a unique copy

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a unique copy" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an item that is one of a kind or distinct from others, often in contexts related to art, literature, or collectibles. Example: "The artist created a unique copy of the painting, ensuring that no two pieces were exactly alike."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

24 human-written examples

A unique copy of an illegible book is rare-book collecting at its most arcane.

The Economist

A unique copy of cricketing bible Wisden's Almanack, which was withheld from its player of the year after he was convicted of cheating, is expected to break sales records for the much-loved reference book at auction.

The Guardian - Books

A unique copy of the first full-length audio book ever made, a set of four LPs recorded in 1935 with the full text of Joseph Conrad's 1902 novella Typhoon, has been rediscovered in Canada.

The Guardian - Books

Last month it was revealed that Thomas Pritzker, chairman of Hyatt Hotels, had become the first collector to pay more than $1m for a photograph, a unique copy of Man Ray's image of glass tears from 1932, copyrighted by his trust.It is no accident that the photographic image dominates New York's autumn season.

The Economist

How are these services like Aereo that stream broadcast television signals over the Internet actually legal? A. Aereo says it uses arrays of tiny TV antennas assigned to each one of its users to create a unique copy of a broadcast on its servers.

The New York Times - Tech

For unicast transmissions, each user is sent a unique copy of the media.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

36 human-written examples

A segmentation algorithm is applied to the normalized read counts to identify contiguous windows that make up a genomic region with a unique copy-number value.

BMC Genomics

Because Aereo users transmit a single, unique copy through an individual user account, Aereo argues that this should not be seen as copyright infringement.

TechCrunch

Next, the cell divides, and the resulting cells divide again; this produces four new cells that each contain a single, unique copy of every chromosome.

eLife

It is an immovable and unique copy.

Independent

The Cablevision case claimed that since the remote DVR service only transmitted an individual's unique copy of the content, which was controlled only by that user, Cablevision was not infringing on the broadcasters' copyrighted content.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing something as "a unique copy", ensure that the uniqueness is clearly defined. Specify what makes the copy different or special.

Common error

Avoid using "a unique copy" when the differences are trivial or insignificant. The term implies substantial and noteworthy distinctions.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "a unique copy" is to serve as a noun phrase, acting as the subject or object of a sentence. As seen in Ludwig, it describes something that is one-of-a-kind.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a unique copy" is grammatically correct and denotes something that is one-of-a-kind. It frequently appears in science and news media, highlighting its applicability across different contexts. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and provides examples showcasing its diverse usage. While other alternatives exist, such as ""a singular copy"" or ""a one-of-a-kind copy"", it's important to ensure the uniqueness is substantial and clearly defined when using the phrase.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a singular copy

Replaces "unique" with "singular", emphasizing the one-of-a-kind nature.

a one-of-a-kind copy

Replaces "unique" with the more emphatic "one-of-a-kind".

an original copy

Substitutes "unique" with "original", highlighting the first or earliest version.

a distinct copy

Uses "distinct" in place of "unique", focusing on the differentiated nature of the copy.

an individual copy

Replaces unique with individual, stressing that the copy is not shared or mass produced

an exclusive copy

Emphasizes the limited availability of the copy by using "exclusive".

a special copy

Replaces "unique" with "special", indicating a particular or exceptional version.

a matchless copy

Replaces "unique" with "matchless", emphasizing its unparalleled nature.

an unrepeatable copy

Highlights the impossibility of replicating the copy by using "unrepeatable".

a rare copy

Emphasizes the scarcity of the copy.

FAQs

What does "a unique copy" mean?

The phrase "a unique copy" refers to something that exists as the only one of its kind, with no identical duplicates. It's often used to describe rare books, artworks, or data sets.

How to use "a unique copy" in a sentence?

You can use "a unique copy" to describe items that are one-of-a-kind. For instance, "The museum houses "a unique copy" of the manuscript".

What can I say instead of "a unique copy"?

You can use alternatives like "a singular copy", "a one-of-a-kind copy", or "an original copy" depending on the context.

Is it redundant to say "a very unique copy"?

While "unique" technically means one-of-a-kind and shouldn't be modified, phrases like "a very unique copy" are sometimes used for emphasis, although it's more precise to describe the specific qualities that make the copy unique.