Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Junkomama]

I don't understand the difference among the meanings of affair, incident and case.
Which one of the following sentences is not acceptable ?

1. Many affairs involving guns have occured.
2. Many incidents involving guns have occured.
3. Many cases involving guns have occured.

Thank you in advance!
Junkomama

[CP]

First spelling: occur, occurred, occurred. Not the same as cure, cured, cured, and not the same pronunciation, either.

All three words mean generally the same thing. "Affair" can connote romantic relationships, as in love affairs, or official / commercial relationships, as in business affairs. "Incident" means something that happened, and is rather neutral. "Case" often means a criminal case or a legal case, although it also can be more scientific. When a researcher selects some data from a large pool, the individual cases or subjects may be referred to that way.
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[Junkomama]

Thank you so much for your explanation, CP-san!!

With regards,
Junkomama