You could also try memorizing a bizarre example sentence using the correct abbreviation, such as “The best way to drive unicorns out of your neighborhood is to play them loud Baroque classical music (i. e. , complicated classical music composed between 1600-1750). ”[3] X Research source

The elephant is a pachyderm, i. e. , a large animal with thick skin and nails on feet resembling hooves. I went to my least favorite place (i. e. , the dentist). Note that what follows “i. e. " is often a further explanation. This can also be a metaphor. If you substitute “i. e. " with “in other words” the sentences still make sense. If you plug in “for example” they do not.

Buy some vegetables, e. g. , carrots. I like power metal (e. g. , Firewind, Iced Earth, Sonata Arctica). Observe how using “i. e. " wouldn’t make sense in these examples. “Carrots” is not another way to describe vegetables in general, it is just one of the many foods that are considered to be vegetables. If you wanted to use “i. e. " you would write “Buy some vegetables, i. e. , the edible part of any plant. " Likewise, the bands given are examples of power metal, but not a description. If you were using “i. e. " you would write something like “I like power metal, i. e. , fast metal with symphonic elements and epic themes. "

For example, if you’re writing a paper and want to provide some examples of sources that argue a particular point, use e.
g.
“Some studies (e. g. , Smith, 2015; Yao, 1999) support this assertion, while others – for example, Abdullah’s (2013) research on pizza and topping choice – disagree. ” Use i. e. to provide short clarifications and a phrase to provide longer or more detailed clarifications: “In our research we altered the order of image display (i. e. , first, second, or third) as well as their color scheme, that is, whether we had applied a blue or green filter. ”

For American English usage, you should always put a comma right after both “i. e. " and “e. g. " as shown in the examples above. For British English usage, do not put a comma right after either “i. e. " or “e. g. "

For example, APA Style, the official style of the American Psychological Association, is used widely in the social sciences and in professions like journalism. APA states that you should always put a comma after e. g. and i. e. when using them: “Some sources (e. g. , Janet, 2010; Jeff, 2015) argue that mushrooms are tasty” and “There are three meals in the day (i. e. , breakfast, lunch, and dinner)”. [6] X Research source

The sentence “His favorite type of sandwich is an open-faced sandwich (i. e. , one that uses only one piece of bread rather than two)” represents correct usage of i. e. The sentence “His favorite type of sandwich is an open-faced sandwich (i. e. , a panini or similar type of sandwich)” represents incorrect usage, because “a panini or similar type of sandwich” is NOT directly equivalent to “an open-faced sandwich. ”