"...for comparison of equipment used by competitors. (e.g. product A and product B)"

Right or wrong, I would use parenthesis.

Agree with Limey.

My question is whether to stick a comma after the e.g., as in:

"...for comparison of equipment used by competitors (e.g., product A and product B)"

??  Inquiring minds want to know!



 

Good on ya,

Goober Dave

Haven't see the forum policies?  Do so now: Forum Policies
 

I would have to check one of my books (e.g., my high school english book).

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

I had an English teacher in college who would flunk your paper if you didn't put a comma after the period (e.g., the end).  But the grammar checker in Microsoft Word puts a green squiggly under the whole thing.  Since Microsoft Word is the style guide for the world, maybe my teacher was just pedantic.

David

For a formal document I would include the grammatically correct comma, but for informal text (e.g. here at Eng-Tips) I wouldn't bother. It just looks too clunky and many (most ?) people wouldn't know or care that it was wrong.

"...for comparison of equipment used by competitors (e.g., product A and product B)"

I'd do it like this too - with the comma.

f-d

¡papá gordo ain't no madre flaca!

Quote:

Here is an example:     "...for comparison of equipment used by competitors, e.g. product A and product B.

Is the comma in the correct place or should it be moved or should it be a semicolon or should a semicolon be added after the e.g. or...?

The comma after competitors is correct, but there is a missing comma after e.g.  The semicolon should not be used at all.  i.e and e.g should be treated as parenthetical elements and as such, should be set off with commas both before and after.

Since i.e. and e.g. are abbreviations, each letter should be followed by a period, as are all abbreviations.

... for comparison of equipment used by competitors, e.g., product A and product B.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

Quote (CajunCenturion):

...i.e and e.g should be treated as parenthetical elements...

Apparently parenthetical has nothing to do with parentheses?  And yet many others like parentheses in this instance.  I am confused.

Cajun,
I must add that I like your suggestion the best.  For one thing, I think it sounds and looks more elegant if you think how it should sound when speaking it.  The other thing is that I am already guilty of overusing parentheses and dashes and to me it looks cluttery (sorry to coin one) – see what I mean -- using parentheses with i.e. & e.g.
 

metman,

Quote:

par·en·thet·i·cal  (prn-tht-kl)
adj. also par·en·thet·ic (-k)
1. Set off within or as if within parentheses; qualifying or explanatory: a parenthetical remark.
2. Using or containing parentheses.

In other words, it doesn't really need parentheses.

OK I'm sure I knew that from High School but it has been more than 50 yrs and you must acknowledge that it seems a bass-ackwards description.

Thanks for clarifying!

"...for comparison of equipment used by competitors (for example, product A and product B)"

you would (should) put a comma after the "for example" as well. The fact that e.g. is an abbreviation doesn't make a difference.

NX 7.5
Teamcenter 8

Walterke,
OK I think I see what you are getting at.

Now I need to focus on the big pic and stop my nitpicking.

BTW:  I think it is OK to write informally here in tips if it is an informal discussion.  Otherwise I like the professionalism that is typically prevalent here even though I am not a PE.  Some years ago here in tips someone suggested using software, e.g., ms Word before posting on tips and I frequently resort to that as I have done on this posting.  It is so easy for a typo to appear as I noticed in my sign off,i.e., "...maintainablitity" or something like that.

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability and maintainability

shouldn't there be a comma after "manufacturability" ?
or are you combining "manufacturability" and "amintainability" into a single entity (like "reliability") ?

Most style guides agree with most of you and require or suggest the use of the comma, but I leave it out.  I don't claim to be an expert, and would include the comma if the full words are used, but I don't like it after the period.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ie-eg-oh-my.aspx

Word 2010 with APA 5th, APA 6th, Chicago 15th, or MLA 7th doesn't seem to care as both ', e.g., ' and ', e.g. ' do not get flagged as warnings.

"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

b1957 (Aerospace)
5 Dec 11 12:26
shouldn't there be a comma after "manufacturability" ?or are you combining "manufacturability" and "amintainability" into a single entity (like "reliability") ?  
 
Yes you are right.  Thank you I will correct it but right now I need to give a Project status update.

BTW I have been using the following:

               "...for comparison of equipment used by competitors, e.g., product A and product B.

and Word gives no squiggly
 

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability and maintainability

rb1957 (Aerospace)    
5 Dec 11 12:26
shouldn't there be a comma after "manufacturability" ?
or are you combining "manufacturability" and "amintainability" into a single entity (like "reliability") ?

I've always heard that in lists, either way is appropriate. I think it used to be taught that you need a comma before the "and" but then that rule became a lot more lax and now you don't need to put one.

hydrac (Marine/Ocean)
Yes that is what I also learned but I chose to adopt the overkill version.

It is kind of like my friend, Rick, once said, "if something is worth doing, it is worth overdoing."  tee hee

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability, and maintainability

Quote (myself):

people really need to learn how to quote...

NX 7.5
Teamcenter 8

Quote (Walterke):

Quote (myself):

people really need to learn how to quote...

Yes sorry I got in a hurry and got sloppy.  New job with a lot of stress but no excuse.  If I am going to do it, I should do it in the acceptable manner.  And thanks for your polite use of "people."
 

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability, and maintainability

Personally I would usually put parentheses around the example (dependent on context) and not use a comma after eg.

Also modern practice is to leave the stops out of abbreviations eg ie.

HTH
Bill

modern practice doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
cuz else we'd all have 2 be talkin liek dis...

NX 7.5
Teamcenter 8

Since when have the stops been left out of ie & eg etc.?  Not that it will necessarily convince me but is there some well respected, industry relevant, style guide - or similar - that states this?

O.K., don't get me wrong, but let's be clear, e.g., make statements that make sense, i.e., don't say things that aren't clear 'ner more; there 'nuf said, or maybe not for the following reasons: gravity isn't real, terms aren't either; as understood, or....

Matt Lorono, CSWP
Product Definition Specialist, DS SolidWorks Corp
Personal sites:
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources & SolidWorks Legion

"e.g." and "i.e." as well as "etc." and "viz." are Latin words and should be italicized if the text is not, or not if the text is.  Same with in situ.

The italization requirement for e.g., i.e. and etc. are long obsolete as they have been fully adopted by the English language.  I'm not so sure about viz (vis? - or is that French screw?).

As for omitting the periods (stops) from "i.e.", I suggest not, due it causing difficulty in differentiating from a certain Microsoft product that many use. Most of us refer to Internet Explorer as IE and though I capitalize it (usually followd with the version number), not everyone does.

As I wrote that last paragraph, I re-learned the importance of reducing the number of parenthesis.