as something else. The other meaning of while indicates a contrast. In this sense, it means “whereas” or “although.”

No Comma With While Means “At the Same Time”

Don’t use a comma before while when you’re talking about two things happening at the same time.

I decided to take a nap under my desk while everyone else was in the meeting.

I decided to take a nap under my desk, while everyone else was in the meeting.

Let’s order the curtains while they’re still on sale.

Let’s order the curtains, while they’re still on sale.

Comma With While Means “Whereas” or “Although”

Use a comma before while in the middle of a sentence when you mean “whereas” or “although.”

I prefer chocolate cake, while my sister prefers key lime pie.

I prefer chocolate cake while my sister prefers key lime pie.

The price of eggs is rising, while the price of milk has stayed the same.

The price of eggs is rising while the price of milk has stayed the same.

While at the Beginning of a Sentence

When while is the first word of your sentence, you obviously shouldn’t add a comma in front of it. But if you’re using while to mean “whereas,” you still need to put a comma somewhere. Put it at the end of the clause that while introduces. The comma should go between the things that are happening at the same time.

While my sister prefers key lime pie, I prefer chocolate cake.

While the price of milk has stayed the same, the price of eggs is rising.