Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

Is this an acceptable collocation: "lucky opportunity" (= good opportunity)? What other adjectives can I use?

Thank you,

Nawee

[CP]

"Lucky opportunity" doesn't sound quite right. The person who seizes this opportunity might turn out to be lucky, though.

I would think about what I want the listener / reader to believe about the opportunity, then choose the adjective.

"This is a good opportunity." Well, good is not very exciting. It should be better than just good.
"This is a great opportunity." That's better, but every sportscaster calls every routine play great, so it's not so great.
"This is a fine opportunity." Sounds a little better without going overboard.
"This is a fabulous opportunity." May work for some audiences, but it had better be pretty good.
"This is a unique opportunity." It's one of a kind, so you'd better jump at it.
"This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity." Implies you don't think your audience knows what "unique" means.
"This is a special opportunity." It's special, you're special, . . . .
"This is a genuine opportunity." Unlike all those other phony opportunities.
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