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I want to use the phrase "plenty of opportunities" in my essay, but I'm not sure whether opportunity is countable or not. Some people say that the phrase "plenty of opportunity" is acceptable, some say "a lot of opportunities". So which version is the most accurate?

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    Both are grammatical. Which is more accurate depends on what you want to express (which you haven’t told us).
    – Lawrence
    Commented Oct 23, 2020 at 7:51
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    If they are single occasions when you have the chance to do something, the word is countable.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Oct 23, 2020 at 8:01
  • Please let us know the rest of your sentence :)
    – marcellothearcane
    Commented Oct 23, 2020 at 8:38
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    You can have many job opportunities in life (countable). But if personified, Opportunity knocks (uncountable).
    – rajah9
    Commented Oct 23, 2020 at 11:36

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Almost any uncountable word can be countable.

I can talk of cheese and cheeses (Cheddar and Wensleydale); of bread and breads (white and soda bread); even water and waters (pond water; sea water; drinking water). I can have a number of wines in the cellar. Opportunity is like this: many opportunities can arise to do something, in which case you have a lot of opportunity. When talking of opportunities each individual occasion is considered; but together they make a lot of opportunity.

Which you use, opportunities or opportunity, depends on whether you want to focus on each individual occasion you might do something, or the concept of being able to do it.

Some really abstract concepts are not easily made countable: evidence and information come to mind.

Many countable words can be uncountable: you can have buildings built of brick.

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