Grammar 101: i.e. and e.g.

Grammar 101: i.e. and e.g.

Previously:

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/feeling-youre-...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/grammar-101-it...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/grammar-101-yo...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/grammar-101-th...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/grammar-101-tw...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/grammar-101-lo...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/phil1944/blog/grammar-101-ad...

A Few Simple Rules Are All You Need

There's no doubt that, in its entirety, English grammar is complex, especially for someone learning English as a second language.

But...

If you're a native English speaker and just want to avoid common grammatical errors in your writing (such as blog posts on your website) there are only a handful of rules that you need to memorize.

So this series of posts is for those who'd like to ditch the Grammarly crutch and just know what's right and what's not.

Here's the seventh one:

i.e. (that is) and e.g. (for example)

These two are frequently confused, and it's all because of the mistaken belief that "i.e." stands for "in example".

It doesn't.

They are both derived from Latin.

I.E.

"i.e." stands for "id est", which means "that is".

It's used to restate something said previously in order to clarify its meaning. A similar expression is "in other words" so if you can substitute that for "i.e." where you've used it, you're on the right track.

"She invoked the Fifth Amendment, i.e., the right to refuse to answer a question on the grounds that it might incriminate me" is an example of correct usage. The part after the i.e. is a restatement of what the Fifth Amendment is, in order to clarify its meaning.

E.G.

"e.g.", on the other hand, stands for "exempli gratia", which means "for example".

It is always followed by one or more examples of the previous phrase. The examples don't have to be exhaustive. They can be one or several.

"Citrus fruits (e.g., oranges, lemons and grapefruit) are an excellent source of vitamin C" is an example of correct usage.

Another, highlighting a single example, would be "A strong primary color, e.g., red, will make your website stand out.

A Useful Aid to Memory

"Is" starts with "I" so "i.e." stands for "that IS".

"Example" starts with "E" so "e.g." stands for "for EXAMPLE".

One More Thing

Because they are abbreviations, each of the two letters should be followed by a full stop, as used throughout this article, along with a comma separating them from the following phrase. Again, see the previous part of this article for correct usage.