i.e. vs e.g. 3

[Dimandja]

Have you noticed how little distinction is made between these two expressions nowadays?

Exempli gratia (e.g.) meaning "for example".
Id est (i.e.) meaning "in this case".

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[SantaMufasa]

Yes, and to avoid mis-use, our company disallows using the abbreviations; instead we must use the explicit meanings. Good idea, I believe.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

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[BillyRayPreachersSon]

Have you noticed how little distinction is made between these two expressions nowadays?

Only by people who don't know the difference.

Dan



The answers you get are only as good as the information you give!

 

[jwenting]

Well said, I take proper care to use them appropriately.

 

[tsdragon]

Id est" doesn't actually mean "in this case" it means "that is". If you use it with that meaning its much easier to decide which to use (at least for me).


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Dimandja]

>"Id est" doesn't actually mean "in this case" it means "that is".

Actually both definitions are valid.

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[CajunCenturion]

id est" is a Latin phrase that translates directly into English as "that is".

When deciding which to use (e.g. or i.e.), I use the "for example" or "in other words" test. If 'for example' accurate portrays the intent, then I use 'e.g.'. On the other hand, if 'in other words' is a better representation of the intended thought, then 'i.e' is probably better.

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[SilentAiche]

CC

Ditto - that is exactly the test I use. I somehow prefer "in other words" to "that is" although there doesn't seem to be much difference in meaning.

Tim

 

[AnotherHiggins]

A few months ago a coworker asked me to proofread a memo. He had used E.g. twice. I corrected him and replaced the second E.g. with I.e., which was called for by the context.

He ignored this correction. When I asked him why, he said that he thought I was just trying to use one of each, and he preferred to be consistent by using the same throughout. He had no idea they had different meanings.

I shared with him the Latin meanings and haven’t seen him make a mistake since.

I, too, use a test when deciding which use, but I keep with the original 'That is' rather than 'In other words'. It works well for me.

[tt]-John[/tt]
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[CrystalStart]

Seems rather odd, people don't write down other words they don't know meaning of, do they (I am talking "normal" cases)?

 

[rwong]

lol!

Being a non-english speaker, I thought i.e. was for "in example". Probably because I read it from someone who was misusing it.

Thank you for the enlightment,

regards,

Rick

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> I corrected him and replaced the second E.g. with I.e.,
I don't think it's proper to capitalize either of the letters in either expression.

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[mscallisto]

I believe more than one star was deserved here but I'll give it to Dimandja for starting the thread (grazie).

I've always used e.g. correctly (for example), but refrained from using i.e because I wasn't certain of it's correct usage.

Yes here seemed to be little distinction to me.

Thanks!

 

[strongm]

>"in this case"

I've only ever been aware of i.e. meaning "that is" or "in other words", never the above.

Can you point me to a reputable reference for this alternative definition, as I cannot find one myself.

 

[Dimandja]

>I've only ever been aware of i.e. meaning "that is" or "in other words", never the above.

You're right. And as tsdragon said, "If you use it with [the meaning of "that is"] its much easier to decide which to use (at least for me)."

But, look at the following. When discussing a specific grammatical issue concerning the placement of a period, you could say:

"Most punctuation, in this case a period, goes inside the quotation marks."

or

"Most punctuation (i.e. a period) goes inside the quotation marks."



If you look at the following, you'll see that i.e. is used for specificity (as opposed to example).


From

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/abbreviations/f/ievseg.htm:

"I.e." stands simply for "(it or) that is." "I.e." is used in place of "in other words," or "that is." It specifies or makes more clear.


From

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans:

In terms of syntax, word order in Afrikaans follows broadly the same rules as in Dutch, i.e. finite verbs appear in second position in main and coordinate clauses...

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[strongm]

>"Most punctuation (i.e. a period) goes inside the quotation marks."

But this is a misuse of i.e. (if you need an abbreviation here it should be be e.g.)

 

[tsdragon]

I think strongm is right. "for example" is better in that context than "that is" or "in this case".


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Dimandja]

I hear you strongm.

But I think this is a matter of context, I would presume. In my example, there is a context to that phrase: "When discussing a specific grammatical issue concerning the placement of a period".

The premise is established: we are discussing the placement of a period. The phrase "in this case a period" is mainly reiterating, specifying this premise.

I must concede that "that is" and "in other words", an "for example", clarifies the choice between "i.e" and "e.g.".

But when the premise is already established, why say "for example"?

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[tsdragon]

But when the premise is already established, why say "for example"?

I'd say that you can ONLY say "for example" when the premise is already established, otherwise it isn't an example. Or to put it another way, in order to have an example of something, you have to have already said what that "something" is. In the case above, "period" is an example of "punctuation". If you hadn't already mentioned punctuation, then "period" couldn't BE an example.



Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[strongm]

There could indeed be a contextual argument in favour of 'in this case'. But if you've established the case for 'in this case' you can't then replace it with 'i.e' (or 'e.g.') as that would change the meaning.