For most people this may sound like kid’s stuff. But mind you I have seen people misusing — usually interchanging — these seemingly common abbreviations. And I’ll bet the house you cannot tell me on the fly what i.e. and e.g. stand for.
I recently found a fun and easy way to remember the proper usage of i.e. and e.g. from theoatmeal.com (thru Guy Kawasaki’s blog).
While we are it let’s dig deeper into the origins of these weird-looking and weird-sounding but widely used abbreviations:
What does i.e. stand for?
The origin of i.e. is “id est.” It is one of those latin phrases that refuses to go wither away in this modern world of English-dominated texts. You use i.e. when you mean “that is.” You use i.e. when you’re restating the idea (to be more explicit) or expanding upon it.
Example: We provide all retailers with the standard discount, i.e., 10%.
What does e.g. stand for?
The origin of e.g. is “exempli gratia, another latin phrase. You use e.g. when you mean “for example.” ”
Example (i.e., e.g.): Shertzer’s book has a number of elements, e.g., punctuation, capitalization, parts of a sentence, and confusing words.
Please note that in American English usage, generally follow i.e. and e.g. with a comma. Use abbreviated forms like these only in informal or technical documents, or documents where space is at a premium (catalogs, forms, etc.).
My rule of thumb
Whenever possible, avoid using these abbreviations, i.e., spell them out, e.g., say “that is” to expound on an idea, or simply write “example” instead of e.g. Not that’s a bit confusing, isn’t it.
