Little Book of Confusables

Eg and ie: what’s the difference?

If you want to use eg and ie in your writing, make sure you know the difference.

I don’t like abbreviations in writing.

They’re lazy and usually unnecessary.

But that’s just me.

If you’re going to use eg and ie in your writing, these tips will help you get it right.

eg and ie: the difference

• eg means ‘for example‘ or ‘such as

ie means ‘in other words

It helps to remember for egsample.

eg and ie in use

Here are some examples of how to use eg and ie correctly – and how to avoid them altogether:

Instead of writing:
I love savoury food, eg cheese, crisps, crackers, and nuts.

You could write:
I love savoury food, such as cheese, crisps, crackers, and nuts.

Or, even simpler:
I love savoury food – cheese, crisps, crackers, and nuts.

Instead of writing:
I’m doing my favourite thing tonight, ie dancing.

You could write:
I’m doing my favourite thing tonight – dancing, in other words.

Even simpler:
I’m doing my favourite thing tonight – dancing.

I hope this helps you to remember the difference between eg and ie in future – and to think about whether you really need to use them.

Everyday vs every day: tips to remember the difference

Do you know when to write EVERYDAY and when it should be EVERY DAY? These simple tips will help you get it right.

Driving up the M5 recently I overtook a Poundland lorry emblazoned with the company’s slogan: Amazing value everyday!

If I hadn’t been driving, I’d have thrown large objects in protest. Because what it should say, of course, is Amazing value every day!

Confusing everyday with every day is a common mistake, but there’s a simple tip to make sure you get it right.

If you can replace every day with each day, use every day. For example, ‘I watch TV every day’.

Everyday is an adjective meaning ‘commonplace’, and is used to describe a noun. For example, ‘an everyday occurrence’ means something that happens every day.

Remember, Poundland: your stock may be cheap, but good grammar costs nothing. Unless you paid an expensive ad agency to come up with a bum tagline, of course.

Get more tips in The Little Book of Confusables

Confusables: EVERY DAY vs EVERYDAY. Simple spelling tips to remember the difference, from The Little Book of Confusables

EVERY DAY vs EVERYDAY. Excerpt from The Little Book of Confusables by Sarah Townsend.