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The expressions “e.g.,” “i.e.,” and “et al.” are very useful in writing. Depending on the situation, some people actually use it in spoken language as well.

Because these are Latin expressions and mostly just letters, it is easy to get them confused. Learning what they stand for may help you remember them.

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Exempli Gratia (e.g.)

The abbreviation “e.g.” stands for the Latin expression exemplī grātiā, meaning “for example.” In American English, you should use it in parenthesis. Compare the following sentences:

• Several social psychological factors, for example, motivation and attitudes, affect the acquisition of a second language.
• Several social psychological factors (e.g., motivation and attitudes) affect the acquisition of a second language.

Id Est (i.e.)

The abbreviation “i.e.” stands for the Latin expression id est, meaning “that is.” As with “e.g.,” you should use it in parenthesis in American English. Compare the following sentences:

• Motivation, that is>, the general willingness to act or behave in a certain way, is an important factor in second-language acquisition.
• Motivation (i.e., the general willingness to act or behave in a certain way) is an important factor in second-language acquisition.

Et Alia (et al.)

The expression “et al.” stands for et alia, meaning “and others.” It is used to cite a long list of names (e.g., in an essay) so that you can provide only the first one or two. This makes it particularly useful when citing work by several authors.

• In the article How phase discriminators can be used in lab situations effectively, Johnson, Pereira et al. reported the results of their two-year experiments with phase discriminator technology.

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