Learning English grammar the easy way – i.e. and e.g.

This blog post is part of a series of posts that aim to correct common English grammar mistakes.

The final piece of grammar advice I am going to give out today is not to mix up “i.e.” and “e.g.” as the mean very different things. “i.e.” stands for the Latin phrase “id est” which means “that is” or “in other words”. “e.g.” is taken from the Latin phrase “exempli gratia” which means “for example”. It is also important you only use the abbreviations when writing informally, when writing a formal text it is better to write the words “for example” or “that is” in full. For example –

“I love playing many different sports e.g. football” = correct

“I love playing many different sports i.e. football” = incorrect

“I love playing many different sports i.e. I am quite sporty” = correct

“I love playing many different sports e.g.I am quite sporty” = incorrect

“I love playing many different sports, for example football” = correct (formal)

“I love playing many different sports, in other words I am quite sporty” = correct (formal)

Grammatically speaking, the English language is one of the most complicated of all languages, not least because with all the rules it has, there are exceptions to every rule. Hopefully after reading through the series you’ll find it easier to learn English grammar (just writing it has put some things straight in my mind). Oh and check out another of our blogs here if you fancy going over your grammar in an online lesson. Don’t forget if you feel you need a proper top up of your English language speaking to have a look at our English courses! But for now, best of luck.

Connor FitzPatrick is the newest addition to the English Language Centre Brighton and has worked within English language schools since graduating from university. One of his many jobs is ensuring all grammar and language is correct and accurate across ELC’s websites and all its social streams.