You take chances, I’ll take opportunities

He has a chance to win the title.

The chance to see her mentor and hero again before she moved across the country was too good to pass up.

Give him the chance to prove he has the chops to be a leader.

At first blush, all three of the sentences seem perfectly acceptable. True? Do you have any issues with them? Are you satisfied with chance as the noun word choice? Does it provide the strength and the sense of control the speaker’s intended?

Probably not.

Take the opportunity

The better word choice is opportunity. Why?

Opportunity suggests the individual has some level of influence, if not outright mastery over the result. That is much preferred, wouldn’t you agree?

Opportunity knocks   NOT   Chance knocks
Opportunity cost   NOT   Chance cost

Which sentence sounds more empowering:

This is the chance of a lifetime; seize the moment.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime; seize the moment.

Crossover meanings

Returning to the first three examples, you may argue that the second sentence presents a scenario where there is the risk that she won’t meet her hero. This is true, however, this is a mentoring relationship, so there is a commitment and a bond that reduces, if not eliminates, much of the risk.

And that’s the underscores point with the noun chance: chance conveys a sense of little to no personal control over the outcome. (see Chance definition #1 below) It implies luck.

Here are three appropriate uses for chance:

Chance meeting   NOT   Opportunity meeting
As chance would have it   NOT   As opportunity would have it
By any chance   NOT   By any opportunity

There are circumstances where opportunity and chance are synonyms (see Chance definition #4 below), however, I maintain that in most cases, opportunity is the wiser word choice.

Take a chance

Chance is a far more fluid word with many other interpretations. As a writer, this is magical, but it also drastically elevates the potential for confusion if improperly used. Precision in communication calls for eliminating inferences, assumptions and conjecture.

Unless you intend to imply an element of luck, select opportunity.

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DEFINITIONS

chance  [chans, chahns] noun, verb, chanced, chanc·ing, adjective

1. the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood, or controlled: often personified or treated as a positive agency: Chance governs all.

2. luck or fortune: a game of chance.

3. a possibility or probability of anything happening: a fifty-percent chance of success.

4. an opportune or favorable time; opportunity: Now is your chance.

5. Baseball . an opportunity to field the ball and make a put-out or assist.

6. a risk or hazard: Take a chance.

7. a share or ticket in a lottery or prize drawing: The charity is selling chances for a dollar each.

8. chances, probability: The chances are that the train hasn't left yet.

 

op·por·tu·ni·ty [op-er-too-ni-tee, -tyoo-], noun, plural -ties.

1. an appropriate or favorable time or occasion: Their meeting afforded an opportunity to exchange views.

2. a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.

3. a good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.