In English Articles

The Latin Abbreviations i.e., e.g., etc. & et al.

English language as we use in our day to day life comprises of several abbreviations that belong to the Latin origin. Let's have a look at some of these words that are common in everyday English language: -




i.e. and e.g.

• I.e. - I.e stands for "id est" which is Latin for "in other words". You can remember i.e. with "in essence" thereby making it easy to remember with the meaning and the correct place to use it.

Example: The test will be held after two days i.e. on the coming Wednesday

• E.g. - E.g. originally stands for "example gratia" which in English is an alternative for "for example". Its usage is sometimes remembered by the pseudonym "example given" thus using the words at the correct place and not losing its literal meaning at the same time.

Example: The students had frequently exhibited irresponsible behaviour (e.g., coming late, failing to complete projects).

i.e, clearly says that more precise information is being provided. e.g. on the other hand gives one or more possible examples.Where e.g. opens up more options, i.e. narrows them down.

etc. and et al.

• etc. - etc. is short for "et cetera," is a Latin origin word which means "and the rest". We use etc. to avoid giving a list of some items of similar kind.

Example: I would require pens, pencils, charts etc. for my project.

• et al - Et al. is an abbreviation for et alia (neuter plural). This phrase simply means "and others."

Example: Sachin, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Kohli are great cricketers. This can be written as - Sachin et al. are great cricketers.

We commonly use etc. in formal and informal writing, whereas et al. is mostly used in bibliographical writing. etc. applies to things, et al. applies to people.

Grammar tips -

[There are many migration birds in India e.g. Bar Headed Goose, Greater flamingo etc.] Here etc. should not be added at the end, because e.g. itself means we are providing few examples.

Never begin a sentence with any of these abbreviations; if you want to begin a sentence with them always write the words out.