Etc

We don’t really like it. It’s also Latin, which can feel less accessible to some. So use ‘and so on’, ‘like’.

Same goes for eg and ie. We prefer ‘like’, ‘such as’ and ‘for example’.

If you do come across eg and ie, though, you should know the difference:

• eg (exempli gratia, or ‘for the sake of example’) shows a specific example of whatever you’re talking about. For example: ‘We usually pick cheap and cheerful dinners (eg pizza, sandwiches, salads).
• ie (id est, or ‘that is to say’, or ‘in other words’) distills or rephrases what you’ve said before. Like ‘We love going on holiday to nearby places, ie spots you can get to within a couple hours from London.’