[RoosterRedux]

Like most Freepers, I write a lot and I hate to make mistakes.

That said, I regularly make the mistake of using i.e. when I should use e.g. and I almost always forget the comma after using either of them.

Anyway I found this little refresher course interesting and I thought youse guys might also.

[granite]

e.g. = example given

[Hot Tabasco]

My dad had Latin while in high school at De La Salle in Detroit. The only other person I know who had Latin was my nephew at a private school in Michigan......He earned an honors award.

[logi_cal869]

As a writer, I thank you for posting this for readers.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked about both!

[CodeToad]

You fail capitalization.

[Lite]

I always remembered which is which because “example” has a “g” in it...

[sparklite2]

No problem. I knew the difference.

What grates on my ear is the incorrect use of “xxx and I” when “xxx and me” is called for. Many otherwise intelligent speakers are so paranoid about using the “xxx and me” formulation that they dump it and use “xxx and I” for every occasion. It sounds classier, I suppose. But it’s still wrong.

[old-ager]

Yup

[Hugin]

When pronouncing the word “example” aloud, you might use a “g” sound in place of the “x.” Many people do. This can help you remember the abbreviation’s meaning.

I always thought it stood for "example given" which is easy to remember. In that vein i.e. could be "in essence" which fits the meaning and is also easy to remember.

[Duchess47]

Thank you. I needed that refresher course.

[Peter W. Kessler]

Thank you!

I’ve been using “i.e.” for years, and was pretty sure I was using it properly.

Thanks to your post, I know I HAVE been using it properly!

[Jet Jaguar]

Thanks.

[Songcraft]

Don't forget to remember the correct usage of "et al." too.   (That, of course, means to eat it all.   That brings to mind that old TV commercial, where the guy said, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing".   He could have reworded that sentence to simply say, "I can't believe I et al. of it".

[Falconspeed]

Interesting. I write a lot and read one book a week. I never write i.e or e.g. and rarely see authors that do.

For example, Bret Harte is a wonderful writer who does not use "e.g. or i.e", that is, abbreviations for premise indicators.

[Fresh Wind]

This is a minor problem compared with the lose/loose dichotomy.

[21twelve]

Additional info.:

BizWritingTip response:

You are absolutely correct. Writers often ignore the necessary punctuation. The abbreviations “i.e.” and “e.g.” are considered interrupting words within a sentence and require punctuation on both sides to indicate this. You must put a comma or a bracket (parentheses) before the abbreviation and a comma after.

The abbreviation “i.e.” (from the Latin “id est” meaning “that is”) means everything that follows.

Examples (correct)
My business plans involve trips to several cities, i.e., Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Calgary.
My business plans involve trips to several cities (i.e., Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Calgary).

[IronJack]

I also see "et. al." and "etc." mixed up often.

"Ergo" is often misused.

And then there's the matter of latin plurals, such as "media", "data", and even "stadia."

It doesn't pay to be too much of a purist.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

[firebrand]

Two of those sample sentences need an additional em dash to avoid possible confusion. You have to make sure the i.e. and the e.g. are stuck to the proper phrase, not the one preceding.

[NonValueAdded]

Will this be on the final?

[tinyowl]

I.e. stands for “id est,” which means “in other words.”

Actually 'id est' means 'that is.'

It's similar in meaning to 'in other words', except that, literally, it means 'that is'.

[tinyowl]

Alas, this reminds me of Latin with Mr. Bernaur, translating Marshal epigrams, and my favorite one:

Linus, You ask me how my farm can pay,
Since little it will bear;

It pays me thus. — ’Tis far away
And you are never there.