Hello,
Please find me an authoritative source describing the proper use and
punctuation of the Latin abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g."
(Dang, okay, and a bonus if you can tell me the correct punctuation to
end the preceding sentence.)
I know that their general meanings are:
i.e. - "that is"
e.g. - "for example"
I want to know the grammatical rules for the use of these
abbreviations.  For example, must they only be used within
parentheses?
In terms of punctuation, I specifically want to know whether the
abbreviations must always be followed by a comma (i.e., like this) or
whether it is legal to use them without a comma (e.g. this way).  If
both are legal, perhaps one is preferred for formal writing?

For some reason I'm having trouble finding an authoritative answer on this.
Examples would be very helpful.

Oh, and if it makes any difference, I'm using American English, and do
most of my formal writing in the context of academic literature
(scientific) or professional correspondence.
Thank you.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 03 May 2006 06:56 PDT

Comma, always.  And they generally should be italicized:


http://www.bartleby.com/68/39/2139.html
The Columbia Guide to Standard American English


...Note carefully the punctuation and typeface (roman or italic)
requirements of use; these may vary with the publisher. Most editors
put them in italics; all require a comma after the second period.



Does that do the trick?


pafalafa-ga

Hi uniace,

Here you go, from the "Chicago Manual of Syle".
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/tools.html

Under TOOLS
Type:  "e.g."
Click: "Q & A - Abbreviations"

Q. Would you please explain when to use ?e.g.? and when to use ?i.e.?? Thank you.
A. Certainly. Both are abbreviations for Latin phrases: id est (?that
is?) and exempli gratia (?for the sake of example?). So use ?i.e.?
when you want to rephrase something you?ve already said, and use
?e.g.? when you want to offer an example. Put a comma before and
after; avoid using both in the same sentence; and try not to use
either in formal prose. And (a bonus tip) if you start a list with
?e.g.,? there?s no need to put ?etc.? at the end.
If the applicant is currently one of our tuition-paying clients, i.e.,
a student, the fee may be waived.
The best ingredients for pizza are green, e.g., spinach, artichokes,
and green peppers.
The best ingredients for pizza are green: spinach, olives, etc.

So, the answers to your questions are:

1. For example, must they only be used within parentheses?
No.

2. I specifically want to know whether the abbreviations must always
be followed by a comma (i.e., like this)
Yes (before and after)

Please find me an authoritative source describing the proper use and
punctuation of the Latin abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g."
3. (Dang, okay, and a bonus if you can tell me the correct punctuation
to end the preceding sentence.)

Well, you wouldn't end a sentence in that way because you would be
leaving the sentence dangling, waiting for an example of what you just
said! However, if you want to know where to put punctuation after
quotation marks, it all depends on if you are using the American or
British system.

Under TOOLS
Type:  "Quotation Marks"
Click: "Q & A - Quotations"

Q. Apparently Americans enclose periods commas inside quotation marks,
but do the British do it that way too???
A. In what is sometimes called the British style (see paragraph 6.10),
only those punctuation points that appeared in the original material
should be included within the quotation marks; all others follow the
closing quotation marks. This system works best with single quotation
marks. (The British tend to use double quotation marks only for
quotations within quotations.)

American:
I'm sure an online reference, e.g., "The Chicago Manual of Style,"
will be an excellent resource for you.

British:
I'm sure an online reference, e.g., "The Chicago Manual of Style",
will be an excellent resource for you.

I enjoyed working on this for you. If you have any questions, please
post a clarification request and wait for me to respond before
closing/rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

I searched the "Chicago Manual of Style" as above.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by uniace-ga on 03 May 2006 13:40 PDT

Great; thanks.
You've answered the question well and I will give you a good rating.
Just still wondering about the (unrelated) bonus question.  I know the
American rule of keeping punctuation within the quotes, but what
happens when the quote already ends with punctuation?  Would I do the
following?

Please find me an authoritative source describing the proper use and
punctuation of the Latin abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g.."

Two periods in a row?  Or put the period outside the quotes?

Please find me an authoritative source describing the proper use and
punctuation of the Latin abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g.".

Both look bizarre.  It boggles the mind.  Even without the quotes, you
end up with either two periods in a row or a sentence that looks
incomplete.
Of course, I could just try to rephrase the sentence to avoid such a
scenario, but I'm still curious about what protocol would be in such a
case.

---

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 03 May 2006 16:53 PDT

Hi chloe123456,

I'm sorry if I misunderstood you.  I've looked at many websites (I'll
copy a few below) and thought about it at length, and here is what
I've come up with.

The two important rules:
1. Use only one period.
2. At the end of a sentence, put the period inside the quotation mark.

Therefore, your sentence is correct the way you have it.

Please find me an authoritative source describing the proper use and
punctuation of the Latin abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g."

"e.g.." Wrong because of the double periods.
"e.g.". Wrong because the period goes inside, not outside, the quotation.
So, if you put the period inside the quotation mark, it gets taken
away because you only need one period.

Sorry I couldn't find an example online, but at least the rules are clear.

Guide to Grammar and Style ? P
More important: what if one of those abbreviations with a period
appears at the end of a sentence? ? do you use another period to end
the sentence, or is one enough?
This one is simple enough: never double up periods. If a statement
ends with "etc." the period in the abbreviation does double duty,
serving as the full stop to end the sentence. If, however, you need
another mark of punctuation after an abbreviation, you can put it
after the period. So:
 * This was her first trip to the U.S. (The period does double-duty,
ending both the abbreviation and the sentence.)
 * Is this your first trip to the U.S.? (The period ends the
abbreviation, but the question mark ends the sentence.)
 * On her first trip to the U.S., Kristina lost her passport. (The
period ends the abbreviation, but the sentence keeps going after the
comma.)
The only thing to remember: don't double the periods. Everything else
is logical enough.
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html 

A sentence can have only one terminal punctuation mark. When you've
reached the terminal, you've reached the end.
Quotation Marks Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks.
Colons and semicolons always go outside quotation marks. With question
marks and exclamation points, it depends: If the punctuation is part
of the quotation, put it inside the quotation marks; if it's not part
of the quotation, put it outside.
http://www.colorado.edu/Publications/styleguide/punctuation.html 

Watch out for punctuation around Latin abbreviations! The periods that
are part of the abbreviation are not used for sentence and clause
punctuation (except that an abbreviation at the end of a declarative
sentence does not need a double period). The abbreviations i.e. and
e.g. should almost always have a comma after them (i.e., like this).
You are probably better often avoiding Latin abbreviations."
http://www.cse.ucsc.edu/~karplus/185/w99/reader/A_Grammar_and_format.html 

When an abbreviation falls at the end of a sentence, use only one period:
Government is the business of Washington, D.C.
http://www.uark.edu/~kshurlds/FOJ/punc.html 

e) All sentences, even those with quoted material at the end, must end
with a period, and the period replaces rather than follows the
original punctuation ?in the quotation.?  Do not let question and
exclamation marks fool you:  ?Why did you think they would actually
change the punctuation as a whole?? (14).
 http://www.english.udel.edu/kharbot/write/quickndirtygrammar.html

I hope that helps!
hummer

completely excellent (i.e., awesome)

Thank you, uniace, for your nice note, e.g., "completely excellent",
nice rating, i.e., five stars, and tip, i.e., $3.00.  However, given
that "i.e." needs a comma before and after it, I think it would be
better for you to use "completely excellent, i.e., awesome."

I surely will be more aware of my punctuation now, thanks to you!
hummer