As a result of the fact that few people know what the abbreviations ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ stand for, they are often confused in writing. Using either of them incorrectly makes a bad impression upon the person reading and grading your paper, so it is a good idea to make sure that you fully understand the meaning and usage of both.
i.e.
‘i.e.’ is an abbreviation standing for the Latin words ‘id est’, meaning ‘that is’. It may be helpful to think of it as standing for the phrase, ‘that is to say’ or ‘in other words’.
It is used to clarify or explain a previous statement. What follows ‘i.e’ might be a metaphor, a re-wording of the same thing or a definition. It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘The holiday package is all inclusive, i.e. you won’t have to pay for breakfast’.
e.g.
‘e.g.’ is an abbreviation standing for the Latin words ‘exempli gratia’, literally meaning ‘for the sake of example’ but understood simply to mean ‘for example’. It is used to introduce a list which illustrates the statement made directly previous to it. Lists which follow ‘e.g.’ are not exhaustive, but rather provide a small selection of examples.
It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘Australia is home to some of the most venomous spiders in the world, e.g. the redback and the Sydney funnel-web’.
Any list which follows ‘e.g.’ should not be finished with ‘etc.’. To indicate that there are further examples when you have already stated (with ‘e.g’) that these particular examples are the specific ones you have decided to give would be incorrect.
Points to Remember
In British English, ‘i.e’ and ‘e.g.’ should never be followed by a comma, but in American English they should be.
Both ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ are always preceded by a punctuation mark, which is sometimes one of a pair of brackets but most often a comma, like this:
‘There are many fashion houses based in Paris, e.g. Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton’.
When using either of these abbreviations, it can be helpful to check whether the sentence still makes sense if you substitute the abbreviation with what it stands for. Whilst ‘i.e.’ stands for ‘that is to say/in other words’, ‘e.g.’ stands for ‘for example’.
‘i.e.’ precedes a further definition of the previous statement, but ‘e.g.’ precedes a selection of examples which illustrate the previous statement.
If you would like further guidance or advice about academic writing, or would like to have your own paper checked, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Document today!
i.e.
‘i.e.’ is an abbreviation standing for the Latin words ‘id est’, meaning ‘that is’. It may be helpful to think of it as standing for the phrase, ‘that is to say’ or ‘in other words’.
It is used to clarify or explain a previous statement. What follows ‘i.e’ might be a metaphor, a re-wording of the same thing or a definition. It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘The holiday package is all inclusive, i.e. you won’t have to pay for breakfast’.
e.g.
‘e.g.’ is an abbreviation standing for the Latin words ‘exempli gratia’, literally meaning ‘for the sake of example’ but understood simply to mean ‘for example’. It is used to introduce a list which illustrates the statement made directly previous to it. Lists which follow ‘e.g.’ are not exhaustive, but rather provide a small selection of examples.
It would be used in a sentence like this:
‘Australia is home to some of the most venomous spiders in the world, e.g. the redback and the Sydney funnel-web’.
Any list which follows ‘e.g.’ should not be finished with ‘etc.’. To indicate that there are further examples when you have already stated (with ‘e.g’) that these particular examples are the specific ones you have decided to give would be incorrect.
Points to Remember
In British English, ‘i.e’ and ‘e.g.’ should never be followed by a comma, but in American English they should be.
Both ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ are always preceded by a punctuation mark, which is sometimes one of a pair of brackets but most often a comma, like this:
‘There are many fashion houses based in Paris, e.g. Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton’.
When using either of these abbreviations, it can be helpful to check whether the sentence still makes sense if you substitute the abbreviation with what it stands for. Whilst ‘i.e.’ stands for ‘that is to say/in other words’, ‘e.g.’ stands for ‘for example’.
‘i.e.’ precedes a further definition of the previous statement, but ‘e.g.’ precedes a selection of examples which illustrate the previous statement.
If you would like further guidance or advice about academic writing, or would like to have your own paper checked, get in touch with the professionals at Proofread My Document today!