Grammar Gestapo (ie vs eg)!

For a “dead” language, Latin can certainly cause confusion among the living — especially when its terms are abbreviated. Let’s look at two of the most widely used Latin abbreviations.

e.g.

This is short for the phrase exempli gratia, which translates into for example. Consider this sentence:

The county’s dog show is limited to certain small breeds — e.g., Pomeranians, Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers.

You could easily and correctly replace the e.g. in that sentence with the phrase for example. Because the two mean the same, they are interchangeable.

The county’s dog show is limited to certain small breeds — for example, Pomeranians, Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers.

i.e.

This stands for id est, which means that is. Here’s an example:

I’m joining my colleagues for a few cocktails after work; i.e., I won’t be home for dinner.

I.e. is interchangeable with that is; it is not interchangeable with e.g.

Adieu. Navid.