did not occur

USAGE SUMMARY

"did not occur" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing something that did not happen or take place. For example: The accident did not occur as expected.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

That did not occur.

The New York Times

That inspection did not occur.

The New York Times

Did not occur to me.

The New York Times

The merger did not occur.

The New Yorker

DNA synthesis did not occur?

Stanford University

But it did not occur.

The New York Times

9. Which event did not occur?

The New Yorker

In fact, this did not occur.

The New Yorker

This development did not occur without dissent.

Cornell University

"That did not occur to me.

The New York Times

In the end, that did not occur.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "did not occur" to clearly and directly state that an event or action did not happen, avoiding ambiguity. For example, "The anticipated market crash did not occur" provides a straightforward account.

Common error

Avoid unnecessary passive constructions when using "did not occur". Instead of "It was not occurred", use the active voice: "It did not occur". This makes your writing more direct and easier to understand.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "did not occur" functions as a negative declarative statement. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability in written English. It's used to explicitly deny that an event, action, or process took place.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

31%

News & Media

40%

Academia

8%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Formal & Business

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "did not occur" is a versatile and grammatically sound expression used to clearly state that an event or action did not take place. Ludwig AI affirms its correctness and usability across numerous contexts. As exemplified in the diverse examples, this phrase appears frequently in news articles, scientific publications, and academic papers, as well as more informal sources. Although interchangeable alternatives like "failed to happen" or "never happened" exist, "did not occur" maintains a neutral tone suitable for most writing scenarios, and it's vital to ensure the sentence structure remains active for enhanced clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

failed to happen

This alternative is a more formal way of saying something didn't occur.

did not take place

This alternative is a direct synonym, replacing "occur" with "take place".

never happened

This alternative is a more concise and informal way of expressing the same idea.

did not materialize

This alternative suggests that something was planned or expected but did not come to fruition.

did not come about

This alternative implies that something did not arise or develop.

was not the case

This alternative is a more general way of saying that a particular situation or event did not occur.

did not ensue

This alternative suggests that something did not follow or result from a previous event.

proved not to be

This alternative indicates that something initially seemed likely but turned out not to be true.

was averted

This alternative focuses on the prevention of something from occurring, rather than its simple absence.

was avoided

Similar to "was averted", this highlights the act of preventing something from happening.

FAQs

How can I use "did not occur" in a sentence?

Use "did not occur" to state that an event or action did not happen. For example, "The expected increase in sales "did not occur" despite the marketing campaign".

What are some alternatives to "did not occur"?

Alternatives include "failed to happen", "did not take place", or "never happened", depending on the context. Each option conveys a slightly different nuance.

Is it more formal to say "did not occur" or "never happened"?

"Did not occur" is generally considered more formal than "never happened". Use "did not occur" in professional or academic writing, and "never happened" in more casual contexts.

What's the difference between "did not occur" and "was prevented"?

"Did not occur" simply states that something didn't happen. "Was prevented" /s/was+prevented implies that an action was taken to stop it from happening. For example, "The accident "did not occur"" versus "The accident "was prevented" by the safety measures".