a previous occurrence

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a previous occurrence" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to an event or situation that has happened before the current context or discussion. Example: "The results of the experiment were consistent with a previous occurrence that had been documented in the literature."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Diefenbaker suggested to the jury that the silence on the line which had, he contended, swallowed the words "at Cedarside" might have been caused by a fish dropped on a snow-covered line by a bird and claimed to have evidence of a previous occurrence.

Wikipedia

As an additional safeguard against stretches of repetitive sequences and microsatellites, if the same occurrence of a given word w in sequence A overlaps with a previous occurrence, only the first occurrence counts towards W(A).

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

A population-based cohort was selected from the SBCR, including all women diagnosed with first invasive breast cancer in the period of 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2006, younger than 75 years at diagnosis and without any previous occurrence of cancer.

British Journal of Cancer

The ACPR was defined as absence of parasitemia on Day 28 (or Day 63) irrespective of axillary temperature, without any previous occurrence of early treatment failure, late clinical failure, or late parasitological failure.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Opponents of the strategy of preemption argue that the article clearly conditions a defensive action on the previous occurrence of an attack, not on the perception of the possibility of an attack.

Encyclopedia Britannica

When in the dark, the sensory information that rats could use to recognize the previous occurrence of an object presumably consists of tactile and olfactory information.

Behavioral Neuroscience

We correlated mGluR5 expression with classical neuropathological hallmarks of HS and further evaluated mGluR5 differences related to previous occurrence of an initial precipitating injury such as febrile seizures.

Hippocampus

In animal studies, dogs documented with a high mortality risk due to the previous occurrence of ventricular fibrillation during acute myocardial ischemia were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of either daily exercise training or cage rest.

Plosone

In accordance with our hypothesis, a lack of a strong association between plasma Pb concentrations and history of previous occurrence of abortions was indeed observed in our sample as presented in table 3. The relatively large effect estimates of bone Pb are worthwhile mentioning, since it would be expected that women with a high lead burden are at elevated risk of spontaneous abortion.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

MLH1 silencing seem to occur in an already developed serrated adenoma by the previous occurrence of somatic mutation in the BRAF oncogene.

BMC Cancer

Correction: May 10, 2000, Wednesday An article yesterday about the Tony Award nominations referred incorrectly to the previous occurrence of multiple nominations for a single director in different categories.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a previous occurrence", ensure the context clearly establishes what event or situation is being referenced. Specificity enhances clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "a previous occurrence" without providing sufficient context or detail about the specific event. This can lead to confusion and weaken your writing.

Linguistic Context

A previous occurrence functions as a noun phrase, typically acting as a subject complement, object of a preposition, or direct object. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

55%

News & Media

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a previous occurrence" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase for referring to past events or situations. Ludwig AI affirms its correct usage. It's applicable in various contexts, especially within scientific literature, news reports, and formal communications. When using this phrase, ensure clear context to avoid ambiguity. Alternatives include "a prior instance" and "a past event", each carrying nuanced implications. Considering the semantic relation with the query, "a prior instance" can be considered the best alternative.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a prior instance

Replaces "occurrence" with "instance", emphasizing a specific event or example.

a past event

Substitutes "previous occurrence" with "past event", focusing on the event's temporal aspect.

a prior happening

Replaces "occurrence" with "happening", providing a more informal tone.

an earlier incident

Uses "earlier incident" instead of "previous occurrence", highlighting a specific event with potential negative connotations.

a former occasion

Replaces "previous occurrence" with "former occasion", emphasizing the event's existence in the past.

a preceding case

Substitutes "previous occurrence" with "preceding case", often used in legal or medical contexts.

a prior situation

Replaces "occurrence" with "situation", broadening the scope to include circumstances and conditions.

a past episode

Uses "past episode" instead of "previous occurrence", emphasizing a distinct event within a series.

an antecedent event

Substitutes "previous occurrence" with "antecedent event", adding a more formal or technical tone.

a pre-existing instance

Highlights the fact that the instance existed before the current one.

FAQs

How can I use "a previous occurrence" in a sentence?

You can use "a previous occurrence" to refer to something that has happened before. For example: "The study confirmed the findings of "a previous study"."

What's a more formal way to say "a previous occurrence"?

A more formal alternative could be "a prior instance" or "an antecedent event".

Which is correct, "a previous occurrence" or "an occurrence previously"?

"A previous occurrence" is the more common and natural word order. "An occurrence previously" is grammatically correct but less frequently used.

What is the difference between "a previous occurrence" and "a past event"?

While similar, "a previous occurrence" implies a specific instance that has relevance to the current situation, whereas "a past event" simply refers to something that happened in the past without necessarily having direct relevance.