Comments on: Word Pairs: i.e. and e.g.

By: Rebecca Laffar-Smith

Rebecca Laffar-Smith — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:07:20 +0000

Erik’s is the technique I use as well. Of course, I rarely use i.e. Perhaps I should use it more often but I’ve found it easier to stick to words that are well known to everyone and i.e. just isn’t one of them.

I love A.Caleb’s technique to remember!

I always think of n.b. as Note Before.

What about R.S.V.P. I know what it means but what does it translate to and is it latin? I’ve started thinking of it as ReSpondViaPhone *chuckles* These days phone isn’t the only way to R.S.V.P.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:28:07 +0000

@Deb, Thank you! I wasn’t sure this post would be of much interest to anyone, but it seems people do like to know these things and that makes me warm and fuzzy inside

By: --Deb

--Deb — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:00:29 +0000

I don’t know any Latin (except the odd phrase like Carpe Diem), and while I know the difference in usage between i.e. and e.g., I never actually knew what they stood for (grin). So, thanks!

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:03:25 +0000

@Michele, Thanks for the Stumble!

@Tim, Yes, I really like the “eggzample” method of remembering. That will come in handy!

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:52:15 +0000

@A. Caleb, Those are great examples! In effect and example given… I’ll have to try and remember those! Thanks!

@Brad, I think a lot of people use these interchangeably, which is one of the reasons I wanted to post on this topic

@Trisha, Thanks! It’s not a pet peeve for me. In fact, there’s a good chance mixing these up might escape my notice unless I was actively proofreading.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:44:57 +0000

@Rudy, I too rarely use e.g. because I tend to write out “for example.” I do use i.e. from time to time.

@Erik, According to Wikipedia, Nota Bene means “note well” i.e. “pay attention,” often used to draw reader’s attention to a side note.

@Ashley, The French “he is” or “il est” has helped me to remember i.e.

By: tim

tim — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:41:11 +0000

what erik said – eggxample
nicely written explanation – I’m guilty of not using the commas – I notice MS Word’s grammar checker doesn’t make me either

By: Michele L. Tune - Writing the Cyber Highway

Michele L. Tune - Writing the Cyber Highway — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:16:43 +0000

Very good information, Melissa. I’ve never really thought about it before, but I guess I’ve avoided using these abbreviations.

Thanks for clarifying for us. I’m stumbling this post right now!

Smiles,
Michele

By: Trisha Fawver

Trisha Fawver — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:39:17 +0000

This is totally one of my pet peeves when seeing people mess this one up. I’m pointing to this post from now on when I see it used wrong

By: Brad V.

Brad V. — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:24:33 +0000

Hey great post! It’s amazing how we use these little abbreviations all the time without actually thinking about where they come from. I tend to use “e.g.” and “i.e.” interchangeably, even though it’s improper to do so. Now that I know the proper use for both, I won’t make that mistake again!

The only other Latin abbreviation I’m familiar with is AD, which means “In the year of our Lord”.

By: A. Caleb Hartley

A. Caleb Hartley — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:24:02 +0000

When working with pilots in interpreting their union contract, our company’s contract expert told us to interpret i.e. as “in effect,” mening that whatever followed the i.e. was the only thing that the contract was referring to.

He also said that e.g. could be interpreted as “example given,” meaning that the contract gives examples here, but that those are not the only possibilities.

Hope that helps!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley
http://www.environmentastic.com

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:27:55 +0000

I also always thought of e.g. as egzample and i.e. as it es, but I still get them confused so most of the time I just avoid using them. I usually just write it out.