These questions ask you to distinguish abbreviations and formal-looking adjectives by the relationship or meaning they express. Replace an abbreviation with ordinary words, or test the premise for a precise signal such as importance, efficiency or an absence of breaks.
Substitute a plain meaning
For i.e. and e.g., read the sentence twice: first with that is, then with for example. For adjective pairs, ask what claim the writer intends rather than choosing the form that merely sounds more formal. Strong wording should establish the intended contrast.
| Signal | Form and a fresh example |
|---|---|
| Equivalent restatement versus sample | Use i.e. when the second expression restates the first: The route is circular, i.e. it ends where it begins. Use e.g. for a non-exhaustive example: Wear a reflective item, e.g. a bright armband. Because e.g. already leaves the list open, etc. after it is redundant. |
| Momentous versus connected with history | Use historic for exceptional importance in history: The vote was a historic decision. Use historical for relation to the past or its study: She compared historical weather records. |
| The economy versus efficient use of resources | Use economic for matters of the economy: The region faces economic uncertainty. Use economical for something inexpensive or sparing: Cycling is an economical way to commute. |
| Exemplary work versus established artistic tradition | Use classic for something enduringly admired or typical: That comedy is a classic. Use classical for an ancient or formal artistic tradition: He studies classical architecture. |
| Repeated with breaks versus unbroken | Use continual when something stops and returns: Continual interruptions slowed the meeting. Use continuous when it never stops: A continuous line ran around the page. |
Precision traps
| Temptation | How to reject it |
|---|---|
| E.g. before a definition, or i.e. before one sample | Ask whether the second expression has the same scope as the first. Equal scope calls for i.e.; one member of a wider class calls for e.g. |
| Etc. added after e.g. | Both signals say that the examples are not exhaustive. Keep e.g. and end the sample list without repeating that message. |
| Historical used merely to make a major event sound formal | Historical only connects something with history. Use historic when the premise explicitly marks the event as momentous or unusually significant. |
| Economic used to mean cheap or efficient | Economic classifies a connection with the economy. Low cost or careful use of fuel, money or materials requires economical. |
| Continuous used when pauses are stated | Any stated stopping and restarting rules out the unbroken meaning. Repeated activity with intervals is continual. |
Try it
Write the conventional dotted abbreviation meaning 'for example' in this sentence: Pack a warm layer, ___ a fleece jacket.
The detective novel remains a ___ of the genre and is still widely read eighty years later.
- classical
- historic
- classic
- historical
Which sentences use a word from this topic as an adjective directly modifying a noun? Select all that apply.
- A historical map hangs in the corridor.
- The alarm produced one continuous tone.
- That detective novel is a classic.
- Use e.g. before a non-exhaustive example.