A distinction I need to remember

So I've been wondering for a while about this and I think I finally got a distinction I can understand about these two topics. Check it out. Oh yeah, this comes from The Place of Mind by Brian Cooney.

'Metaethics is a thoery about ethics as a kind of discourse and about the kinds of arguments and evidence it uses. Ethics itself, as a philosphical discipline, seeks to draw conclusions about what is right and wrong.'

Now I just have to remember this. Thanks again Ed, your so useful, what would us novices do without you?