what's the difference between "instance" ande "example"?

Question

what's the difference between "instance" ande "example"?

Answer 1

"Example" refers to a particular type of occurrence where many types exist.

"Instance" refers to a particular occurrence of the same type, where many occurances exist.

In principle, they are not synonymous. However, in practice they are used interchangeably.

Answer 2

great question madhavi:) yOU know though these words sound synonimous but still there lies a "deep" difference !! Happiness can be found of things which may not even be beneficial to our spiritual or psychological aspect like we may go out & have our favourite dish & clothes etc., we would feel happy. But satisfaction comes from a kind of achievent, if we get good grades in studies we would get a positive feeling that says "hard word paid off" now thats more beneficial isn't it ;p[ Now peace.... I think it depends on what attitude we adopt towads the "activities" we do for "happiness" or either "satisfaction", peace actually exist in our self, it just has to be found by us. A person of ignorance might feel peace while a hard worker could be strresed. It can be even oposite to that . So peace needs to found by us.

Answer 3

For instance...you might see this in a math problem. "for instance you have 16 mushrooms and 8 skewers, how many mushrooms will go on each?"



when you say "For example", you are basically saying the same thing, but you are showing something that has happened.



"for example, jesse wrote a paper documenting the mating habits of swans" Something your teacher might say when you are discussing topics of papers you need to write.



so all in all, there isn't much difference, but when you say "example" you want to show something for a fact.

Answer 4

instance



The noun INSTANCE has 2 senses:



1. an occurrence of something

2. an item of information that is representative of a type



The verb INSTANCE has 1 sense:



1. clarify by giving an "example" of



http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/instance.htm



example



http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/example



If you ask someone for "an instance", you are asking them to tell you about something that actually happened -- something real.



If you ask for an "an example", it might be something real or something theoretical which serves as an illustration of something.



Technically:



I would hear for example to refer to a particular type of occurrence where many types exist.



And I would hear for instance to refer to a particular occurance of the same type, where many occurances exist.



For example:



The auditors look for many types of fraudulent activity, for example, reporting revenue from fictional sales. Implying there are other types of fraudulent activities.



Mr X is being investigated for wash sale rules violations, for instance the trade with ABC Corp where he bought the same shares in his personal account from DEF Corp. Implying there are other violations of the same type, ie wash sale violations, and this is just one instance/occurance.



In principle, they are not synonymous. However, in practice they are used interchangeably.

Answer 5

the connotations are different but they are synonyms. the way i think of instance is that something happened or may happen and someone tells about it. i think of example like a way to understand something a little better.

hope i helped a little bit.

Answer 6

"For instance" is usually used in the literacy department which includes being an English teacher or an author. While "for example" is used for everyone else who is less formal when talking. Both are accepted in text but "for instance" is i guess classy. :]

Answer 7

there isnt one, rlly. its all a matter of which term u wanna use and ur situation. if its something mor formal, go with instance; example is used in like math txbks.

also examples tend to b used for problems in books and stuff wher u can solve them (like in math problems), while instance is used just mor to give similar things or to show proof.



hope this helped! ^_^

Answer 8

example is like a preview of something and Instance is something that happends right away

Answer 9

instance is used more for verbs, examples are more intangeable things..



lol i dont know. i use examples not instances

Answer 10

example is something that has to do with something. and instance is something that happens instantly

Answer 11

connotation.

Answer 12

they're synonyms.