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Taka Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Once

Do these two have the same meaning?


It was not once available.

It was once not available.

  

Top answer

"It was once not available" means that it was not available at some time in the past (often implying that it is available now). I don't find "It was not once available" very easy to read, and I wouldn't really recommend it. It could mean "It was not available (even) on a single occasion".

  • "It was once not available" means that it was not available at some time in the past (often implying that it is available now).
  • I don't find "It was not once available" very easy to read, and I wouldn't really recommend it.
  • It could mean "It was not available (even) on a single occasion".
  • In this sense, it might be easier to understand if spoken, with the emphasis on "once".
  • Possibly it could also be interpreted as "It was once not available".
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2 Answers
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"It was once not available" means that it was not available at some time in the past (often implying that it is available now).

I don't find "It was not once available" very easy to read, and I wouldn't really recommend it. It could mean "It was not available (even) on a single occasion". In this sense, it might be easier to understand if spoken, with the emphasis on "once". Possibly it

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Do these two have the same meaning?


It was not once available. This sounds a bit unnatural to me. I take this to mean that it was never available, not even on one occasion.

It was once not available. This sounds OK. I take this to mean that it used to be unavailable, but now it is available.

eg Bananas were once not availab

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