E.g. and i.e.: are they the same?
Both i.e., and e.g., are commonly used interchangeably as
people think that they share the same meaning. They do not mean the same. I.e. is an abbreviation that stands for id est in Latin, which means “that is”
or “in other words”. E.g., is an abbreviation that in Latin stands for exempli gratia, which means “for
example”.
What is the
difference?
Use “e.g.” to introduce an example. For example, the
students really enjoy their business courses, e.g., accounting and finance.
Use “i.e.” to introduce further clarification. In this
example, the students like some of their business courses, i.e. accounting and
finance.
In the aforementioned examples, it may seem as if nothing
really changed except for the use of i.e. in the second example. However, if
you read more carefully, you will notice the message conveyed between those two
examples changed.
In the first example, e.g., is used to give examples of
business classes that students like. In the second example, the use of i.e. is
used to clarify further that accounting and finance are the two business
courses that the students like.
A few simple rules to
using the abbreviations:
1. There is no need to italicize them, as they have
become Standard English language usage.
2.
Most writing guidelines such as Chicago Style manual
recommend using a comma after i.e., and e.g.
3.
Since they are abbreviations for words, you can
use them in sentences that you would normally use the words “that is….” or “for
example”. In other words, there are no
specifications as to when to use or not use them.
4.
There is no rule that says that you must use
abbreviations. You can always write the words out- “for example” or “in other
words”, which would actually be more appropriate for formal or professional
writing.