Everything English

Consider the following pairs of examples:

Here is a variety of dry fruits, i.e., fruits that are dried to remove moisture.

Eddy is fond of eating dry fruits, e.g., fig, apricot, raisins, prunes, dates, etc.

The hospital is working towards prevention of communicable diseases, i.e., infectious diseases that are transmitted from person to person.

The hospital is working towards prevention of communicable diseases, e.g., malaria, gastroenteritis, dengue, measles, etc.

My kids love wind instruments, i.e., instruments that produce music by the vibrating sounds of air.

My kids love musical instruments, i.e., clarinet, harmonica, trumpet, flute, etc.

In the first example in each of the above pairs, “i.e.” is followed by a specific explanation to what has been said preceding it (i.e.). So the second part of the sentence (after i.e.) talks about the first part as a matter of explaining the preceding part.

In the second example in each of the above pairs, “e.g.” is followed by specific examples about what has been said before it (e.g.). So the second part of the sentence (after e.g.) talks about the first part by way of citing examples.

Both i.e. and e.g. are Latin abbreviations for “id est” (meaning, that is) and “exempli gratia” (meaning, for example) respectively, but their usage has been established in English as well. So “i.e.” and “e.g.” are written without italics. In American English, i.e. and e.g. are invariably followed by a comma while forming sentences.

A good tip to remember their exact usage:

i.e. = in other words

e.g. = example