It's OK to use "etc." when you can only think of one example, amirite?

Bed, Bath, Etc.

by Anonymous 8 hours ago

I can definitely see some overpriced Apple sauce being like $50.

by Anonymous 8 hours ago

State insurance in Washington state is called applecare

by Anonymous 8 hours ago

In that example, e.g. would work better for the meaning because you are providing an example, not creating a list you don't want to be taken as exhaustive.

by Anonymous 8 hours ago

Yes. This. And reminder of a quick tip that ‘e.g.' is for "example given", and ‘i.e.' is for "in essence".

by Anonymous 8 hours ago

That's a great way to remember how to use them, but they technically stand for the Latin terms "exempli gratia" (for example) and "id est" (that is).

by DismalChildhood4230 8 hours ago

Is that how to remember it? Because the direct meaning is a bit different

by Anonymous 7 hours ago

What's the point of the single example?

by rociothiel 7 hours ago

You usually need more than one item to establish a pattern. If you just said "apples, etc." it isn't clear if you're referring to foods in general, specifically fruits, or just maybe even just pome fruits. Sometimes context is there, sometimes it isn't, but if it is, consider whether you even need to make a list in the first place.

by Anonymous 7 hours ago

But in the example OP specifically said fruit with the "apples, etc" a parenthetical reference to said fruit. It's not unclear at all.

by IndependentCod 7 hours ago

Just don't complain when you get apples and tampons.

by Anonymous 6 hours ago

You're writing the list. It IS your job to convey everything.

by Anonymous 6 hours ago

Exactly

by Herminiahuels 6 hours ago

Amen. "It's not my job to think of everything for you." Wow.

by kshlerinvern 5 hours ago

That's what e.g. is for.

by Anonymous 5 hours ago

You should use e.g., but I'll use "etc." sometimes to rhetorically imply that I could make a list out of this but I can't be arsed, and it's not just because I forgot what fruits were "I wanted to eat those delicious tree-granted treasures (apples, etc.)"

by Anonymous 5 hours ago

You had me in the title. But if it's your list you're giving me, am I supposed to guess at what etc is alluding to?

by Ritchiealexandr 5 hours ago

Fruit obviously, if you read the whole sentence.

by Anonymous 4 hours ago

"It's not my job to think of everything for you" but it is my job to think of everything for you, The speaker? If you only can think of one thing say one thing and if you can't think of more fruits than just apples don't talk about fruits

by Anonymous 4 hours ago

This is just a stupid take. If it's your list, it's YOUR job to convey what you want. People aren't mind readers. Bananas (which shouldn't be kept in the fridge) are a lot different than apples or pears. Don't be so lazy. Just write don't what you need and not what you don't need.

by Waste-Profession-685 4 hours ago

etcetera doesn't mean "for example", it means there's an implied list of further items. As others have said, just use "e.g."

by Marcelinashanah 4 hours ago

No you need at least 2 examples. For something simple like listing fruit this is probably fine, but when you're actually trying to make a point about something more complicated it makes it seem like there are no examples past the one you listed and you're adding etc. to make it seem like you have a stronger point than you actually do.

by ora79 4 hours ago

Bro is just lazy, you're not "giving a list" if you only have one thing.

by Anonymous 3 hours ago

Lmao Mr. Big shot over here is saving seconds cause of his busy sched.

by Anonymous 3 hours ago

Clearly not

by AggravatingPay757 3 hours ago

I think you need to rephrase. If you only give one example and the rest should be obvious, it's ok to use etc. If you can only think of one example, it's definitely not ok to use etc. If you can't randomly think of multiple examples, why should I be expected to?

by RevolutionaryKing 3 hours ago

the problem i see with this is its a bit too vague sometimes, how am i supposed to know what the rest of the list will look like? will it look like "apples, flour, sugar, etc. (ingredients for an apple pie)," "apples, bananas, pears, etc. (fruits)," or "apples, samsungs, nokias, etc. (phone brands)"

by Anonymous 3 hours ago

In that case, you wouldn't say "apples, etc." you would say "e.g apples" because you're not listing what fruits you have in that sentence, you're naming an example

by Anonymous 3 hours ago

Why not just write, "We have a lot of fruit in the fridge?" Adding "(apples, etc.)" contributes nothing.

by lehneramaya 2 hours ago

Surely a more suitable way of stating it would be; "For example, apples" rather than "apple, etc."

by Piercejacobi 2 hours ago

Fun fact: there's also an abbreviation for "for example"! Just as you don't need to type "et cetera", you don't have to type "for example". Is this really a hill to die on? Not wanting to write a few extra characters?

by Piercejacobi 2 hours ago

e.g apples Same amount of key strokes and is actually correct.

by According_Scar 1 hour ago

What about, "e.g?"

by Anonymous 1 hour ago

Then just use "for example" or "e.g". Problem solved. That way you don't have to use the wrong word and complain when you get called out on it.

by According_Scar 34 minutes ago

Not unpopular, you are wrong. If you only list one, you need to use "e.g." because you are providing an example and not a list.

by Anonymous 24 minutes ago

OP I have a question for you. Did you get into an argument recently? I'm assuming you possibly couldn't bring more evidence for your point and the other person pressed you on this? This just seems incredibly specific 😂 Also your argument of "I'm giving you a list... It's not my job to give a list" is pretty funny

by Important-Foot-6701 16 minutes ago

😂

by kelley80 15 minutes ago