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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Oxymoron
Oxymoron
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DanielaA
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Oxymoron
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Dear friends, I was wondering whether this is an oxymoron: "wide open window of opportunity". Can you help me with an answer? Thank you. Daniela. |
10 Apr 2010
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aliciapc
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Hi Daniela, an oxymoron is an expression that contains words with different meanings : e.g. "the bitter sweet taste of victory". I just think "wide" emphasises the word "open" as adjectives. |
10 Apr 2010
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Sonn
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The oxymoron would be: wide closed. Or wide opened window of failure.
I think in your case it is a metaphore. |
10 Apr 2010
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yanogator
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It �s definitely not an oxymoron, but it �s also not quite a correct expression. A window of opportunity is a limited time to accomplish something. It is either open or closed. Wide open is just not a phrase that works in this situation. While the window is open, the opportunity is there (and being wide open wouldn �t make the opportunity "more there"). Afterwards, the opportunity is gone.
Bruce |
10 Apr 2010
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Jayho
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Actually Bruce, we (as in Australian �s) do often say the window of opportunity is wide open (but not wide open window of opportunity).
I consider it to be an idiom. |
10 Apr 2010
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DanielaA
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Dear eslprintables friends, Thank you very much for your replies. I wanted to use the expression as a title, now I �m thinking of turning Jayho �s suggestion into something like "Window of Opportunity, Wide Open". What do you think, my friends? Thank you for your time. I appreciate your answers. Daniela. |
10 Apr 2010
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Jayho
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Hi Daniela
Yes- depending on your purpose and context you could have Your (or The) window of opportunity is wide open. The way you have written is not quite (grammatically) correct - although a newspaper would use it like that for a headline and we would know what it means.
It �s not a common expression but it is used. If you google it you will find it is commonly used in sports and real estate but it also appears here where it says Your child is growing quickly and the all-important "window of opportunity" is wide open right now. I like that sentence because it relates it to learning.
Cheers
Jayho |
11 Apr 2010
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DanielaA
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Thank you very much. Daniela. |
11 Apr 2010
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