Grammar Questions...

[Keebler Elf]

Ok, I've got two that have been bothering me of late.

First, when is the appropriate time to use "e.g." (for example) vs. "i.e." ?


Second, when listing things when do you put a comma before the last thing? Is it:

Apples, oranges, and grapes.

or is it

Apples, oranges and grapes.

Or is there no hard and first rule?

 

[nautilus]

i.e. means "that is" so you would use it for something specific.

Apple, oranges, and dildos would be the correct example.

 

[homonger]

E.G. can be used instead of "for example", whereas, I.E. can be used instead of "that is".

The comma between the last and 2nd to last item in a sequence is optional. Including it or not including it are both correct.

 

[Stymie]

i think we should move on to the national spelling bee

http://www.spellingbee.com/

 

[Questor]

My book on English Grammar and Usage states E.g. is a linking adverb, abbreviated from the Latin exempli gratia. It stands for 'for example'. E.g. There are many lovely ladies reviewed on Terb; e.g. ladies like Monica, Janda, luv4lust, Mai Ly. Another abbreviation like this is i.e., which is short for Latin id est ('that is'). It links two clauses or ideas, where the second explains the first.

E.g. Big Movie Star was recently banned for being a tool, i.e. his membership was revoked because he did not observe Terb regulations.

As for commas, when there is a list of three or more items, e.g. 'bananas, lemons, and pears' we can put a comma between each pair of items. But the comma between the last two items is optional.

 

[Keebler Elf]

But the comma between the last two items is optional.

Ahh, that's why so many grammar sources differ.

Thanks all.

 

[stinkynuts]

The comma at the end is optional, but it is better to add it to avoid any ambiguity.

e.g. The man went to the store and got some cake, donuts, cookies and cream. vs The man went to the store and got some cakes, donuts, cookies, and cream. In the former, it may be unclear whether cookies and cream are one item, whereas in the second it is clearly two separate items.

 

[WhaWhaWha]

Clearly the man should go back to the store for a fruit or veggie choice. His food choices are not exemplary; i.e. high in fat, carbohydrates, and sugar.

 

[Svend]

Now you've gone and thrown semi-colons into the fray - when should they be used instead of a dash?

 

[stinkynuts]

A single dash is used to string two or more words that describe a noun.

The smoking-hot sp turned out to be a man.
The incall offered an all-you-can-cum special on Christmas eve.

The ellipsis (. . .) is always THREE (no more or less) periods separated by spaces. If it is at the end of a sentence, a final period is added to make it four. . . .

The (--) is TWO dashes with no spaces on each side. It is used to express paranthetical statements which deserve emphasis.

People hate the smell of my nutz--especially in the summer--when I ride the ttc.

The semi colon is exactly the middle ground between a period and a comma. Sometimes you don't want to break a sentence into two parts because it would sound choppy; the use of a comma, however, would not be appropriate. And that's when the semi colon should be used.

One of them most common mistakes I see is the confusion between "your" and "you're".

"You're" is a contraction of "You are."

You are welcome > You're welcome and NOT your welcome
You are so sexy > You're so sexy and NOT your so sexy

 

[mmouse]

Apparently the comma between "and" and the last word is expected in British English, but usually omitted in N. American English.

 

[mmouse]

The (--) is TWO dashes with no spaces on each side. It is used to express paranthetical statements which deserve emphasis.

It's supposed to be a single longer dash called an "Em dash" (width of an "M") which is a different character to the minus sign on your keyboard—like that.

 

[rama putri]

Why doesn't it surprise me this would be a perfect community for this question...

 

[stang]

Use the comma or the "and". Not both.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Why doesn't it surprise me this would be a perfect community for this question...

Proper use of English is something every community should strive for. No ebonics for me thanks.

 

[mmouse]

Use the comma or the "and". Not both.

Leave out the "and", the sentence won't be right.

 

[SucroseFree]

Using the comma at the end always looks weird to me.

There is always some ambiguity in the English language. Using both the comma and the "and" seems redundant and it sounds wrong when read aloud.

 

[shack]

To my understanding, putting the comma before and is not optional but wrong. As I think of it, I don't recall ever seeing it in any publication (book, journal, mag, U.S., Cndn., Brit.) I've ever read.

 

[JANDA]

English is my Second Language; Therefore, my gramma is not very good looking.
However, I still remember wearing my school girl uniform and learning that there are different rules in writting.
It does not matter which English do we use: British or American. The most important is that people understand what we what to say and the message get to the receiver with out interuction.
This is like making love. It does not matter which position do we like. The final objetive is to get a really good ecstasy.

 

[Keebler Elf]

While I agree to a point, using ESL as an excuse for ignoring proper grammar is a poor excuse at best. Quite often when you can't write proper English, you can't speak proper English, and that will hold you back (however slightly) in society.