# precaution /caution /prevention



## kansi

precaution and caution seem to be related in a way but as long as I see the definition of precaution(pre+caution), they don't really share the same ground.

The word is closer to prevention,I guess?

precausion-an action that is done to prevent something unpleasant or dangerous happening: 
●Many people have been stockpiling food as a precaution against shortages.
●They failed to take the necessary precautions to avoidinfection.

What's the difference between precausion and prevention?
●The organization is committed to AIDS *prevention* and education.
●The organization is committed to AIDS *precausions* and education.


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## heypresto

Where did you see the last sentence? 

You can prevent something by taking precautions, but you can't be committed to precautions.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> Where did you see the last sentence?
> 
> You can prevent something by taking precautions, but you can't be committed to precautions.


That is a sentence which I made up with the sentence above from it that I found on the Cambridge dictionary.

precausions are done to prevent something from happening.
prevention is also done to prevent something from happening.

I am about to see the difference between then but still can't..
What's the difference?


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## heypresto

You '_take _precautions' in order 'to prevent' something.

have you looked in the WR Dictionary?

Precaution:

an action taken in advance to avoid harm: _took precautions to prevent anyone from reading her computer files_.

a measure taken in advance to avert possible evil or to secure good results.

caution employed beforehand; prudent foresight.


Prevent:

to keep from occurring; stop: _She took some pills to prevent seasickness_.

to stop (someone) from doing something: _Nothing will prevent us from going_.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> You '_take _precautions' in order 'to prevent' something.
> 
> have you looked in the WR Dictionary?
> 
> Precaution:
> 
> an action taken in advance to avoid harm: _took precautions to prevent anyone from reading her computer files_.
> 
> a measure taken in advance to avert possible evil or to secure good results.
> 
> caution employed beforehand; prudent foresight.
> 
> 
> Prevent:
> 
> to keep from occurring; stop: _She took some pills to prevent seasickness_.
> 
> to stop (someone) from doing something: _Nothing will prevent us from going_.


Ah I think I get it..
A precausion is a measure taken to prevent.
And the act of preventing itself is called prevention.
In a precausion we would do maltiple actions and all the actions are to prevent something from happening.I mean each of the actions needs to be done:some of the actions are done then we cannot prevent.

When something is done to prevent something from happening and if we see it as a measure, we would call it precausion. If we see it as an action,  we would call it prevention.
Is this correct?


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## heypresto

Yes, I think you've got it. A precaution is a measure, and when we apply those measures, or '_take _precautions' we do so in order to prevent something. This is called 'prevention'.

Note the spelling of 'precau*t*ion'.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> Yes, I think you've got it. A precaution is a measure, and when we apply those measures, or '_take _precautions' we do so in order to prevent something. This is called 'prevention'.
> 
> Note the spelling of 'precau*t*ion'.


Now that I think I know the difference, but I still don't know why "commiting to precautions" sounds odd.
It's same to saying "commiting to measures to prevent...".
Is* saying commiting to measures to do something* weird?


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## heypresto

In your sentence, "The organisation is committed to AIDS precautions and education", it sounds odd because 'AIDS precautions' doesn't work, and is not something you can commit to. But you can commit to AIDS prevention' and 'education.'


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> it sounds odd because 'AIDS precautions' doesn't work,


Well are there precations in other fields ,not AIDs, that we can commit to? or we cannot commit to precausions in general?


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## heypresto

I can't think of a context or sentence right now in which 'commit to precautions' would make sense. 

Committing to the prevention of something will involve _taking_ precautions.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> I can't think of a context or sentence right now in which 'commit to precautions' would make sense.
> 
> Committing to the prevention of something will involve _taking_ precautions.


If there are many precautions but one of them is really effective, commiting to that precausion is a key to prevent something from happening.

*I use commiting to mean to give loyality, money or time as much as possible to something.(In case, I am misunderstanding the meaning of it.)

Doesn't this still make sense?


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## heypresto

Yes, that makes sense.

Do be careful with your spelling.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> Yes, that makes sense.
> 
> Do be careful with your spelling.


Ah I think I understand!
And probably "commiting to AIDs precausions" in the op sentence doesn't make sense because it means to commit to any type of AIDs  precausions, which is same to "to commit to the act of AIDs prevention in any form". Then saying commiting to AIDs prevention sounds better than commiting to AIDs precautions.
What do you think?


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## Andygc

heypresto said:


> Do be careful with your spelling


Please. PRECAUTION.


kansi said:


> Then saying commiting to AIDs prevention sounds better than commiting to AIDs precautions.


