Language: abbreviations

An abbreviation is a ahort version of a word, e.g., 'e.g.', 'i.e.' and 'etc.'.

'e.g.', 'i.e.' and 'etc.' are abbreviations for Latin words, but they are common in English writing (and sometimes in speaking - 'etc' is quite often used in conversation).

e.g. means 'for example'. It is usually used in the middle of a sentence, but sometimes at the beginning. E.g.:

I want to see more Johnny Depp movies, e.g., Edward Scissorhands, What's Eating Gilbert Grape...

He had a lot of problems, e.g., anger, drug abuse, failed relationships...

i.e. means 'that is'. It is often confused with 'e.g.'. As a tip, use 'i.e.' if there is only one example.

I want to see my favourite Johnny Depp movie, i.e., 'Neverland'.

He had a serious problem, i.e., drug abuse.

etc. (if you're speaking, it's pronounced: 'et cetera') means 'and so on'. If you are giving a list which is not complete, you can put 'etc' on the end. This means there are other items you did not list.

Etc. should come at the end of a sentence.

I watched a lot of great Johnny Depp movies: Edward Scissorhands, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, etc.

He had some serious problems; anger, drug abuse, failed relationships, etc.

Some people (ie, me), often don't put periods in the words (eg, 'eg' instead of 'e.g.'). But the correct way is to use periods.

These words may be difficult to use or understand at first, but they are really common in English writing.