Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
I happened upon this as I was searching for intended examples of incorrect usage. The first example I found, however, was not deliberately made. Even more interesting was the nature of the website.
http://www.suite101.com/content/commonly-misused-words-a102043
Fewer: used for things that can be counted as individual units (i.e., people, trees, kilometres, minutes)
Less: used for things that cannot be counted as individual units (i.e., time, distance, sugar, water)
I.e. is an abbreviation for the Latin id est, meaning “that is.” It indicates that an explanation or implication is about to follow.
John will have my car next week – i.e., I will have to walk to work.
E.g. is an abbreviation for the Latin exempli gratia, meaning “for (the sake of) example.” It precedes a list of examples.
John has borrowed a number of things from me that he has returned sullied, e.g., my lawn chair, my Steelers jersey, and my daughter.
Last edited by slimjaxn (2011-01-22 11:52:13)
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This is a very common usage —quite clearly standard for many. I think, though, that for most of those who use it it is not eggcornous because it does not involve any semantic restructuring. For many of them both i.e. and e.g. mean essentially “abbreviation that (incomprehensibly) means ‘for instance’â€. So it is a garden-variety malapropism rather than the special kind that constitutes an eggcorn.
Or do you see how they would be construing something different in the two cases?
In any case, you come well, e.g. welcome to the forum.
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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