Opportunities For vs. Opportunities Of vs. Opportunities To

Using prepositions can be difficult, especially when you need to differentiate between prepositions used in a  similar manner. This article discusses the different contexts in which the prepositions “for”, “of”, and “to”  are used with the word “opportunities”.

Opportunities For vs. Opportunities Of vs. Opportunities To

“Opportunities for” is often used in referring to whom the opportunities are intended to be given. “Opportunities of” is used when referring to who owns or possesses the opportunities, or used to describe the opportunities themselves. “Opportunities to” is used when referring to the purpose of the opportunities.

The phrases “opportunities for”, “opportunities of”, and “opportunities to” are all used in different situations.  These are not interchangeable. This is because the prepositions “for”, “of”, and “to” have different uses.

Because the preposition “for” means “intended to be given to”, the phrase “opportunities for” is often used  when you want to refer to a person or persons to whom the opportunities are intended to be given. It can also  be used to describe the purpose of the opportunities.

Meanwhile, the preposition “of” can be used to show possession or ownership, or to describe the  characteristics of the opportunities (e.g. “opportunities of choice”).

Finally, the preposition “to” is used to show purpose. This is why the phrase “opportunities to” is used when  you want to refer to the purpose of the opportunities.

Opportunities For

The phrase “opportunities for” is used in a situation where you want to describe to whom the  opportunities are intended to be given. It can also be used to describe the purpose of the opportunities. 

When you want to describe the person or persons opportunities are intended to be given to, the phrase  “opportunities for” is the one you use. This phrase can also be used to describe the purpose of the  opportunities.

This is because of the nature of the preposition “for”, which can be used either to describe the recipient of  something or to describe the purpose of something.

Below are examples of how to use “opportunities for” in a sentence:

1. If the world doesn’t give you opportunities, you have to create opportunities for yourself.
2. In this company, you will have several opportunities for growth.
3. Henry should take the scholarship because it opens up many opportunities for him.
4. Clare decided not to go to medical school because she already had opportunities for employment.
5. There are many opportunities for young graduates when they leave university.
6. During the pandemic, many opportunities for a career change opened up for Cathy.
7. While no one wanted to invest in Samuel’s business, Tony saw several opportunities for its  development.

Opportunities Of

The phrase “opportunities of” is used when you want to show ownership of opportunities or to  describe characteristics of opportunities. 

When you want to describe the person or persons who own the opportunities you are talking about, you can  use the phrase “opportunities of”. You can also use this phrase to describe the characteristics of  opportunities.

This is because the preposition “of” can be used either to show possession of a thing or to describe the  characteristics of a thing.

Below are examples of how to use “opportunities of” in a sentence:

1. There are many opportunities of chance that people don’t see.
2. Don’t be stupid, there are many opportunities of a young graduate that you haven’t taken advantage of  yet.
3. Have you gone through all of your opportunities of the week?
4. I feel you aren’t taking advantage of all the opportunities of social media, that’s why you’re in a rut.
5. Your scholarship and your job offers are opportunities of choice, so you should be grateful for them.
6. The opportunities of a young professional like Phil are endless, I don’t understand why he wants to  give up on his career.
7. The opportunities of a well-off family to raise their children well are far greater than that of a family  with a lower socioeconomic status.

Opportunities To

The phrase “opportunities to” is used when you want to describe the purpose of the opportunities. 

When you want to describe the purpose of the opportunities you are talking about, you can use the phrase  “opportunities to”. This is because the preposition “to” is often used to show purpose.

Below are examples of how to use “opportunities to” in a sentence:

1. Don’t despair, Rachel, your child still has many opportunities to change.
2. A lot of people waste years of their lives throwing away their opportunities to grow into better  people.
3. We must go to sleep, there will be several opportunities to attack in the morning.
4. Mitchell and Cameron don’t have to go on vacation with us, there will be many opportunities to go  on vacation together as a family next year.
5. Opportunities to transfer to another law school are few and far in between, so you better make sure  you get into a good one on your first try.
6. Richard, I will not be extending your deadline; you had several opportunities to submit your report  before today.
7. Alba had very few opportunities to spend time with her father during her childhood, which is why  she is making up for it now.

Which Is Used The Most?

According to data from Google Ngram Viewer, the phrase “opportunities for” is more popularly used  than both the phrases “opportunities to” and “opportunities of”. “Opportunities to” is more  commonly used than “opportunities of”. 

Among the three phrases, the phrase “opportunities for” is the most popular, according to data from Google Ngram Viewer.

Google Ngram Viewer is able to track how frequently phrases are used in books. Based on data collected from books published between 1900-2019, “opportunities for” is more popular than both “opportunities to”  and “opportunities of”.

“Opportunities to” is currently more popular than “opportunities of”. However, there was a brief period  between 1900-1930 when the phrase “opportunities of” was more popular.

Since 1930, the gap between the usage of the two phrases has increased, solidifying “opportunities of” as the least popular of the three phrases.

Final Thoughts

The word “opportunities” can be used with the prepositions “for”, “to”, and “of”. “Opportunities  for” refers to the recipient or purpose of the opportunities. “Opportunities to” also refers to purpose,  while “opportunities of” refers to the one who possesses the opportunities, or is used to describe the  opportunities themselves.