Why does nobody on Yahoo! Answers seem to know the diference between "i.e." and "e.g."?

Answer 1

I don't think it's just Yahoo! Answers, I think it's the majority of the population.

I think the confusion comes from the fact that not only are i.e. and e.g. abbreviations, which make them arbitrary if you are unfamiliar with the words, but even the words themselves (exempli gratia and id est) are latin.

I just avoid using either most of the time.

Answer 2

Actually it's something I've often wondered about too.

The correct answer has been given many times already, and i like to think of i.e. (that is) as being a further detail or explanation of what has been stated, and (e.g. for example) as being an abbreviated list from the full set of things being described.

What I have noticed is that most Americans use i.e. for both.

Answer 3

English is a well florished language in the world at the same time, most of the people using the lanuage mother tongue is different. If you have found any person born out of England mispelled or ignorance may be crucial. In the yahoo news room you could found an information regarding UK students are getting week in English and maths, which may shifted the jobs to China and India like that.

Answer 4

The Latin abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g." come up very frequently in writing and would probably come up more often if people were more sure of when it is right to use "i.e." and when "e.g." is required. To me, the only way to figure it out is to know what they stand for.
i.e.
"I.e." stands simply for "that is," which written out fully in Latin is 'id est'. "I.e." is used in place of "in other words," or "it/that is." It specifies or makes more clear.
e.g.
"E.g." means "for example" and comes from the Latin expression exempli gratia, "for the sake of an example," with the noun exemplum in the genitive to go with gratia in the ablative . "E.g." is used in expressions similar to "including," when you are not intending to list everything that is being discussed.
Examples of i.e. and e.g.:
I.E. Id EstI'm going to the place where I work best, i.e., the coffee shop. [There is only one place that I am claiming is best for my work. By using "i.e.", I am telling you I am about to specify it.]E.G. Exempli GratiaAt the places where I work best, e.g., Starbuck's, I have none of the distractions I have at home. [There are lots of coffee shops I like, but Starbuck's is the only international one, so it's the only "example" that would work.]Italics
I.e. and e.g. are such common Latin abbreviations that they do not require italicization.

(As a side note: Some of the responses here are self-contradicting, e.g., people cannot speak proper english or type even close to correctly, but they sure know what i.e. and e.g. are. Somehow, I think I sense some plagarism.)

Answer 5

Okay, i.e. is the abbreviation for 'that is' and e.g. is the abbreviation for 'for example'. So, I guess I know the difference and I didn't even have to look it up in the dictionary. Do I get the 10 points or what?

Answer 6

They are slightly different from each other:
I would use i.e. to mean "that is to say...." or "in other words..."
and e.g. before an example for clarity of what I had just mentioned.
They can be used sparingly in writing, but some people try to use them in speaking too, which sounds weird!

Answer 7

.e. is an abbreviation for Latin id est, "that is." E.g. is for exempli gratia, "for the sake of example." So you can say, "I like citrus fruits, e.g., oranges and lemons"; or, "I like citrus fruits, i.e. the juicy, edible fruits with leathery, aromatic rinds of any of numerous tropical, usually thorny shrubs or trees of the genus Citrus." In the first sentence you are simply giving an instance of a citrus fruit; in the second you are giving an explanation. E.g. simply indicates an example; i.e. specifies, explains. Compare: She loves to read non-fiction, e.g., reference books and how-to books vs. He had one obvious flaw, i.e. his laziness.

Answer 8

Oh, surely, some people must know the diference. Or if not that, then maybe the difference.

Answer 9

I think I know the difference. I believe, i.e. means 'That Is' and e.g. means 'For Example'.

Answer 10

I haven't noticed that here any more than anywhere else. I just used e.g. correctly a couple posts ago, myself.

I recognize your handle from a confusing typo you made here:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgZ5aUixpwyHWZnDAqxlAZTsy6IX?qid=20060816234717AAS2tUx

A lot of people aren't perfect.