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We rarely speak in Latin<\/strong> today, although a few fragments and quotes have made their way into everyday English usage. Many of us will invoke carpe diem<\/em><\/strong> when setting out to seize our day, or at least have a second dessert. There are occasions, however, when an abbreviation<\/strong>, taken from Latin, is commonly used when writing<\/u> in English. These abbreviations are important to know. It is equally important not to confuse or misuse them.<\/p>\n This abbreviation of the phrase, \u201cfor example\u201d comes from the Latin exempli gratia<\/em>. Periods always follow each letter, with a comma following the abbreviation, unless the example is a single word. It is commonly used as part of a parenthetical statement.<\/p>\n I checked all the most authoritative news sources (e.g, The New York Times, The Guardian).<\/em><\/p>\n Taken literally, this is short for \u201cThat is…”, and it comes to us from the Latin id est<\/em>. I often rephrase it to mean, “In other words.” \u00a0As with e.g.<\/strong>, periods follow each letter, but a comma following this abbreviation may not be necessary. We generally use i.e. when specificity is needed.<\/p>\n Hemingway was already smitten with future wife number three \u2013 i.e. Martha Gellhorn.<\/em><\/p>\n Derived from the Latin et cetera<\/em>, it literally means \u201c\u2026and the rest\u201d, and commonly can substitute for \u201c\u2026and so forth.\u201d Or \u201c…and so on\u201d. It is used in a list of things. It is commonly spelled, in English, as a single word, etcetera<\/strong>, and is accepted in that form by many English dictionaries. Always put a comma before it if using it as part of a list of two or more items, but the comma is unnecessary if only one item is mentioned.<\/p>\n I assembled all the recipe\u2019s ingredients, including the sugar, the spices, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n I assembled all the recipe\u2019s ingredients, like the flour etc.<\/em><\/p>\n Okay, this gets a little complicated. As you may know, Latin has gender<\/strong>, and this phrase is not gender neutral because it is used to refer to a list of people. It can be an abbreviation for\u00a0et alia<\/em>\u00a0(neuter plural). But it can also be an abbreviation for\u00a0et alii <\/em>(masculine plural), or\u00a0et aliae<\/em>\u00a0(feminine plural). In any case, this phrase means \u201c…and others.\u201d The abbreviation period only follows al.<\/p>\n He ranks among the best actors of his generation, such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, et al.<\/em><\/p>\n There are several other things to keep in mind when using these abbreviations. If an abbreviation is used at the end of a sentence, the period at the end is sufficient. There is no need to add any final punctuation. Also, remember that these are abbreviations, and are properly used near the end of sentences, never at the beginning.<\/p>\n Finally, while to do so would not actually be improper, we rarely use these abbreviations in speech. Otherwise, the common English meanings of the abbreviations are used.<\/p>\n \u201cI checked all the most authoritative news sources \u2013 for example, The New York Times<\/em>, The Guardian<\/em>…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHemingway was already smitten with future wife number three \u2013 in other words, Martha Gellhorn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe ranks among the best actors of his generation, such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, and others\u201d.<\/p>\n The notable exception, as stated earlier, is etcetera, which has come to be accepted in English dictionaries despite being Latin.<\/p>\n \u201cI assembled all the recipe\u2019s ingredients, including the sugar, the spices, etcetera\u201d<\/p>\n Although, thanks to actor Yul Brenner<\/strong> and a famous scene from The King and I<\/em><\/strong>, many people can\u2019t help but repeat etcetera three times.<\/p>\n1. e.g.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. i.e.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3. etc.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. et al.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
And remember\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n