One reader was pleased that the article ‘
Misused words that can make you look stupid’ made last Sunday’s reader favourites’ list, and brought back memories of her education on the meanings of ‘
i.e.’ and ‘
e.g.’
“Thanks for re-printing this great article!” wrote JoAnne Mitchell, the owner-consultant of Effective Training & Communications Plus in Port Stanley, Ont. “Two other terms that get misused are the Latin abbreviations i.e. and e.g. Many people use them interchangeably but the each have a totally separate meaning.”
Mitchell recounted her days working for the insurer
AXA, remembering how the then-CEO’s Administrative Assistant Diane Massey taught her the proper use of abbreviations.
“
e.g., is short for the Latin ‘exempli gratia’ meaning for example. It’s used when you want to cite one or more examples in a sentence such as: ‘A floater is used to add coverage,
e.g., a sign floater,’” explained Mitchell. “
i.e. is short for the Latin
‘id est’ which means that is, namely, or in other words. Use it to clarify your point such as: ‘A floater provides coverage that is valid both on and away from the insured premises -
i.e., it is not location specific.’”
The article was our most read among brokers and insurers – and remained among
Insurance Business’ most discussed for several days.
To see the original article, ‘
Misused words that can make you look stupid,’ click
here.
Have you caught someone misusing the language – or been caught out yourself? Leave a comment below and share something we all have in common: looking foolish on occasion.