No. They mean different things, for example:
Prevention - Do not have sex with a high-risk sexual partner.
Precaution - Wear a condom during sex with a high-risk sexual partner.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> Do not have sex with a high-risk sexual partner.


Isn't this (not having sex with a high-risk sexual partner) also a measure(precaution) to prevent AIDs?


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## Andygc

No. It's impossible to acquire a sexually transmitted infection if you don't have sex. That's prevention. Being celibate isn't a precaution against being a father, it's prevention. The easy way to prevent injury following a fall from a ladder is to not climb ladders; that's not a precaution. Wearing a fall arrest harness would be a precaution.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> No. It's impossible to acquire a sexually transmitted infection if you don't have sex. That's prevention. Being celibate isn't a precaution against being a father, it's prevention. The easy way to prevent injury following a fall from a ladder is to not climb ladders; that's not a precaution. Wearing a fall arrest harness would be a precaution.


In that sense, isn't the op sentence weird?


kansi said:


> ●The organization is committed to AIDS *prevention* and education.


Prevention in this use doesn't mean not to having sex at all but how to have sex in safe ways,which are precausions(?), I guess.


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## heypresto

kansi said:


> precausions(?)


_Please please please_ check your spelling.


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## heypresto

As I said above, you prevent something by _taking_ _precautions_.


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## Andygc

heypresto said:


> As I said above, you prevent something by _taking_ _precautions_.


I disagree slightly. You make something less likely to happen if you take precautions. By taking precautions you increase the probability of prevention. So I'd say you may prevent something by taking precautions.

So-called "safe sex" doesn't actually prevent HIV infection, it just makes it much less likely.

Having somebody's foot on the bottom of your ladder is a useful precaution which may prevent the ladder slipping away from the wall, but it won't prevent you overstretching and causing the ladder to slip sideways.


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## heypresto

Andygc said:


> So I'd say you may prevent something by taking precautions.


Yes, OK.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> I disagree slightly. You make something less likely to happen if you take precautions. By taking precautions you increase the probability of prevention. So I'd say you may prevent something by taking precautions.
> 
> So-called "safe sex" doesn't actually prevent HIV infection, it just makes it much less likely.
> 
> Having somebody's foot on the bottom of your ladder is a useful precaution which may prevent the ladder slipping away from the wall, but it won't prevent you overstretching and causing the ladder to slip sideways.





Andygc said:


> No. It's impossible to acquire a sexually transmitted infection if you don't have sex. That's prevention. Being celibate isn't a precaution against being a father, it's prevention. The easy way to prevent injury following a fall from a ladder is to not climb ladders; that's not a precaution. Wearing a fall arrest harness would be a precaution.


Here the prevention of something sounds like a measure taken to prevent something from happening : it's like a measure taken to make 100% sure that something won't happen.
On the other hand, precautions of  something "are likely to " to prevent something from happening : something would happen even with precausions done.

In this sense of the prevention, the
op sentence ,which I found in a dictionary, doesn't really make sense I guess..



kansi said:


> ●The organization is committed to AIDS *prevention* and education.


I thought this means let's reduce the number of AIDs patients by precautions (use condoms..whatever) or prevention (not having sex with high risk partners.
If it is commiting to the prevention one of whose examples is not to have sex with high risk partners as you told, this commiting wouldn't include ,for example, telling people to have sex in safe ways.
Do you think this is what the sentence is likely to mean?
It sounds like let's do the prevention only, not precautions, to reduce AIDs,
(Sorry the sentence was found in a dictionary so there aren't any contexts I can give.)


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## Andygc

If an organization is committed to AIDS prevention, it is committed to doing whatever it can to prevent AIDS. That doesn't mean that it can achieve complete prevention. Here's some advice it could give:
"Don't have sex with high risk partners. If you can't or won't follow that advice, take a precaution, wear a condom." If people follow that advice, many of them won't contract an HIV infection when they otherwise could have. Some cases of AIDS will be prevented.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> If an organization is committed to AIDS prevention, it is committed to doing whatever it can to prevent AIDS. That doesn't mean that it can achieve complete prevention. Here's some advice it could give:
> "Don't have sex with high risk partners. If you can't or won't follow that advice, take a precaution, wear a condom." If people follow that advice, many of them won't contract an HIV infection when they otherwise could have. Some cases of AIDS will be prevented.


I see...so the preventions of something includes precautions?


Andygc said:


> It's impossible to acquire a sexually transmitted infection if you don't have sex. That's prevention.


