"e.g." and "i.e." & apostrophes

[zamboe]

Isn't gramatics a pain ?, we agree on that.

Since english isn't my mother language, I get confused all time, when I read your posts here, because most of the time I don't know if what you wrote is gramatically correct or not.

I've read the use of "e.g" and "i.e" in such a different ways that I had to find some explanation to how use them correctly.

So I've found out this short explanation, it is to be hoped that you'll use it too.

"Finally, just to set the record straight, "i.e." means "that is" and "e.g" means "for example." You don't care which Latin words the letters stand for and we don't remember. Just take our word for it. For example: "We asked the human pustule, i.e., Jerry's cousin, to keep his distance from our pizza," "The continents are made up of various layers of rock, e.g., granite and basalt," and "It was inappropriate for the best man, i.e., you, to make comments about various aspects of the groom's past, e.g., the drugs, the gambling, the whoring, and the war crimes." In order to make sure you don't make errors with these two pesky little abbreviations, just say "that is" in your head whenever you write "i.e." and "for example" if "e.g." is what you want to write. That way you won't mess up unless you have the I.Q. of a vegetable, e.g., a potato, in which case we can't help you much. "

-btw lowzeewee you'll get the grammar fed2k award again ;)...

[Dante]

Looks like Nema's kind of topic. . . Grammer!

[nemafakei]

{raises an eyebrow at Apollyon's deliberate mistake}

XCH has previously pointed out the proper use of i.e. - i.e., the addition of a comma after the second full stop. Note also e.g. is best used with a colon e.g.: this sentence.

[zamboe]

I kept reading some short explanations, I've read this mistake some times (I am sure I made it several times before myself), so here you are some remards about the use apostrophes to indicate possession.

"When you want to indicate possession with a singular noun, whether it ends in an "s" or not, you add an apostrophe and an "s" on the end. For example: "the midget's pathos," "the pathos's source" and "the source's nature." The only exception to this is the word "it," with which you indicate possession by adding an "s" alone (i.e., "its"), because the word "it's" is a contraction meaning "it is." When you want to indicate possession with a plural noun which ends in any letter other than "s," you add an apostrophe and an "s" on the end. For example: "the people's champion," "the hippopotami's excrement," and "the geese's habitat." When you want to indicate possession with a plural noun which ends in "s," you add an apostrophe on the end. For example: "the peoples' champions," "the debutantes' routine," and "the undergarments' impenetrability." That's all there is to say about indicating possession with apostrophes."

What I can say after reading that is that I still don't undersntand 100% the plural thing.... ???

[Apollyon]

{raises an eyebrow at Apollyon's deliberate mistake}

XCH has previously pointed out the proper use of i.e. - i.e., the addition of a comma after the second full stop. Note also e.g. is best used with a colon e.g.: this sentence.

*Raises Eyebrow at Nema's amusing mistake*

Damnit fool, I wouldn't make a deliberate mistake! I make enough regular ones as it is! :D

[nemafakei]

To form the genitive, simply add 's, Except:

it > its

Anything ending in s (not just plurals) becomes s'

I think that is all.

Hence, your "the pathos's source" should be "the pathos' source"

Sorry, Apollyon! I get the avatars confused for some bizarre reason. That should read : Dust Scout's deliberate mistake.