previous occurrences

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "previous occurrences" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to events or instances that have happened before a certain point in time or context. Example: "In analyzing the data, we found that previous occurrences of this issue often led to significant delays."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

As John Seabrook notes over at the News Desk blog, Irene is not the first hurricane to strike the tri-state region, but the arrival of a storm of this magnitude in our area is rare enough that you can count previous occurrences of "extreme low pressure" on your nervous fingers.

The New Yorker

Previous occurrences of the G8 in Europe or America have demonstrated the need of flexible and mobile structures, able to respond quickly to crowd movements, unlike the usual static structure of rescue systems designed for major accidents.

Annales Françaises d'Anesthésie et de Réanimation

After analyzing the clause "Neo is a bull", it determines the group to which Neo belongs using its previous occurrences and compares it with the group bull belongs to.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

To analyze direct relations, such as X is Y, the semantic analyzer determines the group that both individuals belong to, compares them, and accordingly updates the O-A-V triplet based on previous occurrences of both the object and its value, as shown in Fig. 4.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

However, in previous occurrences of PRRSV infection, most of the fatal cases involved young pigs [9], [27], [44].

Plosone

Due to the inclusion of this one-lag-SPR value as an independent variable, the model give autoregressive forecasts and is useful to predict future incidence with a-priori knowledge of previous occurrences of the disease along with the current environmental situations.

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

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

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

Even so, the evaluation time will eventually grow but with a sub-linear progression and dependent only on how new events are compressible or not, due to their previous occurrence.

Journal of Internet Services and Applications

It is now evident that this current El Niño equals or exceeds the intensity of the previous occurrence in 1997.

Huffington Post

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

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing recurring issues, use "previous occurrences" to provide context and demonstrate the history of the problem. For example, use "previous occurrences" when writing incident reports or historical analyses.

Common error

Avoid using "previous occurrences" when you mean to discuss importance or order. "Priorities" refer to what is most important, while "previous occurrences" refer to past events.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "previous occurrences" functions as a noun phrase, acting as the subject or object in a sentence. Ludwig indicates that this phrase is grammatically correct and commonly used. It refers to events or instances that have happened before a specific time.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

57%

News & Media

29%

Wiki

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "previous occurrences" is a grammatically sound noun phrase used to reference past events or instances. Ludwig confirms that it is correct and usable in written English. While versatile, it's most common in scientific and formal writing. When employing the phrase, ensure clarity by specifying the context of the previous events. If seeking alternatives, consider "prior instances" or "earlier incidents" to add variety to your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous incidents

Identical in meaning but uses a slightly different word choice

past instances

Very similar, but slightly more informal.

prior instances

Focuses on specific examples from the past.

earlier incidents

Highlights specific events that happened at an earlier time.

past events

Emphasizes the temporal aspect of the events, placing them firmly in the past.

historical precedents

Highlights the importance of past occurrences as a guide or justification for current actions.

antecedent events

Highlights the causal relationship, where previous occurrences influence subsequent events.

preceding cases

Focuses on instances that came before the current one, often in a legal or formal context.

former episodes

Suggests that the occurrences are part of a series or sequence.

earlier manifestations

Focuses on how something appeared or was shown in the past

FAQs

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

You can use "previous occurrences" to refer to past events or instances, as in "The study examined "previous occurrences" of similar outbreaks to predict the current situation."

What is a good alternative to "previous occurrences"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "prior instances", "earlier incidents", or "past events".

Is there a difference between "previous occurrences" and "past experiences"?

"Previous occurrences" generally refers to specific events or incidents. "Past experiences" refers to cumulative knowledge and impressions. For example, "His past experiences helped him anticipate the challenges." while ""previous occurrences" of flooding led to improved evacuation plans."

When is it appropriate to use "historical precedents" instead of "previous occurrences"?

Use "historical precedents" when emphasizing the importance of past events as a justification or guide for current actions. ""previous occurrences"" is a more general term referring to any past events.