Here you told what the prevention of something is. I thought commiting to the prevention of something was only such a thing,not icluding precautions.


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## Andygc

Sorry, but how can I make this clearer?


Andygc said:


> So I'd say you may prevent something by taking precautions.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> Sorry, but how can I make this clearer?


this means 
the prevention of AIDs isn't only not to have sex with high risk partners but also precautions?


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## kansi

kansi said:


> ●The organization is committed to AIDS prevention and education.


This prevention isn't same to this prevention below?



Andygc said:


> No. It's impossible to acquire a sexually transmitted infection if you don't have sex. That's prevention. Being celibate isn't a precaution against being a father, it's prevention


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## Andygc

We seem to be going round in circles. I'm sure this has been said already.

A precaution is something that is done in the hope of or with the intention of preventing something unwanted from happening.

Precautions carry no guarantees. You may take precautions but still fail to prevent the unwanted event, however committed you might be to preventing it.

We would like to prevent roofers falling from roofs and fishermen from drowning at sea, so all sorts of precautions have been introduced - working from scaffolding not ladders, wearing lifejackets - but they remain the two most dangerous peacetime occupations.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> A precaution is something that is done in the hope of or with the intention of preventing something unwanted from happening.
> 
> Precautions carry no guarantees. You may take precautions but still fail to prevent the unwanted event, however committed you might be to preventing it.
> 
> We would like to prevent roofers falling from roofs and fishermen from drowning at sea, so all sorts of precautions have been introduced - working from scaffolding not ladders, wearing lifejackets - but they remain the two most dangerous peacetime occupations


Thank you.Well I understand those are precautions but only prevention is a bit unclear.

Prevention sounds like something done that is going to 100% prevent something from happening. In the case of fishermen when weather looks not good, not to go on fishing is prevention, not a precaution. 
→this would be correct slnce you explain a similar thing on the topic of AIDs prevention.

*Prevention=not to go on fishing which weather looks bad*
Precautiong=wear a life jacket

But you are also saying this.


Andygc said:


> If an organization is committed to AIDS prevention, it is committed to doing whatever it can to prevent AIDS.


So the prevention of drowning is both not to go on fishing at looking bad weathers and precautions.
Thus,
*prevention=not to go on fishing at looking bad weathers and precautions.

Which is it?
Which does prevention mean?*


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## Andygc

You can try to prevent something happening in two ways.
1. Don't do it. 100% success rate. 
2. Take precautions. Shit happens. Success rate less than 100%.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> You can try to prevent something happening in two ways.
> 1. Don't do it. 100% success rate.
> 2. Take precautions. Shit happens. Success rate less than 100%.


So,
A precausion is 2.
Does the prevention include  these two?or just 1？


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## GreenWhiteBlue

Kansi, please note that there is no such word as *precausion*, no matter how many times you write it that way.  The word is precau*t*ion, and can only be spelled that way.


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## Andygc

kansi said:


> So,
> A precausion is 2.
> Does the prevention include  these two?or just 1？


I'm sorry, but I do not understand your question. I can think of no other way to explain the meanings of "precaution" and "prevention".


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> I'm sorry, but I do not understand your question. I can think of no other way to explain the meanings of "precaution" and "prevention".


Could you tell me where you don't understand?



Andygc said:


> It's impossible to acquire a sexually transmitted infection if you don't have sex. That's prevention. Being celibate isn't a precaution against being a father, it's prevention.


This is the case 1:a solution.to completely pvevent something from happening.

but you also told me here that the prevention covers case 1 and 2.


Andygc said:


> If an organization is committed to AIDS prevention, it is committed to doing whatever it can to prevent AIDS. That doesn't mean that it can achieve complete prevention. Here's some advice it could give:
> "Don't have sex with high risk partners. If you can't or won't follow that advice, take a precaution, wear a condom." If people follow that advice, many of them won't contract an HIV infection when they otherwise could have. Some cases of AIDS will be prevented.



So the question is whether the meaning of the word prevention covers only case 1 or both case 1 and 2.


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## Andygc

How can I explain the meaning of "prevention" better than does Lexico?


> The action of stopping something from happening or arising.


I do not understand your questions because I do not understand what difficulty you are having with that simple definition.


Andygc said:


> We seem to be going round in circles.


I wrote:


Andygc said:


> You can try to prevent something happening in two ways.
> 1. Don't do it. 100% success rate.
> 2. Take precautions. Shit happens. Success rate less than 100%.


