i.e vs e.g
Since i.e and e.g are two abbreviations used in English language commonly, it is necessary to know the difference between i.e and e.g. When writing in English, especially when writing reports, we use lot of abbreviations in between. These are two of the most commonly used abbreviations in English writing. There is a lot of differences in the usage of the two abbreviations i.e., and e.g. It should be noted that both of them have their origin in Latin.
What does i.e., mean?
The direct expansion of i.e., is id est in Latin. It means that is. Look at the definition given by the Oxford English dictionary for i.e. “That is to say (used to add explanatory information or to state something in different words).” For example,
Let’s say we see a white man, i.e., not a man with a black skin.
Consider the following example as well.
You should take the medicine two times a day (i.e., morning and evening).
In the above examples, you could see the usage of i.e.
In normal cases, i.e., is used to elucidate the statement that it precedes.
What does e.g., mean?
The direct expansion of e.g., on the other hand, is exempli gratia in Latin. It means for the sake of example.
On the contrary to i.e., e.g. is used when listing out examples for a term or a supposition that was stated before. It is customary that people remember e.g., as example given.
Consider the following example,
Fine arts are of various types. (e.g., music and dance).
In the above example, you could see the usage of e.g.
Here is another example for e.g.
We will decorate the house in rainbow colours (e.g., red, violet and blue)
There are some rules in connection with the usage of i.e., and e.g. They should be used well within the parenthesis. It is equally important that both i.e., and e.g. should be in lower case.
What is the difference between i.e. and e.g.?
As a rule, both i.e., and e.g., are followed by periods. The two letters within the abbreviations should also be separated by periods. It is important that the final period should be followed by a comma too. It is generally seen that people forget to write the comma after the final period while using either abbreviation.
• i.e., and e.g., are both abbreviations used in English language.
• They both have their origin in Latin.
• The direct expansion of i.e., is id est in Latin. The direct expansion of e.g., on the other hand, is exempli gratia in Latin.
• In normal cases, i.e., is used to elucidate the statement that it precedes.
• e.g., is used when listing out examples for a term or a supposition that was stated before. It is customary that people remember e.g. as example given.
It is interesting to note that the abbreviations i.e., and e.g. are used interchangeably by many people though they are not so. Some people take i.e., as ‘in other words’. On the other hand , e.g. is used to mean ‘including’. In other words e.g. is used when you do not intend to include everything.