Difference Between i.e. and e.g.
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I remember the first time I used “i.e.” in a school report — I thought I was SO smart. Too bad I used the wrong term! I should have used e.g., because I was listing examples. 😂
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶.𝗲. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲.𝗴.?
The Latin word id est is where i.e. comes from, meaning “that is.” 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 (𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲) 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.
I frequently eat sweet treats, i.e., sugar-laden desserts.
One of my favorite activities is to write, i.e., draft Linkedin grammar posts.
The Latin term exempli gratia is where e.g. comes from. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 “𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲.”
I frequently eat sweet treats, e.g., brownies, cakes, and cookies!
Some of the most thoughtful LinkedIn creators (e.g., Erika R. Taylor-Beck and Mariana González) have no trouble connecting with their audiences.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?
This is a trick I see shared often, and I think it is helpful!
e.g. “example given”
i.e. “in essence”
Most style guides recommend periods after each letter, and it is recommended that you put a comma following the abbreviation. (Also, when not using parenthesis, I punctuate with a comma before the abbreviation.)
The image is courtesy of The Oatmeal comic. Visit the site for this original image and other hilarious comics. It’s one of my favorites!
