i.e. vs e.g.

When I was in sixth grade I was taken back by the idea that the abbreviation "i. e." could go before a word and mean "for example", or at least so I was taught. Often times, since receiving this knowledge, I have used the abbreviation "i.e." when taking notes for other classes. By using "i.e." I would save myself the nano second of writing out the long word "example." That was until last week when my Biology teacher pointed out to me that "i.e." doesn't really mean "for example." As a result I thought I would share my new found knowledge with you.

The "i.e." is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase id estis which can replace the words "that is" in one's writing. It is related to the use of "AKA" in more casual documents.

Using this abbreviation is simple, for example:

"Last month we celebrated the birth of Jesus, i.e. ,Christmas."

Note that there must always be a comma after the abbreviation.

To express the words "for example" one could use the correct abbreviation of "e.g." This is short for another Latin phrase which is exempli gratia. To use these letters as a symbol follow this given example:

"I like many of the ladies on the Food Network (e.g., Rachael Ray, Giada DeLaurentiis, etc.)"

The same rule about the comma after the abbreviation applies here.

For more information about the use of i.e. and e.g. please click here:)