After/from after

Question

Hello,Do I need "from" in this sentence? Is it optional or just incorrect?"One may be able to encode new memories (from) after the incident"Thank you

Clive · Accepted Answer

Omit the 'from'.

Avangi · Answer

The intended meaning is not clear to me.

I'd say "after the incident" would have one meaning and "from after the incident" another.

Is/was the "incident" traumatic? Is it a specific incident or just "any incident"?

Ozzourti · Answer

"memories from after the incident" seems to mean "memories of things that happened (or perhaps will happen) after the incident". One may be able to 'encode' such memories.
One may be able to encode new memories from after the incident.

"One may be able to encode new memories after the incident" seems to indicate the time when one may be able to 'encode new memories' (of something unspecified).
One may be able to encode new memories after the incident.

I guess others may see it differently.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you all.
The incident was traumatic and the injured patient (he suffered from a brain damage) was unable to form new memories after it.

Avangi · Answer

Anonymous"One may be able to encode new memories (from) after the incident"

Thanks. The context you provided in your last post helps.

When you originally said, "One may be able to encode etc.", it seemed that you were developing some general principles from the results of some research or "tests." In that case there would be a series of "incidents." That might affect the grammar of how you would refer to "the incident."
If your position is that memories can be encoded only at the time of the incident, then you may be arguing that these memories have been blocked, and are later made available. So would you then call them "new memories of an old incident"?

If, on the other hand, you're suggesting that the ability to encode memories has been damaged by the incident, but may at some later time be restored; then then you may talking about the ability to encode future "incidents."
I'd probably describe this as "new memories from a period after the incident."
I'm sure there are many ways to describe this fairly complex idea. And there are probably different conceptions of how memory encoding works.

I'm still not clear on whether we're talking about one specific occurrence, or about a general pattern of behavior, which is being studied. I suspect it's one specific occurrence, from which "general principles" are being extracted.
(It's the One may be able to encode etc. which threw me off.)

Best regards, - A.

After/from after

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