Differences between i.e. and e.g.

Common Errors In English with Samuel Alimi

Every writer should understand that both abbreviations originate from Latin. “I.e.” stands for id est, while “e.g.” represents exempli gratia. Grammarly (2020) also explains that the Latin phrase for the former simply means “for the sake of example,” and it can be used for the introduction of one or two examples.

Study the following examples:
She travels to all Nigerian states, e.g., Lagos, Kano, Nasarawa, Abia, for business conferences.
Fola eats local food (e.g., eba, tuwo shinkafa, ogbonna soup) during her lessons at law school.
Other relatable examples from the Cambridge Dictionary include:
The names of political parties are always capitalized, e.g., the Green Party.
One partner in business cannot act unilaterally, e.g., investments, holidays, contracts to accept, etc.
Just choose whatever filling you prefer in your jacket potato, e.g., cheese, coleslaw, tuna, or baked beans.

Important notes about e.g.
Introduce a few examples with e.g.

Example:
African nations (e.g., Nigeria, Ghana) are blessed with natural resources.
Are Nigeria and Ghana the only nations in Africa? No! This reinforces the fact that only a few examples should be given.
2. In addition, it is always placed inside brackets or parentheses. Sometimes, it can be followed by a comma or em dash. Revisit the last example sentence and study how the bracket was used for e.g. while mentioning Nigeria and Ghana as examples of African nations.

I.e
The abbreviation “i.e.” means “in essence.” Studies show that the first letters of the phrase led to the introduction of the abbreviation. With its Latin origin, it means “that is to say” or “in other words.” This is often used to explain what has already been mentioned, i.e., it provides detailed information.
Have you studied how I used the abbreviation to buttress my point? Good!
Let’s read other example sentences that are written in the Dictionary.com:
They spent their last day at camp enjoying their two favorite activities, i.e., swimming and ziplining.
Our writers do a lot of research to avoid anachronisms—i.e., those errors that confuse the times of our stories with later times in history.

Correct Punctuation for i.e. and e.g.
Never italicize the two abbreviations
Both i.e. and e.g. must always be written in lowercase– no capitals!
To use the abbreviations after your words or phrases, place either parentheses or commas before them.
4. In American English, commas are usually adopted after the abbreviations. On the other hand, it is not always the case in British English.
Every letter of the abbreviation should be followed by a period.

Exceptions to the Rule of Reported Speech
The general rule of reported speech states that the present tense in direct speech changes to the past tense.

Examples:
Direct speech: Femi said, “I am tired of the class.”
Reported speech: Femi said that he was tired of the class.
Direct speech: They said, “We are tired of praying for the sick.”
Reported speech: They said that they were tired of praying for the sick.
Direct speech: The child said, “I want to go back home.”
Reported speech: The child said that he wanted to go back home.
Direct speech: Musa said, “I can do it.”
Reported speech: Musa said that he could do it.
However, there is an exception to this rule. In Kperogi’s (2010) words, “For instance, when an action is constant, expresses an eternal truth, or refers to religious verities, the verb isn’t inflected for tense in reported speech.” Example:
Bola and Eze said, “We love God.”
It would be wrong to say “Bola and Eze said that they loved God.”
Since they still love God, the verb “love” does not change to the past tense, as commonly known for reported speech.
Direct speech: The cleric said, “Allah is great.”
Reported speech: The cleric said that Allah is great. (Correct)
Allah has always been great. Therefore, it is grammatically incorrect to report any direct speech with the past tense “was” when referring to Allah.
In addition, if you are reporting an action that has not yet taken place, do not change the original tense.
The former president said, “Subsidy will be removed when I leave office.”
Reported speech: The former president said that subsidy will be removed when he leaves office. (Correct)
The supervisor said, “We will report the issue to the board of directors in 2027.”
Reported speech: The supervisor said that he will report the issue to the board of directors in 2027. (Correct)

Assignment

Choose the correct option for each of the following questions:

I.e stands for ________. (a) in essence (b) in education (c) in emphasis
Ola said that he ______ meet the president in 2026. (a) will (b) would (c) shall
An indirect speech is also known as _____. (a) reported speech (b) deleted speech (c) emphasized speech

Please send your answers to samueltolulopealimi@gmail.com or via SMS to 07049203179.

The following individuals answered the last questions correctly:
Sultan Musa, Adebayo Bukola, Yahyah Aishat, John Solomon, Farooq Lawal, Korede Boluwatife, Samuel Joy, Bankole Richard, Shaibu Mercy, Okere Chigozie, Bello Sulaimon, Precious Adaeze, Olive Alimi, and Ephraim Innocent.