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Subject:Re: Correct Wording for Examples From:Elna Tymes <etymes -at- LTS -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 22 Nov 1996 16:12:21 -0800
Gillian McGarvey wrote:
> Is it correct that we generally shouldn't use abbreviations like "e.g."
> and "i.e." in order to avoid giving the user any extraneaous terms that
> cause the reader to process more info than they must already?
No, it is NOT correct to avoid using these abbreviations, which are in
wide use in the non-technical audience.
If you're getting static from a technical reviewer on this, point out
that most users generally know what e.g. and i.e. mean. If you have
doubts about the literacy levels of your user, you can spell them out.
> And, if the answer to the above is yes, what is the correct punctuation
> for the following sentence? (pls ignore the yucky wording of the example)
> "Below admin.ini are the Group INI files which are named by the group,
> for example, staff.grp and library.grp."
According to the rules for using e.g. and i.e., my Chicago Manual of
Style (section 5.62) says "A comma is usually used afer such expressions
as that is, namely, i.e., and e.g." So the punctuation in your example
is correct.
