Occur tends to be overused and can be replaced by more precise synonyms such as be, ensue, exist, find, happen or take place.
- This mineral occurs (is found, is present) only in glacial formations.
- When did the accident occur (happen)?
Occurred, occurrence and occurring are spelled with a double r.
- It occurred to Randy that they would miss the ferry if they didn’t hurry.
- There have been many strange occurrences on Citadel Hill.
- Here are the events occurring (taking place) in the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre this fall.
Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Search by related themes
Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.
Related links
- Writing Tips Plus (home page)
- Writing tools
- Language Navigator (for fast access to language tips)
- TERMIUM Plus®