3 ms·
Just trying to help: "i.e." stands for "id est", which means "that is". In your text, you should rather say "e.g." (exempli gratia), which means "for instance"
by pfortuny 1y ago
Just trying to help:
"i.e." stands for "id est", which means "that is".
In your text, you should rather say "e.g." (exempli gratia), which means "for instance", "for example".
- mkaic 1y agoI think in casual speech at this point (at least in my experience) the two are used interchangeably. In professional or legal settings I'm sure the distinction matters more, but I feel like OP's usage here felt pretty natural to me even though it's not technically correct.
- pfortuny 1y agoWell, the thing is… when you use a borrowed term from a dead language, in writing, it really sounds wrong to cultivated ears. I really had to double-check that sentence to see if I had parsed it wrongly. Not bragging, just saying. They cannot be completely interchangeable: “There are white people among us: i.e. me and my father” is totally different from “…: e.g. me and my father”.
- cAtte_ 1y agoit's "my father and I"
- kevin_thibedeau 1y agoThey aren't interchangeable. "i.e." is equivalent to "in other words". "e.g." is "for example".
- lelanthran 1y ago> I think in casual speech at this point (at least in my experience) the two are used interchangeably. How? They don't mean the same thing.
- jjmarr 1y agoThe distinction matters because i.e. implies English is the only non-phonetic language in existence.
- bee_rider 1y agoBetter to get corrected in an informal setting, than to use it wrong on a formal one.