Mekita Rivas, SNR communications associate, publishes a biweekly feature called "Grammar Guru."
Every other week, the Grammar Guru will share writing tips to help make your work as polished as possible. Some of these tips may address common spelling errors, while others will examine the many nuances of the English language.
Grammar Guru Tip #32
Many people use the terms "i.e." and "e.g." interchangeably when trying to elaborate on a point, but they have two different meanings.
"i.e." means "that is" or "in other words," while "e.g." means "example given" or "for example." In other words, "i.e." is used to provide clarification, and "e.g." adds more description through an example given.
Examples:
She loves certain desserts, i.e. strawberry shortcake and carrot cake. (Because "i.e." is used, which introduces a clarification, this indicates that these are the only desserts she loves.)
She loves desserts, e.g. strawberry shortcake and carrot cake. (Because "e.g." is used, which provides general examples, this indicates that these are some – but not all – of the desserts she loves.)
Pro tip: Although they are abbreviations for Latin words, don't italicize "i.e." and "e.g." They've been used for so long that they are considered English language standards.
Need some grammar guidance? The UNL Style Guide (http://unlcms.unl.edu/ucomm/styleguide/) is a great resource for all university employees. If you have writing questions that the style guide doesn't answer, feel free to email the Grammar Guru at mrivas@unl.edu.