This is simply a part of my own fascination with language. I became curious as to what exactly an e.g. is or an et al. I’m comfortable with etc. and i.e., but I did get curious about the punctuation with them, well, with all four of these Latin abbreviations.
This fascination would probably be a moot point, if I’d only taken Latin with my sister back in high school. To think I used to laugh at her for learning a dead language. Well, she’s still having the last laugh . . . And I’m still wishing I had taken Latin along with her.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| e.g., | et al. | etc., | i.e., |
|---|---|---|---|
 — |
 — |
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |||
| Abbreviation | Abbreviation | Abbreviation | Abbreviation |
| exempli gratia, for example
It introduces a list of some possibilities Always include a comma after the g. or gratia |
et alii, and other people, and others
Always use a period if using the abbreviation, et al. Used when referring to people too numerous to mention Caution: Use only for people; for things, see etc.. |
et cetera / etcetera, “and the other things, the rest”
Used at the end of a list to indicate that further, similar items are included. May also indicate the list is too tedious or clichéd to give in full. Always include a comma after the etc. if it’s not the end of the sentence. If it is the end of the sentence, you only need the period at the end of etc.; never use two periods! No Caution: Use only for things; for people, see et al. NEVER use with and, as in and etc. — the et is Latin for and. |
id est, “in other words”, “that is”
Always include a comma after the e. or est Usually a finite list or item |
| Examples: | |||
| Using “e.g.” indicates what I like to read and includes these genres among others, in other words, for example:
I love to read, e.g., mysteries, paranormal, history, and military fiction. |
Using et al. includes every person associated with Gardner and his conclusions.
These are the conclusions of Gardner et al. Style Guides Have Differing Rules ASA: When there are three or more authors, use et al. for subsequent citations, e.g., the first one would read “Jones, Smith, and Brown 1995” while subsequent citations would read “Jones et al. 1995” When there are four or more authors, use et al. in all citations, e.g., Jones et al. 1995 ASA seems flexible about a comma with examples that use or don’t use the comma, e.g., “Jones et al. 1995” or “Jones et al., 1995” Chicago: Use in the note when there are four or more authors, e.g., Jones et al. MLA: You may choose to use et al. in the citations and/or bibliography when there are four or more authors, e.g., Jones et al. |
Useful for indicating sarcasm (who me?)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, etc., etc., etc. We’re trying to resolve problems of obtaining equipment, drugs, etcetera. We’ve all got to do our duty, pull our weight, et cetera, et cetera. The we’re supposed to clean the bathroom after we do our rooms, and then we have to mow the lawn, etc., and then . . . |
Using “i.e.,” restricts what I love to read to only these genres.
I love to read, i.e., mysteries, paranormal, history, and military fiction. |
| History of the Words: | |||
| Latin | |||
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for E.g., Et al., Etc., and I.e.
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Revised as of 31 May 2024
By: Kathy Davie