--- title: "It worked once": one example is not all — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «"It worked once": one example is not all», a lesson of the world course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Little Finn jumped in a puddle once and didn't get told off. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/) / "It worked once": one example is not all # "It worked once": one example is not all Lesson 164 of the world course of Mova's primary school: 24 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/0/) — Little Finn jumped in a puddle once and didn't get told off. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/2/) — One time told him almost nothing. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/3/) — Turning one example into a rule is called a hasty generalisation. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/4/) — One dog bit a postman, so "all dogs bite postmen"; one cake burned, so "I'm useless at baking, forever"; one parking spot at 5 o'clock, so it's "the magic time". - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/5/) — A cousin of the trap is the lucky survivor: Gran's neighbour smoked and lived to 95, so "smoking can't be that bad". - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/6/) — Doctors have counted millions of people, and on average smoking makes people ill and die much earlier. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/7/) — One lucky person doesn't change the count. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/8/) — Another cousin: getting better anyway. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/9/) — Uncle Pat's cold went after a hot drink, but colds go by themselves in about a week. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/10/) — Chloe hid behind the sofa in a storm and was fine, but the whole house kept her safe. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/11/) — The mickey-taking hits the jump from one to all: "Nana, I put honey on my maths. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/12/) — Now it's sticky AND wrong." To really know, try many times, change one thing, and count. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/13/) — Making a rule from one example is called a hasty generalisation: one time tells you very little. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/14/) — Ask what was different last time: the same action in a different situation can give a different result. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/15/) — Some smokers live long, but doctors have counted huge numbers of people, and on average smoking makes people ill and die much earlier. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/16/) — Pointing to one lucky person against the evidence is sometimes called the survivor story. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/17/) — Most colds go away by themselves in about 7 to 10 days, which is why many "cures" seem to work; whiskey is never for children. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/18/) — Honey can soothe a cough a little in children over one year old, but it is not a cure for everything. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/19/) — Dogs differ a lot: one dog's behaviour tells you about that dog, not about all dogs. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/20/) — Inside a house you are already safe from lightning; staying away from windows, baths and corded phones in a storm also helps. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/21/) — One bad try at something new is normal; change one thing, like the oven temperature, and try again. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/22/) — Car parks are usually busiest at weekends and in the evening rush; one lucky spot at 5 o'clock proves nothing. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/23/) — In Monopoly the brown streets are the cheapest and earn the least rent; a strategy is tested over many games, not one. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/164-it-worked-once-one-example-is-not-all/24/) — Words people use: "eejit" means idiot and "ya" means you (Ireland), "cos" means because, "mid" means ordinary or not very good (young slang), "fam" means mate, "bummer" means a disappointment (older US slang), "muppet" is a teasing word for a silly person (UK), and "hot whiskey" is a grown-up drink in Ireland. - ← previous: ["Because I said so" and other dead-end reasons](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/163-because-i-said-so-dead-end-reasons/) - next →: [The brother who never does anything wrong: double standards at home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/165-the-brother-who-never-does-anything-wrong-double-standards/) - ↑ back to [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/)