Note *try to prevent.*

We are definitely going round in circles.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> How can I explain the meaning of "prevention" better than does Lexico?
> 
> I do not understand your questions because I do not understand what difficulty you are having with that simple definition.
> I wrote:
> 
> Note *try to prevent.*
> 
> We are definitely going round in circles.


Well that's why I wrote which part I am having difficulty with in the last reply.

❶the prevention's meaning is only the case 1.
❷the prevention's meaning is both the case 1 and case 2.

❶ or ❷?
That's it. That's what I have been wondering.


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## Andygc

What do you mean by "the prevention's meaning is only" and "the prevention's meaning is both"?


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> What do you mean by "the prevention's meaning is only" and "the prevention's meaning is both"?



❶the prevention of  something means only the case 1, excluding the case 2 in its meaning.
❷he prevention of something means a total of the case 1 and case 2.

Is this clear for you?[/QUOTE]


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## Andygc

No.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> No.


100 % success rates solutions and not 100 % success rates solutions both are what the prevention of something means,right?


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## heypresto

On a cautionary note, may I cautiously suggest that we take all necessary precautions in order to prevent this thread going round in any more circles.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> On a cautionary note, may I cautiously suggest that we take all necessary precautions in order to prevent this thread going round in any more circles.


I know.I keep asking this question.


kansi said:


> 100 % success rates solutions and not 100 % success rates solutions both are what the prevention of something means,right?


but no one answerd it. The other things have beem made clear. Only this question is kind of avoided answering.


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## Andygc

kansi said:


> I keep asking this question.


No you don't. That's the first time you have asked it.


kansi said:


> 100 % success rates solutions and not 100 % success rates solutions both are what the prevention of something means,right?


No. You've been told the meaning of "prevention" several times. If you prevent something it doesn't happen. If you *try* to prevent something by taking precautions, sometimes you will succeed, sometimes you will fail. If you have a 90% success rate, 9 times out of 10 you will prevent it and 1 time out of 10 you will not prevent it. 

You can be really enthusiastic, spending every daylight hour promoting the prevention of roofers falling off roofs, but some will still fall. It's only prevention when they don't fall.


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> On a cautionary note, may I cautiously suggest that we take all necessary precautions in order to prevent this thread going round in any more circles.


I know.I keep asking this question.


kansi said:


> 100 % success rates solutions and not 100 % success rates solutions both are what the prevention of something means,right?


but no one answerd it. The other things have beem made clear. Only this question is kind of.


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## kansi

A new idea came up.
It seems like I don't understand the inclusion relationship?
inclusion relation
like I don't understand that 'an apple is a fruit ' is true but 'a fruit is an apple' isn't making sense?

B⊂A
A:AIDs prevention
B:AIDs precautions
An element 1:not having sex with high risk partners and it's in A but not in B.
An element 2 :safe sex and it's in B.


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## Andygc

Maybe the lack of a sentence is a problem.
"I have a prevention strategy for falls from roofs."
Obviously my strategy cannot be to stop roofers going on roofs - that would completely prevent falls from roofs, but buildings need roofs and roofs need repairs. That limitation makes my "prevention strategy" a desire. It's actually a strategy that should prevent some roofers falling off roofs and might, if I'm very clever, prevent all roofers falling off roofs. So it is correct to talk of "prevention" in this context. Does that help?


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> the prevention of roofers falling off roofs, but some will still fall.


 this prevention sounds like just *an act* of preventing.







Andygc said:


> but some will still fall. It's only *prevention* when they don't fall


but this sounds like *a measure* of preventing.


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## Andygc

I'm sorry, you have completely lost me and I regret that I am unable to think of anything more to add to this thread.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> "I have a prevention strategy for falls from roofs."
> Obviously my strategy cannot be to stop roofers going on roofs - that would completely prevent falls from roofs, but buildings need roofs and roofs need repairs. That limitation makes my "*prevention* strategy" a desire. It's actually a strategy that should prevent some roofers falling off roofs and might, if I'm very clever, prevent all roofers falling off roofs. So it is correct to talk of "*prevention*" in this context. Does that help?


Can you wait a bit more..I've come up a new understanding that I hope would be correct.
These two mean the same thing?
The first prevention sounds like something that *is going to* prevent something from happening but this is because of the word strategy.
The second sounds like something that 100% *prevents*(* a present tense) something from happening.

Depending on a context, prevention means varing from something that *is going to* prevent something from happening to something that *prevents* (or prevented) something from happening.
But something that *might* prevent something from happening is a precausion.

What about this..?


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