For some reason, at least seven times today, I have experienced people improperly using Latin abbreviations in an effort to sound more sophisticated. Since this is a little petpeeve of mine, I decided to discuss the difference between "i.e." and "e.g." in today's post.
i.e.
This is the abbreviation for "id est" meaning "that is." Thus, it is used when you are clarifying something or rephrasing what you've just said.
e.g.
This abbreviation stands for "exempli gratia" meaning "for example." Intuitively, this abbreviation is used before examples of whatever you're discussing.
Examples:
I love watching AFC North football, i.e., smashmouth football in cold weather.
I love watching AFC North football, e.g., Steelers vs. Ravens.
Lawyers drive fancy cars, i.e., cars with all the bells and whistles.
Lawyers drive fancy cars, e.g., Mercedes Benz and BMW.
Please, for the sake of my sanity, use these properly in the future, and spread the word! Please do not post comments purposely confusing the two for the sake of annoying me...
-FSG
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