"In the event..." or "In the eventuality..."

[Jaggers]

Which is better?

"In the event..." or "In the eventuality..."

Eventuality is the possibility of an event, but if you are describing a hypothetical situation, does that mean that "in the eventuality" is better?

For example, say Hilary Clinton ran for president in 2016. Would it better to say

"In the eventuality that she won, Ms Clinton would be the first female president of the US" or would "In the event.." be better?

Are there instances in which "in the event" would be better?

 

[bhaisahab]

Which is better?

"In the event..." or "In the eventuality..."

Eventuality is the possibility of an event, but if you are describing a hypothetical situation, does that mean that "in the eventuality" is better?

For example, say Hilary Clinton ran for president in 2016. Would it better to say

"In the eventuality that she won, Ms Clinton would be the first female president of the US" or would "In the event.." be better?

Are there instances in which "in the event" would be better?

"In the event that she wins..." seems more natural to me.

 

[SoothingDave]

How about just "if she wins"?

 

[bhaisahab]

How about just "if she wins"?

That's probably what I would use.

 

[Jaggers]

Sorry, the example given might not have been great; I was primarily interested in the contrast between "event" and "eventuality".

 

[SoothingDave]

Sorry, the example given might not have been great; I was primarily interested in the contrast between "event" and "eventuality".

I can't think of any example where "eventuality" does anything other than add some extra syllables to what you are trying to say.

 

[Raymott]

I can't think of any example where "eventuality" does anything other than add some extra syllables to what you are trying to say.

'Eventuality' does have a use in the plural. "We have to think of all eventualities", meaning all possible outcomes. But it's not a word that I'd use. I'd prefer, "We have to think of all possible outcomes", which is even longer than the sentence with 'eventualities', but more easily understood.