i.e. vs. e.g.
Dear Legal Writer: Let’s get “i.e.” and “e.g.” straight, shall we?
I confess, I’m a bit of a Latin geek, but most people aren’t, and i.e. & e.g. routinely cause mixups. In
fact, it’s one of the top 5 mistakes Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) says she sees when editing
technical documents. (GrammarGirl .com).
Both abbreviations are really common in legal writing, too.
You should just learn them now so you don’t have to guess or look up every time.
Here’s a guide.
I.E. = IN OTHER WORDS
“I.e.” stands for “id est,” which in Latin is: “it is,” “that is,” or “in other words.”
You should use “i.e.” when you want to provide another way to say something you just said.
> “The student was anxious about the one professor who taught by calling on students at random,
i.e., the Socratic method.”
> “Before starting law school, John wanted to visit the world’s poorest country, i.e., Burundi, to see
what conditions were like there.”
> “Before approaching the new Whole Foods with his product, she tried the only grocery store in
town (i.e., Acme).”
You might also say, the word(s) after the “i.e.” should equate to the word or phrase immediately
before the “i.e.”
E.G. = FOR EXAMPLE
“E.g.” in Latin means “exempli gratia,” or “for the sake of example.”
You should use “e.g.” after a word or phrase for which you’re introducing examples.
> “Professors have different teaching styles, e.g., the lecture method and the Socratic method.”
> “John wanted to visit a number of developing countries, e.g., Moldova, Armenia, and Tunisia,
before starting law school.”
> “Before approaching the new Whole Foods with his product, she tried some other grocery stores
(e.g., Acme, ShopRite, Publix).”
—Note that sometimes I omit the “and” before the last item in the list. Whether to include is a matter of personal style, and I’ve seen it done both ways.
PUNCTUATION WITH I.E. & E.G.
1: Periods. The style guides generally endorse including a period after each letter of both
abbreviations—and that’s how I write them.
2: Commas. A majority of guides also advise to use a comma both before and after the
abbreviation—which I usually do, too, but have frequently seen done both ways. (Grammar Girl has
compiled a handy table of what each style guide says in her blog.)
3: Parentheses. As the above examples show, you should set off an “i.e.” or “e.g.” phrase with a
pair of parentheses, in which case NO COMMA is needed before the abbreviation.
4: Em-dashes. At least one style guide (i.e., Merriam-Webster) notes that the “i.e.” and “e.g.”
abbreviations “can sometimes follow” an em-dash, and I’ve seen them used that way.
MEMORY DEVICES
For “i.e.,” think “in essence.” Note that “in” is also the first word in “in other words,” the literal
translation of “i.e.”
For “e.g.,” which starts with “e,” remember “example.” Also, although “e.g.” does NOT stand for
“example given,” if that helps you remember what “e.g.” means, then remember it!
Amanda
P.S. See #DearLegalWriter for future tips.