There is a big difference between these two abbreviated Latin terms, yet students tend to mix them up rather a lot. Our proofreading service can help you make sure that you don’t mix these up.
I.e. is an abbreviation of the Latin term ‘id est’ (which means ‘that is’). You use this when you want to clarify a previous statement by being more specific, or list the only possible options that you could be referring to. Look at this sentence:
-The shop is not open on weekends (i.e. Saturday and Sunday). E.g. is an abbreviation of the Latin term ‘exempli gratia’ (which means for ‘example’). You use this only when you want to give a specific example of something. This differs from i.e. in that the example you give may be only one of a whole range of different possibilities, and it does not make your initial statement any more specific. Here’s an example:
-The shop sells all kinds of food products (e.g. fruit).
I.e. is an abbreviation of the Latin term ‘id est’ (which means ‘that is’). You use this when you want to clarify a previous statement by being more specific, or list the only possible options that you could be referring to. Look at this sentence:
-The shop is not open on weekends (i.e. Saturday and Sunday). E.g. is an abbreviation of the Latin term ‘exempli gratia’ (which means for ‘example’). You use this only when you want to give a specific example of something. This differs from i.e. in that the example you give may be only one of a whole range of different possibilities, and it does not make your initial statement any more specific. Here’s an example:
-The shop sells all kinds of food products (e.g. fruit).