For clearer writing, ditch ‘etc.,’ ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’

The wonderful thing about editing is that every day you discover a new peeve.

My latest are the Latin-derived etc., i.e., and e.g. They annoy readers, they’re lazy, and you don’t need them.

What they have in common is that, because they’re Latin, they’re supposed to make the writer sound more sophisticated, but instead, they just leave the reader puzzled.

etc.

Etc. abbreviates et cetera, which is how you pronounce it. Literally, it means “and similar things, and so forth.” But what it actually conveys is, “I could list more, but I’m too lazy to do so; you detect the pattern.”

Here are some sentences I’ve edited that included “etc.”

Older people who have to give up driving, because of age, ailments, etc., have similar needs for affordable, safe, and convenient transportation.

Ideally, interview Round 4 is onsite with the three other interviewers and meeting the hiring manager casually for coffee, etc.

There are multiple training functions and audiences, such as compliance, leadership development, diversity, sales., etc.

News angle: . . . Personal data in the Digital Economy: How the rise of Big Data to personalize product recommendations steers/impacts customers; privacy concerns, etc.