Well, I am not about to become a Latin usage website because, honestly, I know nothing about Latin. That being said, there are some common phrases that are used in English quite a bit and I have been looking into their proper usage lately.
Here is my brief overview of common Latin abbreviations:
- e.g. stands for exempli gratia and it roughly translates to "for example." It is used to give examples of something that you just stated.
I do not eat at fast food restaurants (e.g., McDonald's and Burger King).
One of my favorite podcasts, Grammar Girl, also points out that you don't need a etc. after your examples because they are merely examples and people will assume that there are others that could be added to the list.
- i.e. stands for id est and it roughly translates to "that is." This is a clarification or explanation of what you just stated.
I only like food that is served fast by restaurants (i.e., frozen desserts and sodas).
In the case of i.e. the writer is not giving examples, they are a clarification, and it can be assumed that they are the only foods the writer likes.
- et al. is actually the abbreviation for two Latin phrases: et alibi and et alii. Et Alibi means "and elsewhere" and its abbreviation can be used used at the end of a list of places to denote that the list continues. Et Alii means "and others," you will often see et alli's abbreviation used at the end of a list of people indicating that there are more people who remain unlisted.
- etc. stands for et cetera and it is translated to "and the rest." This abbreviation is often found at the end of lists when et al. does not apply. You do not want to ever end a list with the phrase "and etc." because this translates to "and and the rest."
